Székely people (Romania): Difference between revisions

{{distinguish|text=[[Sicels]], also called ''Siculi'' in Latin}}

{{redirect|Secui|the village in Dolj County, Romania|Teasc||Székely (disambiguation)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2011}}

{{Infobox ethnic group

|group=Székelys

| flag = Flag_of_Szekely_Land.svg

| flag_caption = Flag of Székely Land (as used by the private NGO [[Szekler National Council]])

|image=

|caption =

|pop= est. 510,000&nbsp;– 700,000<ref>Archivum Ottomanicum, Volume 20, Mouton, 2002, original from: the [[University of Michigan]], p. 66, Cited: "A few tens of years ago the Szekler population was estimated at more than 800.000, but now they are probably ca. 490.000 in number."</ref><ref>{{cite book|url={{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=jLfX1q3kJzgC |page=334 }} |title=Ethnic Groups and Population Changes in Twentieth-century Central-Eastern ... |author=Piotr Eberhardt |publisher= |date= |accessdate=2013-11-26}}</ref><ref>Judit Tóth and Endre Sík, "Joining and EU: integration of Hungary or the Hungarians?" In: Willfried Spohn, Anna Triandafyllidou, [{{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=gnNs_N3hXbIC }} Europeanisation, National Identities and Migration: Changes in Boundary Constructions between Western and Eastern Europe], Psychology Press, 2012, p. 228</ref>

<br> (532 of them declared themselves as Székely rather than Hungarian at the 2011 Romanian census)<ref name="insse.ro">{{cite web|url=http://www.insse.ro/cms/files/RPL2002INS/vol4/notavol4.pdf |title=Nota metodologica |publisher=Insse.ro |accessdate=2013-11-26}}</ref>

|popplace=[[Romania]] (mostly in the counties of [[Harghita]], [[Covasna County|Covasna]] and parts of [[Mureș County|Mureș]]), southern [[Hungary]] and the rest of the world

|langs=[[Hungarian dialects|Székely language]]

|rels=Predominantly [[Roman Catholicism in Romania|Roman Catholic]], with [[Reformed Church in Romania|Hungarian Reformed]] and [[Unitarian Church of Transylvania|Unitarian]] minorities

|related= [[Hungarian people|Hungarians]], other [[Ugric peoples]]

}}

The '''Székelys''' ({{IPA-hu|ˈseːkɛj}}), sometimes also referred to as '''Szeklers''' ({{lang-hu|székelyek}}, {{lang-ro|Secui}}, {{lang-de|Szekler}}, {{lang-la|Siculi}}) are an officially recognized as a distinct minority group by the [[Romanian government]] and are [[Hungarian dialects|Hungarian dialect]] and [[Romanian language|Romanian]] speaking subgroup people living mostly in Romania in [[Székely Land|3 counties]]. <ref>{{cite book |title= Protestantism and politics in eastern Europe and Russia: the communist and postcommunist eras|last=Ramet |first=Sabrina P. |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1992 |volume=3|publisher=[[Duke University Press]] |location= |isbn= 9780822312413|page=160 |pages= |url= {{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=O4GGgAmzl3gC |page=160 }} |accessdate=|quote=...the Szekler community, now regarded as a subgroup of the Hungarian people.}}</ref><ref>Sherrill Stroschein, [{{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=SC5B3NXPiU4C |page=1 }} Ethnic Struggle, Coexistence, and Democratization in Eastern Europe], [[Cambridge University Press]], 2012, p. 210 Cited: "Székely, a Hungarian sub-group that is concentrated in the mountainous Hungarian enclave"</ref>.

A significant population descending from the [[Székelys of Bukovina]] lives in [[Tolna (county)|Tolna]] and [[Baranya county|Baranya]] counties in [[Hungary]] and in certain districts of [[Vojvodina]], [[Serbia]].

