The
Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many
revolutions that yearThe European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout the European continent...
and closely linked to other
revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areasFrom March 1848 through July 1849, the Habsburg Austrian Empire was threatened by revolutionary movements. Much of the revolutionary activity was of a nationalist character: the empire, ruled from Vienna, included Austrian Germans, Hungarians, Slovenes, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Ruthenians,...
. The revolution in
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
grew into a war for independence from
Habsburg ruleThe Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire founded on a remnant of the Holy Roman Empire centered on what is today's Austria that officially lasted from 1804 to 1867...
.
Many of its leaders and participants, including
Lajos KossuthLajos Kossuth was a Hungarian lawyer, journalist, politician and Governor-President of Hungary in 1849...
,
István SzéchenyiCount István Széchenyi, in Hungarian: Gróf Széchenyi István was a Hungarian politician, theorist and writer, one of the greatest statesmen of Hungarian history. István is a Hungarian language equivalent of the name Stephen.- Family and early life :Széchenyi was born in Vienna...
,
Sándor PetőfiSándor Petőfi , Hungarian poet and revolutionary, was the author of the Nemzeti dal, the poem said to have inspired the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, in which he played a key role. He is Hungary's national poet....
, József Bem, are among the most respected national figures in
Hungarian historyHungary is a state in central Europe, its history under this name dating to the early Middle Ages, when the region previously known as Pannonia was colonized by the Magyar nomad people from what is now central-northern Russia. For history of the area before this period, see Pannonian basin before...
, and the anniversary of the revolution's outbreak, on March 15, is one of Hungary's three
national holidays- Fixed public holidays :- Holidays not endorsed by the state :- Special events :Hungary's most outstanding annual events include the Budapest Spring Festival , Hortobágy Equestrian Days , Sopron Early Music Days , Festival in Budapest , Miskolc Opera Festival , Miskolc Kalálka International Folk...
.
The
Hungarian DietThe National Assembly of Hungary is the national parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 386 members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is based on a complex system involving both area and list election; parties must win at least 5% of the popular vote in order to enter...
(parliament) was reconvened in 1825 to handle financial needs.
The
Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many
revolutions that yearThe European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout the European continent...
and closely linked to other
revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areasFrom March 1848 through July 1849, the Habsburg Austrian Empire was threatened by revolutionary movements. Much of the revolutionary activity was of a nationalist character: the empire, ruled from Vienna, included Austrian Germans, Hungarians, Slovenes, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Ruthenians,...
. The revolution in
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
grew into a war for independence from
Habsburg ruleThe Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire founded on a remnant of the Holy Roman Empire centered on what is today's Austria that officially lasted from 1804 to 1867...
.
Many of its leaders and participants, including
Lajos KossuthLajos Kossuth was a Hungarian lawyer, journalist, politician and Governor-President of Hungary in 1849...
,
István SzéchenyiCount István Széchenyi, in Hungarian: Gróf Széchenyi István was a Hungarian politician, theorist and writer, one of the greatest statesmen of Hungarian history. István is a Hungarian language equivalent of the name Stephen.- Family and early life :Széchenyi was born in Vienna...
,
Sándor PetőfiSándor Petőfi , Hungarian poet and revolutionary, was the author of the Nemzeti dal, the poem said to have inspired the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, in which he played a key role. He is Hungary's national poet....
, József Bem, are among the most respected national figures in
Hungarian historyHungary is a state in central Europe, its history under this name dating to the early Middle Ages, when the region previously known as Pannonia was colonized by the Magyar nomad people from what is now central-northern Russia. For history of the area before this period, see Pannonian basin before...
, and the anniversary of the revolution's outbreak, on March 15, is one of Hungary's three
national holidays- Fixed public holidays :- Holidays not endorsed by the state :- Special events :Hungary's most outstanding annual events include the Budapest Spring Festival , Hortobágy Equestrian Days , Sopron Early Music Days , Festival in Budapest , Miskolc Opera Festival , Miskolc Kalálka International Folk...
.
The events leading to the revolution
The
Hungarian DietThe National Assembly of Hungary is the national parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 386 members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is based on a complex system involving both area and list election; parties must win at least 5% of the popular vote in order to enter...
