Jozsef Mindszenty (born Pehm) was a most controversial figure of the 20th century Hungarian history. As a local priest of Zalaegerszeg for a quarter of a century, and later as the bishop of Veszprem, even later, and most importantly as the cardinal of Eszregom, and finally as a political emigrant, he did his best to defend the semi-feudalistic social system of which time had gone.