After [[WWII]], during [[Socialist Republic of Romania|communism]] it was imposed in 1952, the former province of [[Mureș County|Mureș]], Romania (with the highest concentration of Székely population), was legally designated as the [[Magyar Autonomous Region|Hungarian Autonomous Region]]. It was superseded in 1960 by the [[Magyar Autonomous Region|Mureș-Hungarian Autonomous Region]], itself divided in 1968 into three non-autonomous counties, [[Harghita County|Harghita]], [[Covasna County|Covasna]] and Mureș.<ref name="Britannica"/>

In the [[Middle Ages]], the Székelys, along with the [[Transylvanian Saxons]], played a key role in the defense of the [[Kingdom of Hungary in the Middle Ages|Kingdom of Hungary]] against the [[Ottomans]]<ref name=ethnic>{{cite book|title=Ethnic Groups and Population Changes in Twentieth-century Central-Eastern Europe|author=Piotr Eberhardt|publisher=M. E. Sharpe, Armonk, NY and London, England, 2003|url={{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=jLfX1q3kJzgC |page=1 }} | isbn=978-0-7656-0665-5}}</ref> in their posture as guards of the eastern border. With the [[Treaty of Trianon]] of 1920, [[Transylvania]] (including the Székely Land) became part of Romania, and the Székely population was a target of [[Romanianization]] efforts.<ref>{{cite book |title=Whose Democracy?: Nationalism, Religion, and the Doctrine of Collective Rights in Post-1989 Eastern Europe |last=Ramet |first=Sabrina P. |year=1997 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location= |isbn=978-0-8476-8324-6 |pages=67–69 |chapter=The Hungarians of Transylvania}}</ref> In post-[[Cold War]] Romania, where the Székelys form roughly half of the ethnic Hungarian population, members of the group have been among the most vocal of Hungarians seeking an [[autonomy|autonomous]] Hungarian region in Transylvania.<ref name=Columbia/> They were estimated to number about 860,000 in the 1970s and are officially recognized as a distinct minority group by the [[Romanian government]].<ref name=Britannica/>

Today most of Székely people live in the land that roughly corresponds to the Romanian counties of Harghita, Covasna and central and eastern Mureș. Based on the official [[Demographic history of Romania#18 March 2011 census|2011 Romanian census]], 1,227,623<ref>[http://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/REZULTATE-DEFINITIVE-RPL_2011.pdf Romanian Population census of 2011] {{ro icon}} &nbsp;– recensamant 2002 --> rezultate --> 4. POPULATIA DUPA ETNIE</ref> ethnic Hungarians live in Romania, mostly in the region of [[Transylvania]], making 19.6% of the population of this region. Of these, 609,033 (according to the 2011 Romanian Census) live in the counties of Harghita, Covasna and Mureș, which taken together have a Hungarian majority (58%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/86885327/CESCH-Recensamant-Populatie-2011-CV-Hr |title=CESCH- Recensamant Populatie 2011 CV Hr |publisher=Scribd.com |date=2012-03-27 |accessdate=2013-11-26}}</ref> The Hungarians in Székely Land therefore account for half (49.41%) of the [[Hungarians in Romania]]. When given the choice on the 2011 Romanian census between ethnically identifying as ''Székely'' or as ''Hungarian'', the overwhelming majority of the Székelys chose the latter – only 532 persons declared themselves as ethnic ''Székely''.<ref name="insse.ro"/>

==History==

{{Main|History of the Székely people}}

[[File:II. Budapesti Székely Bál - 2015.02.14 (20).JPG|250px|thumb|Budapest Székely Ball]]

The Székelys derive their name from a Hungarian expression meaning "frontier guards".<ref name="Britannica"/> The Székely territories came under the leadership of the [[Count of the Székelys]] (Latin: Comes Siculorum), initially a royal appointee from the non-Székely Hungarian nobility who was de facto a [[margrave]]; from the 15th century onward, the [[voivode]]s of Transylvania held the office themselves. The Székelys were considered a distinct ethnic group (''natio Siculica'')<ref>{{cite web |url= http://mek.niif.hu/03400/03407/html/71.html |title= The Székelys in Transylvania |publisher= Mek.niif.hu |date= |accessdate= 2013-11-26}}</ref> and formed part of the ''[[Unio Trium Nationum]]'' ("Union of Three Nations"), a coalition of three Transylvanian [[Estates of the realm|estates]], the other two "nations" being the (also predominantly Hungarian) nobility and the [[Transylvanian Saxons|Saxons]] (that is, [[German diaspora|ethnic German]]) burghers. These three groups ruled Transylvania from 1438 onward, usually in harmony though sometimes in conflict with one another. During the [[Long Turkish War]], the Székelys formed an alliance with Prince [[Michael the Brave]] of [[Wallachia]] against the army of [[Andrew Báthory]], recently appointed Prince of [[Transylvania]].

