The man of outstanding talents originally was not a candidate for the royal title. In the volatile environment of the Kingdom of Hungary, even members of the royal family who were not directly contenders to the throne had to be prepared for any eventuality. To better understand the conditions in the Carpathian Basin immediately before the accession of Béla III, here is a short quote from the great traveller Abu Hamid al-Gharnati, who called the Hungarians Bashkirs and wrote many interesting things about them:

After the wreath-laying ceremony, Gábor Horváth-Lugossy, our Director General spoke to Gábor Vásárhelyi (Béla Bartók's successor), who said that one of the most important things to clarify about Béla Bartók's life and his intellectual legacy as a composer, pianist, folk music researcher, folk music collector and music academy teacher, among others, is that posterity should know that Béla Bartók never emigrated from Hungary and never renounced his homeland.