The 13 Martyrs of Arad
Encyclopedia
The 13 Martyrs of Arad were the thirteen Hungarian rebel honvéd general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

s who were executed on October 6, 1849 in the city of Arad
Arad, Romania
Arad is the capital city of Arad County, in western Romania, in the Crişana region, on the river Mureş.An important industrial center and transportation hub, Arad is also the seat of a Romanian Orthodox archbishop and features two universities, a Romanian Orthodox theological seminary, a training...

, Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...

 (currently in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

), after the Hungarian Revolution
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...

 (1848–1849) was ended by troops of the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...

 and Imperial Russia, who reestablished Habsburg rule
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...

 over the area. The execution was ordered by the Austrian general Julius Jacob von Haynau
Julius Jacob von Haynau
Julius Jacob von Haynau was an Austrian general.The illegitimate son of the landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, William I and Rebecca Richter, a Jewish woman, he entered the Austrian army as an infantry officer in 1801 and saw much service in the Napoleonic wars...

.

Brief background

In a historic speech on March 3, 1848, shortly after news of the revolution in Paris had arrived, Lajos Kossuth
Lajos Kossuth
Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva was a Hungarian lawyer, journalist, politician and Regent-President of Hungary in 1849. He was widely honored during his lifetime, including in the United Kingdom and the United States, as a freedom fighter and bellwether of democracy in Europe.-Family:Lajos...

 demanded parliamentary government for Hungary and constitutional government
Constitution of Hungary
The Constitution of the Republic of Hungary , its fundamental law, was adopted on 20 August 1949, and heavily amended on 23 October 1989. It is Hungary's first and only permanent written constitution; the country is the only former Eastern Bloc nation that did not adopt an entirely new constitution...

 for the rest of Austria. The Revolution started on March 15, 1848, and after military setbacks in the winter and a successful campaign in the spring, Kossuth declared independence on April 19, 1849. By May, the Hungarians controlled all of the country except Buda, which they won after a three-week bloody siege. The hopes of ultimate success, however, were frustrated by the intervention of Russia. After all appeals to other European states failed, Kossuth abdicated on August 11, 1849 in favor of Artúr Görgey
Artúr Görgey
----Artúr Görgey de Görgő et Toporcz was a Hungarian military leader.He was born at Toporz in Upper Hungary of a Hungarian noble family of originally Zipser German descent who immigrated to Upper Hungary during the reign of king Géza II . During the reformation they were converted to Protestantism...

, who he thought was the only general who was capable of saving the nation. On August 13, Görgey signed a surrender at Világos
Surrender at Világos
The Surrender at Világos took place on 13 August 1849 at Világos, and formally ended the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. After it, Julius Jacob von Haynau became the regent of Hungary and took bloody reprisals against Hungary...

 (now Şiria, Romania) to the Russians, who handed the army over to the Austrians. At the insistence of the Russians, Görgey was spared but reprisals were taken on the rest of the Hungarian army.

The thirteen Hungarian generals were executed on October 6, 1849. On the same day, Count Lajos Batthyány
Lajos Batthyány
Count Lajos Batthyány de Németújvár was the first Prime Minister of Hungary. He was born in Pressburg on 10 February 1807, and was executed by firing squad in Pest on 6 October 1849, the same day as the 13 Martyrs of Arad.-Career:His father was Count József Sándor Batthyány , his mother Borbála...

 (1806–1849), the first Hungarian prime minister, was also executed in Pest in an Austrian military garrison. Kossuth was able to flee to the Ottoman Empire and steadfastly maintained until his death that Görgey alone was responsible for the humiliation, calling him "Hungary's Judas
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...

". Others, looking at the impossible situation Görgey was presented with, have been much more favorable toward him, stating that given the circumstances, he was not left with any other options than surrender.

One of the public squares contains a martyrs' monument, erected in their memory. It consists of a colossal figure of Hungary, with four allegorical
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...

 groups, and medallions of the executed generals.

Hungarians have come to regard the thirteen rebel generals as martyrs for promoting the ideas of freedom and independence for the Hungarian people. It is worth noting that not all of them were ethnic Hungarians, yet they fought for the cause of an independent and - for its age - liberal Hungary. The lives of the thirteen martyrs have been idealized by all future generations of Hungarians. Arad is remembered on October 6 as a day of mourning for the Hungarian nation.

The generals

  1. Arisztid Dessewffy
    Arisztid Dessewffy
    Arisztid Dessewffy was a honvéd general in the Hungarian Army. He was executed for his part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and is considered one of the 13 Martyrs of Arad.-Reference:...

     (1802 – 1849)
  2. Ernő Kiss
    Ernő Kiss
    Ernő Kiss was a honvédség general. He was executed for his part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and is considered one of the 13 Martyrs of Arad. Ernő Kiss was reportedly from a Transylvanian family with Armenian roots.-Reference:...

     (1799 – 1849)
  3. Ernő Poeltenberg
    Ernő Poeltenberg
    Ernő Poeltenberg was a honvéd general in the Hungarian Army. He was executed for his part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and is considered one of the 13 Martyrs of Arad.- Reference :...

     (1814 – 1849)
  4. György Lahner
    György Lahner
    György Lahner was a honvéd general in the Hungarian Army. He was executed for his part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and is considered one of the 13 Martyrs of Arad.- Reference :...

     (1795 – 1849)
  5. Ignác Török
    Ignác Török
    Ignác Török was a honvéd general in the Hungarian Army. He was executed for his part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and is considered one of the 13 Martyrs of Arad.-Reference:...

     (1795 – 1849)
  6. János Damjanich
    János Damjanich
    János Damjanich was a Hungarian general of Serb origin. He is considered a national hero in Hungary.He never lost on the battlefield.-Life:...

     (1804 – 1849)
  7. József Nagy-Sándor (1804 – 1849)
  8. József Schweidel
    József Schweidel
    József Schweidel was a honvéd general in the Hungarian Army. He was executed for his part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and is considered one of the 13 Martyrs of Arad.- Reference :...

     (1796 – 1849)
  9. Károly Knezich (1808 – 1849)
  10. Károly Leiningen-Westerburg
    Károly Leiningen-Westerburg
    Károly Leiningen-Westerburg was a honvéd general in the Hungarian Army. He was executed for his part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and is considered one of the 13 Martyrs of Arad.- Reference :...

     (1819 – 1849)
  11. Károly Vécsey
    Károly Vécsey
    Károly Vécsey was a honvéd general in the Hungarian Army. He was executed for his part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and is considered one of the 13 Martyrs of Arad.-Reference:...

     (1807 – 1849)
  12. Lajos Aulich
    Lajos Aulich
    Lajos Aulich was the third Minister of War of Hungary.A professional soldier and lieutenant colonel in the Austrian army, he fought against Habsburg oppression....

     (1793 – 1849)
  13. Vilmos Lázár
    Vilmos Lázár
    Vilmos Lázár was a honvéd colonel in the Hungarian Army. He was executed for his part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and is considered one of the 13 Martyrs of Arad. Vilmos Lázár was, according to historian Gabor Bona, from a family of Hungarian nobility of Armenian descent.-Reference:...

    (1815 – 1849)

Custom

Legend has it that while the revolutionary leaders were being executed, Austrian generals were drinking beer and arrogantly clinking their beer mugs together in celebration of Hungary's defeat.
Hungarians thus vowed never to clink glasses while drinking beer for 150 years thereafter. There is no explanation for the specified timeframe of 150 years. Although theoretically discontinued on October 6, 1999, in practice, this tradition still continues today. Throughout Hungary, the clinking of beer mugs or bottles was considered to be in bad manners.
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