===Language===

{{Main|Hungarian dialects|Székely language}}

===Origins===

{{Main|Origin of the Székelys}}

The origin of the Székelys has been much debated. It is now generally accepted that they are descendants of Hungarians (or of Magyarized [[Turkic peoples]]) transplanted to the eastern [[Carpathian Mountains]] to guard the frontier, their name meaning simply "frontier guards".<ref name=Britannica>{{cite encyclopedia |title= Szekler people |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |url= http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/579333/Szekler}}</ref> The Székelys have historically claimed descent from [[Attila the Hun|Attila]]'s [[Huns]]<ref name="Britannica"/> and believed they played a special role in shaping Hungary. Ancient legends recount that a contingent of Huns remained in Transylvania, later allying with the main Hungarian army that [[Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin|conquered the Carpathian Basin]] in the 9th century. The thirteenth-century chronicler [[Simon of Kéza]] also claimed that the Székely people descended from Huns who lived in mountainous lands prior to the Hungarian conquest.<ref>Kevin Brook: ''Jews of Khazaria'', Rowman & Littlefield Publisher, UK, 2006, page 170 [{{Google books |plainurl= yes |id= hEuIveNl9kcC |page= 170 }}]</ref>

[[File:Szekelys-in-hungary.png|thumb|250px|Székely people in the Kingdom of Hungary]]

After the theory of Hunnic descent lost scholarly currency in the 20th century two substantial ideas emerged about Székely ancestry:<ref name=EDRC/>

* Some scholars suggested that the Székelys were simply [[Magyars]],<ref name=EDRC/> like other Hungarians, transplanted in the Middle Ages to guard the frontiers. Researches could not prove that Szeklers spoke a different language.<ref name=EDRC>Cathy O’Grady, Zoltán Kántor and Daniela Tarnovschi, [http://www.edrc.ro/resurse/rapoarte/Hungarians_of_Romania.pdf Hungarians of Romania], In: Panayote Dimitras (editor), Center for Documentation and Information on Minorities in Europe&nbsp;— Southeast Europe (CEDIME-SE) MINORITIES IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE, Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center, 2001, p. 5</ref> In this case, their strong cultural differences from other Hungarians stem from centuries of relative isolation in the mountains.

* Others suggested Turkic origin as [[Pannonian Avars|Avar]], [[Kabar]] or [[Esegel|Esegel-Bulgar]] ancestries.<ref name=EDRC/>

Some historians have dated the Székely presence in the Eastern [[Carpathian Mountains]] as early as the fifth century,<ref name=EDRC/> and found historical evidence that the Székelys were part of the [[Pannonian Avars|Avar]]<ref name=Columbia>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia= [[Columbia Encyclopedia]] |title= Székely |url= http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Szekely.html |year= 2008 |access-date= 25 January 2009}}</ref> confederation during the so-called [[Dark Ages (historiography)|Dark Ages]], but this does not mean that they were ethnically Avar.

Research indicates that Székelys undoubtedly spoke in [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]].<ref name="Makkai 2001, pp. 415-416">Makkai 2001, pp. 415-416.</ref> Toponyms at the Székely settlement area also give proof of their Hungarian mother tongue.<ref name="Makkai 2001, pp. 415-416"/> The Székely dialect does not have more Bulgaro-Turkish loan-words derived from before the [[Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin]] than standard Hungarian does.<ref name="Makkai 2001, pp. 415-416"/> Even if the Székelys had been a Turkic stock they had to have lost their original vernacular at a very early date.<ref name="Makkai 2001, pp. 415-416"/>