(parliament) was reconvened in 1825 to handle financial needs. A liberal party emerged in the Diet. The party focused on providing for the peasantry in mostly symbolic ways because of their inability to understand the needs of the laborers.
Lajos KossuthLajos Kossuth was a Hungarian lawyer, journalist, politician and Governor-President of Hungary in 1849...
emerged as leader of the lower gentry in the Diet.
The Revolution
See:
April lawsThe April laws, also called March laws, were a collection of laws legislated by Kossuth Lajos with the aim of modernizing Kingdom of Hungary into a nation state. The imperative program included Hungarian control of its popular national guard, national budget and Hungarian foreign policy, as well as...
The Revolution started on March 15, 1848, with bloodless events in Pest and
BudaBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian. Roman name for Buda was Aquincum Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's complete territory and...
(mass demonstrations forcing the imperial governor to accept all
demandsThe 12 points were a list of demands written by the leaders of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution.-History:On the morning of March 15, 1848, revolutionaries marched around the city of Pest, reading Sándor Petőfi's Nemzeti dal and the 12 points to the crowd...
), followed by various insurrections throughout the kingdom, which enabled Hungarian reformists to declare Hungary's new government and the first Prime minister
Lajos BatthyányCount Lajos Batthyány de Németújvár was a Hungarian statesman from a long line of counts and a descendant of The Capet Kings of France...
of Hungary. The new government approved a sweeping reform package, referred to as the "
April lawsThe April laws, also called March laws, were a collection of laws legislated by Kossuth Lajos with the aim of modernizing Kingdom of Hungary into a nation state. The imperative program included Hungarian control of its popular national guard, national budget and Hungarian foreign policy, as well as...
" (also referred to as the "March Laws"), which essentially created a democratical political system in Hungary. They also demanded that the Hungarian government receive and expend all taxes raised in Hungary, and have authority over Hungarian regiments in the Habsburg army.
In the summer of 1848, aware that they were on the path to civil war, the Hungarian government ministers attempted to gain Habsburg support against Conservative
Josip JelačićCount Josip Jelačić of Bužim was the ban of Croatia between 23 March 1848 and 19 May 1859...
by offering to send troops to northern Italy. By the end of August, the imperial government in Vienna officially ordered the Hungarian government in Pest to end plans for a Hungarian army. Jelačić then took military action against the Hungarian government without any official order.
With war raging on three fronts (against the Croats, in the
BanatThe Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in Romania , the western part in Serbia , and a...
, and in
TransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term frequently encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
), Hungarian radicals in Pest saw this as an opportunity. Parliament made concessions to the radicals in September rather than let the events erupt into violent confrontations. Faced with revolution at home in Vienna too, Austria at first accepted Hungary's government. However, after the Austrian revolution was beaten down, and Franz Joseph I replaced his mentally retarded uncle
Ferdinand IFerdinand of Austria may refer to:*Ferdinand I of Austria*Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand...
as Emperor, Austria again refused to accept Hungarian government. The final break between Vienna and Pest occurred when Field Marshall Count Lamberg was given control of all armies in Hungary (including Jelačić's). In response to Lamberg being attacked on arrival in Hungary a few days later, the imperial court ordered the Hungarian parliament and government dissolved. Jelačić was appointed to take Lamberg's place. War between Austria and Hungary had officially begun.
War of Independence
The Hungarian ruler and his advisors skillfully manipulated the Croatian, Serbian and Romanian peasantry, led by priests and officers firmly loyal to the Habsburgs, and induced them to rebel against the Hungarian government. The Hungarians were supported by the vast majority of the Slovak, German and
RusynRusyns are an Eastern Slavic ethnic group related to Ukrainians who speak a Western Ukrainian language or dialect known as Rusyn. The group unites a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the ethnonym Ukrainian to describe their ethnic identity in the early twentieth century...
nationalities, as well as by the Jews of the kingdom, and by a large number of Polish, Austrian and Italian volunteers.
