Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hungary was now a mere province of the Habsburg empire. Under Maria Theresa (r
1740-80) and her son, Joseph II (r 1780-90), Hungary took great steps forward economic-
ally, culturally and politically. But Joseph's attempts to modernise society by dissolving the
all-powerful (and corrupt) monastic orders, abolishing serfdom and replacing 'neutral' Latin
with German as the official language of state administration were opposed by the Hungarian
nobility, and the king rescinded some of the reforms on his deathbed.
Liberalism and social reform found their greatest supporters among certain members of
the aristocracy in Pest, including Count István Széchenyi (1791-1860), a true Renaissance
man, who advocated the abolition of serfdom and returned much of his own land to the
peasantry, proposed the first permanent link between Buda and Pest (Chain Bridge) and
oversaw the regulation of the Danube as much for commerce and irrigation as for safety.
But the radicals, dominated by the dynamic lawyer and journalist Lajos Kossuth (1802-94),
demanded more immediate action.
For Count István Széchenyi's many accomplishments, his contemporary and fellow re-
former Lajos Kossuth called him 'the greatest Hungarian'. For many of his compatriots,
this dynamic but troubled visionary retains that accolade today.
The 1848-49 War of Independence
The Habsburg empire began to weaken as Hungarian nationalism increased early in the 19th
century and certain reforms were introduced, including a law allowing serfs alternative
means of discharging their feudal obligations of service and increased Hungarian represent-
ation in the Council of State in Vienna.
But the reforms were too limited and too late. On 15 March a group calling itself the
Youth of March, led by the poet Sándor Petőfi, who read out his poem 'Nemzeti Dal' (Na-
tional Song) on the steps of the Hungarian National Museum, took to the streets of Pest with
hastily printed copies of their
Twelve Points
to press for radical reforms and even revolu-
tion. Habsburg patience began to wear thin.
In September 1848 Habsburg forces launched an attack. The Hungarians hastily formed a
national defence commission and moved the government seat to Debrecen in the east, where
Lajos Kossuth was elected leader. In April 1849 the Parliament declared Hungary's full in-
dependence.
The new Habsburg emperor Franz Joseph (r 1848-1916) quickly took action, defeating
the rebel troops by August. Martial law was declared and a series of brutal reprisals and exe-
cutions ensued. Kossuth went into exile.