==Genetics==

An [[autosomal]] analysis,<ref>Science, 14 February 2014, Vol. 343 no. 6172, p. 751, A Genetic Atlas of Human Admixture History, Garrett Hellenthal at al.: " ''CIs. for the admixture time(s) overlap but predate the Mongol empire, with estimates from 440 to 1080 CE ([https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4209567/figure/F3/ Fig.3.]) In each population, one source group has at least some ancestry related to Northeast Asians, with ~2 to 4% of these groups total ancestry linking directly to East Asia. This signal might correspond to a small genetic legacy from invasions of peoples from the Asian steppes (e.g., the Huns, Magyars, and Bulgars) during the first millennium CE.''"</ref> studying non-European admixture in Europeans, found 4.4% of admixture of non-European and non-Middle Eastern origin among Hungarians, which was the strongest among sampled populations. It was found at 3.6% in Belarusians, 2.5% in Romanians, 2.3% in Bulgarians and Lithuanians, 1.9% in Poles and 0% in Greeks. The authors stated "This signal might correspond to a small genetic legacy from invasions of peoples from the Asian steppes (e.g., the Huns, Magyars, and Bulgars) during the first millennium CE."

Among 100 Hungarian men (90 of them from the [[Great Hungarian Plain]]), the following haplogroups and frequencies are obtained:<ref name="csanyi">{{cite journal|url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-1809.2008.00440.x/abstract|title=Y-Chromosome Analysis of Ancient Hungarian and Two Modern Hungarian-Speaking Populations from the Carpathian Basin|first1=B.|last1=Csányi|first2=E.|last2=Bogácsi-Szabó|first3=Gy.|last3=Tömöry|first4=Á.|last4=Czibula|first5=K.|last5=Priskin|first6=A.|last6=Csõsz|first7=B.|last7=Mende|first8=P.|last8=Langó|first9=K.|last9=Csete|first10=A.|last10=Zsolnai|first11=E. K.|last11=Conant|first12=C. S.|last12=Downes|first13=I.|last13=Raskó|date=1 July 2008|journal=Annals of Human Genetics|volume=72|issue=4|pages=519–534|accessdate=18 August 2017|via=Wiley Online Library|doi=10.1111/j.1469-1809.2008.00440.x}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|-

! Haplogroup

| R1a || R1b || I2a1 || J2 || E1b1b1a || I1 || G2 || J1 || I* || E* || F* || K*

|-

! Frequency

| 30% || 15% || 13% || 13% || 9% || 8% || 3% || 3% || 3% || 1% || 1% || 1%

|}

The 97 Székelys belong to the following haplogroups:<ref name="csanyi" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|-

! Haplogroup

| R1b || R1a || I1 || J2 || J1 || E1b1b1a || I2a1 || G2 || P* || E* || N

|-

! Frequency

| 20% || 19% || 17% || 11% || 10% || 8% || 5% || 5% || 3% || 1% || 1%

|}

It can be inferred that Szekelys have more significant German admixture. A study sampling 45 [[Palóc]] from Budapest and northern Hungary, found<ref>Semino 2000 et al</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|-

! Haplogroup

| R1a || R1b || I || E || G || J2

|-

! Frequency

| 60% || 13% || 11% || 9% || 2% || 2%

|}

A study estimating possible Inner Asian admixture among nearly 500 Hungarians based on paternal lineages only, estimated it at 5.1% in Hungary, at 7.4% in Székelys and at 6.3% at [[Csangos]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268689832_Testing_Central_and_Inner_Asian_admixture_among_contemporary_Hungarians|title=Testing Central and Inner Asian admixture among contemporary Hungarians (PDF Download Available)|website=ResearchGate|accessdate=18 August 2017}}</ref> It has boldly been noted that this is an upper limit by deep SNPs and that the main haplogroups responsible for that contribution are J2-M172 (negative M47, M67, L24, M12), J2-L24, R1a-Z93, Q-M242 and E-M78, the latter of which is typically European, while N is still negligible (1.7%). In an attempt to divide N into subgroups L1034 and L708, some Hungarian, Sekler, and Uzbek samples were found to be L1034 SNP positive, while all Mongolians, [[Buryats]], [[Khanty people|Khanty]], Finnish, and Roma samples showed a negative result for this marker. The 2500 years old SNP L1034 was found typical for [[Mansi people|Mansi]] and Hungarians, the closest linguistic relatives.<ref>A limited genetic link between Mansi and Hungarians</ref>