Initially, the Hungarian forces (
Honvédség) achieved several victories fighting with Austrian armies (at
PákozdThe Battle of Pákozd was fought on September 29, 1848 during Hungarian revolution of 1848, near Pákozd in central Hungary, where the Hungarian troops defeated the forces of Croatian Ban Josip Jelačić....
in September 1848 and at Isaszeg in April 1849), during which they even
declared Hungary's total independenceThe Hungarian Declaration of Independence declared the independence of Hungary from the house of Hapsburg-Lorraine during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. It was presented to the National Assembly on 1849-04-13 by Louis Kossuth, despite political opposition from within the Hungarian Peace Party...
from the Habsburg Empire, in April 1849. Because of the success of revolutional resistance, Franz Joseph had to ask for help from "
The Gendarme of Europe", Czar
Nicholas INicholas I , , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometres.Nicholas I was born in Gatchina to Emperor Paul I and...
, and Russian armies invaded Hungary, causing antagonism between the Hungarians and the Russians.
The war led to the October Crisis in Vienna, when insurgents attacked a garrison on its way to Hungary to support Jelačić's forces. After Vienna was recaptured by imperial forces, General Windischgrätz and 70,000 troops were sent to Hungary to crush the last challenge to the Austrian Empire. By the end of December, the Hungarian government evacuated Pest. However this army had to retreat after heavy defeats from March to May 1849 and General Windischgrätz was removed as well. Without destroying the Austrian army, the Hungarians stopped, besieged Buda and prepared defenses. In June 1849 Russian and Austrian troops entered Hungary heavily outnumbering the Hungarian army. After all appeals to other European states failed, Kossuth abdicated on August 11, 1849 in favor of
Artúr GörgeyArtúr Görgey , was a Hungarian military leader.He was born at Toporcz , in Upper Hungary; of a Hungarian noble family who were converted to Protestantism. In 1837 he entered the Bodyguard of Hungarian Nobles at Vienna, where he combined military service with a course of study at the university...
, whom he thought was the only general who was capable of saving the nation. On August 13, Görgey capitulated at
ŞiriaŞiria is a commune with 8140 inhabitants in 2002 in Arad County, Romania.The administrative territory of the commune is 12,106 ha and it lies in the contact zone of the Arad Plateau and Zărandului Mountains...
(then called Világos) to the Russians, who handed the army over to the Austrians.
Julius Freiherr von HaynauJulius Jacob von Haynau , Austrian general, was the bastard natural son of the landgrave, later elector of Hesse-Kassel , William IX of Hesse-Kassel and Rebecca Richter, a Jewish woman....
, the leader of the Austrian army who then became governor of Hungary for a few months of retribution, ordered
the execution of 13 leaders of the Hungarian armyThe 13 Martyrs of Arad were the thirteen Hungarian rebel honvéd generals who were executed on October 6, 1849 in the city of Arad, in Transylvania , after the Hungarian Revolution was ended by troops of the Austrian Empire and Imperial Russia, who reestablished Habsburg rule over the area...
in
AradArad is the capital city of Arad County, in western Romania, in the historical region of Crişana, on the river Mureş.An important industrial center and transportation hub, Arad is also the seat of a Romanian Orthodox bishop and features two universities, a Romanian Orthodox theological seminary, a...
and the Prime minister Batthyány in
PestPest is the eastern, mostly flat part of Budapest, comprising about two thirds of Budapest's territory. It is divided from Buda, the other part of Budapest, by the Danube River. Among its most notable parts are the Inner City, including the Hungarian Parliament, Heroes' Square and Andrássy Avenue...
.
The revolution's suppression
Following the war of 1848-49, the whole country was in "passive resistance". Archduke Albrecht von Habsburg was appointed governor of the
Kingdom of HungaryThe Kingdom of Hungary , emerged in 1000, when the Principality of Hungary, founded in 896, was recognized as a Kingdom. The form of government was changed from Monarchy to Republic briefly in 1918 and again in 1946, ending the Kingdom and creating the Republic of Hungary...
, and this time was remembered for Germanization.
Lajos Kossuth went into exile, with stations in the USA (where a
county in IowaKossuth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of 2000, the population was 17,163. Its county seat is Algona. Its area of 974 square miles is greater than that of any other county statewide.-Geography:According to the U.S...
was named after him), Istanbul, Turkey and Turin, Italy. Deciding his biggest political error of the Revolution was the confrontation with the minorities of Hungary, he popularized the idea of a multi-ethnic confederation of republics along the
DanubeThe Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows...
