Arminius Vámbéry and British Conservatives: Some Further Notes on Their Correspondence

Arminius Vámbéry (1832–1913) was an important figure in 19th-century Oriental studies in Hungary. Despite the controversies about his oeuvre and personality, he had a long-lasting influence on the development of several disciplines in Hungary, not to mention that the omnipresent Vámbéry equally left his mark on some other countries from England to Turkey. Probably the least known and remembered part of Vámbéry’s legacy is his correspondence. The present paper aims to publish, with additional notes and commentaries, three important letters from this group, shedding light on Vámbéry’s contacts with prominent figures of the British political elite at the turn of the 20th century. The authors of the letters, namely Randolph Churchill, George Curzon, and Arthur Balfour, were British conservative politicians, who exerted considerable influence on the Eurasian policies of the British Empire around 1900. It will be argued that these documents also shed light on the extent of Vámbéry’s influence on British foreign policymaking.