==Demographics==

The Székely people live mainly in Harghita, Covasna and Mureș counties. They identify themselves as Hungarians, but they maintain a somewhat distinct ethnic identity from other Hungarians.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Realm of St Stephen |last= Stroschein|first=Sherrill |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2012|publisher= Cambridge University Press|location= London|isbn=1-107-00524-8 |page=77 |pages= |url=}}</ref> Hungarians form a majority of the population in the counties of Covasna and Harghita.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!County

!Hungarians

!% of county population

|-

|[[Harghita County|Harghita]]

|257,707

|84.62%

|-

|[[Covasna County|Covasna]]

|150,468

|73.74%

|-

|[[Mureș County|Mureș]]

|200,858

|38.09%

|}

The [[Székelys of Bukovina]], today settled mostly in Vojvodina and southern Hungary, form a culturally separate group with its own history.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}

<gallery class="center">

Image:Szekely03 original map.png|Ethnic map of Harghita, Covasna and Mureș based on the 1992 data, showing areas with Hungarian majority

Image:Szekely03.png|Ethnic map of Harghita, Covasna and Mureș based on the 2002 data, showing areas with Hungarian majority

Image:Szekely04.png|Ethnic map of Harghita, Covasna and Mureș based on the 2011 data, showing areas with Hungarian majority

</gallery>

==Autonomy==

[[File:Kályhacsempe.jpg|thumb|right|140x140px|Székely pottery (stove tile)]]

An autonomous Székely region existed between 1952 and 1968. First created as the [[Magyar Autonomous Region]] in 1952, it was renamed the Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region in 1960. Ever since the abolition of the Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region by the [[Nicolae Ceaușescu|Ceaușescu]] regime in 1968, some of the Székely have pressed for their autonomy to be restored. Several proposals have been discussed within the Székely Hungarian community and by the Romanian majority. One of the [[Székely autonomy initiatives]] is based on the model of the [[Autonomous communities of Spain|Spanish autonomous community]] of [[Catalonia]].<ref>{{ro icon}} [http://www.gandul.info/2006-05-27/politic/romaniei_ii_este_aplicabil României îi este aplicabil modelul de autonomie al Cataloniei] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060528043717/http://www.gandul.info/2006-05-27/politic/romaniei_ii_este_aplicabil |date=28 May 2006 }} (''The Catalan autonomy model is applicable in Romania''), ''[[Gândul]]'', 27 May 2006</ref> A major peaceful demonstration was held in 2006 in favor of autonomy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hunsor.se/avitus/szekelymanifest060316.htm |title=HUNSOR ~ Hungarian Swedish Online Resources |publisher=Hunsor.se |date= |accessdate=2013-11-26}}</ref>

Since 2013 thousands of ethnic Hungarians march for autonomy every year on March 10 in [[Târgu Mureș]], Romania.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130310/thousands-ethnic-hungarians-march-autonomy-romania |title=Global post|publisher=MTI |date= |accessdate=2014-03-13}}</ref> March 10 is the anniversary of the execution in Târgu Mureș in 1854 of three Szeklers who tried to achieve national self-determination.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.politics.hu/20130311/synchronized-demonstrations-for-autonomy-of-szekely-land-take-place-in-europe-america/ |title=All Hungary Media Group |publisher=Hunsor.se |date= |accessdate=2014-03-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314000414/http://www.politics.hu/20130311/synchronized-demonstrations-for-autonomy-of-szekely-land-take-place-in-europe-america/ |archive-date=14 March 2014 |dead-url=yes |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Literature==

[[File:Autonomy for Székely Land ! - 2013.10.27 (9).JPG|140x140px|thumb|Demonstration for the Autonomy of Székely Land – 2013, Budapest]]