, which might have prevented the escalation of hostile feelings between the ethnic groups in these areas. Many of Kossuth's revolutionary comrades in exile, including the sons of one of his sisters, as well as other supporters of the 1848 revolution, (usually referred as "
Forty-EightersThe Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the country, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights...
")
stayed in the USAHungarian Americans are American citizens of Hungarian descent. Many Hungarians fled to the United States after the Soviet invasion in 1956 and during the Second World War and Holocaust, a significant percentage of whom were Jewish.-History:...
, and fought on the
UnionDuring the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that tried to form the Confederacy...
side in the US Civil War.
Major battles of the Hungarian Revolution
- Battle of Pákozd
The Battle of Pákozd was fought on September 29, 1848 during Hungarian revolution of 1848, near Pákozd in central Hungary, where the Hungarian troops defeated the forces of Croatian Ban Josip Jelačić....
, (or battle of Sukoro) 29 September 1848
- Battle of Schwechat, 30 October 1848
- Battle of Mór
The Battle of Mór was fought on December 30, 1848, between Austria and Hungarian insurgents. The Austrians were led by prince Alfred I. zu Windisch-Graetz, while the Hungarians were led by Mór Perczel. The Austrians were victorious.-References:...
, 30 December 1848,
- Battle of Kápolna
The Battle of Kápolna was fought on February 26 and February 27 of 1849 between Austria and Hungary during the Hungarian revolution. The Austrians were led by Prince Windischgraetz, while the Hungarians were led by Henry Dembinski. The Austrians were victorious.-References:...
, 26 February and 27 February 1849
- Battle at Comorn 11 July 1849
- Battle of Segesvár
The Battle of Segesvár took place on July 31 1849 between forces of the Hungarian Transylvanian Army under the command of General Józef Bem and the Russian V Corps under the Russian General Alexander Lüders....
, 31 July 1849
- Battle of Szöreg, 5 August 1849
- Battle of Temesvár
The Battle of Temesvár was fought on August 9, 1849 between Austria and Hungarian revolutionaries. The Austrians were led by Julius Jacob von Haynau, while the Hungarians were led by Józef Bem who arrived in the last instance from Transylvania...
, 9 August 1849
Notable people of the Hungarian Revolution
- Józef Bem
Józef Zachariasz Bem was a Polish general and a national hero of Poland and Hungary, and a figure intertwined with other European nationalisms...
- Henryk Dembiński
Henryk Dembiński was a Polish engineer, traveler and general.Dembiński was born in Strzałków, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 1809 he entered the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw and took part in most of the Napoleonic campaigns in the East. Among others, he took part in the Battle of Leipzig in 1813...
- Lajos Kossuth
Lajos Kossuth was a Hungarian lawyer, journalist, politician and Governor-President of Hungary in 1849...
- Sándor Petőfi
Sándor Petőfi , Hungarian poet and revolutionary, was the author of the Nemzeti dal, the poem said to have inspired the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, in which he played a key role. He is Hungary's national poet....
- István Széchenyi
Count István Széchenyi, in Hungarian: Gróf Széchenyi István was a Hungarian politician, theorist and writer, one of the greatest statesmen of Hungarian history. István is a Hungarian language equivalent of the name Stephen.- Family and early life :Széchenyi was born in Vienna...
- Józef Wysocki
Józef Wysocki was a Polish general, soldier in the November Uprising , Hungarian Revolution and January Uprising ....
- Artúr Görgey
Artúr Görgey , was a Hungarian military leader.He was born at Toporcz , in Upper Hungary; of a Hungarian noble family who were converted to Protestantism. In 1837 he entered the Bodyguard of Hungarian Nobles at Vienna, where he combined military service with a course of study at the university...
- Lajos Batthyány
Count Lajos Batthyány de Németújvár was a Hungarian statesman from a long line of counts and a descendant of The Capet Kings of France...
- Rózsa Sándor
Sándor Rózsa was a legendary Hungarian bandit from the Great Alföld. He is the best-know Hungarian highwayman, his life inspired numerous writers, notably Móricz Zsigmond, Krúdy Gyula...