[[Áron Tamási]], a 20th-century Székely writer from [[Lupeni]], wrote many novels about the Székely which set universal stories of love and self-individuation against the backdrop of Székely village culture. Other Székely writers include the folklorist [[Elek Benedek]], the novelist [[József Nyírő]] and the poet [[Sándor Kányádi]].{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}

==Symbols==

Flag of Székely National Council, one of the main political organizations of the Székelys<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sznt.ro/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=21&lang=en |title=The symbols of Szekler National Council &#124; SZNC - Szekler National Council |publisher=Sznt.ro |date= |accessdate=2013-11-26 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228020954/http://www.sznt.ro/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=21&lang=en |archivedate=28 December 2008 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The Sun and Moon are the symbols of the Székely, and are used in the [[Transylvania#Historical coat of arms of Transylvania|coat of arms of Transylvania]] and on the [[Coat of arms of Romania|Romanian national coat of arms]]. The Sun and the Moon, the symbols of the cosmic world, are known from Hungarian grave findings from the [[Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin|period of the Hungarian conquest]].<ref>András Róna-Tas, [{{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=I-RTt0Q6AcYC }} Hungarians and Europe in the Early Middle Ages: An Introduction to Early Hungarian History], [[Central European University Press]], 1999, p. 366</ref> After the Hungarians became [[Christian]]s in the 11th century, the importance of these icons became purely visual and symbolic. The Székelys have succeeded in preserving traditions to an extent unusual even in Central and Eastern Europe. A description of the Székely Land and its traditions was written between 1859 and 1868 by [[Balázs Orbán]] in his ''[[Székelyföld leírása|Description of the Székely Land]]''.

==Image gallery==

<gallery class="center" mode="packed-hover" widths="px" heights="px" classes="center">

File:Coat of arms of Szekely Land.svg|

File:Székelykapu.gif|A "Székely gate"

File:Derzs1.jpg|[[Dârjiu fortified church]] is part of the UNESCO World Heritage

File:Székely flag (1).JPG|Székely flag on the Houses of Parliament, Budapest, Hungary

File:Székely kapu- Gate.JPG|

File:Napeshold.jpg|The Székely Sun and Moon (old flag)

</gallery>

==See also==

*[[History of the Székely people]]

*[[Székely Land]]

*[[List of Székely settlements]]

*[[Szekler National Council]]

*[[Count of the Székelys]]

*[[Székelys of Bukovina]]

*[[Székely Himnusz]]

*[[Old Hungarian alphabet|Old Hungarian script]] (Székely runes)

*[[Siculicidium]]

*[[Hungarians in Romania]]

*[[Csangos]]

*[[Ugric peoples]]

*[[History of Hungary]]

*[[Avar Khaganate]]

==References==

{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==

* Makkai, László (2001). ''Transylvania in the medieval Hungarian kingdom (896-1526)'', In: Béla Köpeczi, HISTORY OF TRANSYLVANIA Volume I. From the Beginnings to 1606, [[Columbia University Press]], New York, 2001, {{ISBN|0880334797}}

==External links==

{{Commons category|Székely}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130607113444/http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Szeklers Encyclopedia 1911 Article]

;English

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080402050534/http://lgi.osi.hu/documents.php?id=1098 Minority Cultures: The Szeklers Tortured History]

* Ioan Aurel Pop, The Ethno-Confessional Structure of Medieval Transylvania and Hungary. Cluj Napoca, 1994 (bulletin of the Center for Transilvanian Studies, vol.III, nr.4, July 1994)

;Hungarian

* [http://adatbank.transindex.ro/cedula.php?kod=60 Székely history until 1848]

;Romanian

*[http://www.slideshare.net/FrescatiStory/gheorghe-popalisseanu-originea-secuilor-si-secuizarea-romanilor G.Popa Lisseanu, Originea secuilor si secuizarea romanilor, Editura Romania Pur si Simplu, Bucuresti, 2003]

{{Romanianethnicgroups}}

{{Hungarian diaspora}}

{{Uralic peoples}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Szekely}}

[[Category:Hungarian minorities in Europe]]

[[Category:Ethnic groups in Romania]]

[[Category:Hungarian people]]