1848 Revolution
Hungarian hussar
Hungarian Revolution
15th March: Celebrating the 1848 Revolution in Hungary
11:08 AMZannnieHungary Public Holidays - 15th of March Celebrating the 1848 Revolution in Hungary
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many revolutions that year and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. The revolution in Hungary grew into a war for independence from Habsburg rule.
István Széchenyi, Lajos Kossuth, Józef Bem, Sándor Petőfi were the most respected national figures in Hungarian History. They were not only leaders and participants during that time. The anniversary of the revolution's outbreak is thus on March 15 and it is one of Hungary's three national holidays.
The revolution started on March 15, 1848, with bloodless events in Pest and Buda (mass demonstrations forcing the imperial governor to accept all demands) followed by various insurrections throughout the kingdom, which enabled Hungarian reformists to declare Hungary's autonomy within the Habsburg Empire, under the governor Lajos Kossuth and the first Prime minister Lajos Batthyány. The new government approved a sweeping reform package, referred to as the "March Laws", that essentially created an autonomous national kingdom of Hungary with the Habsburg Emperor as its king. 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.
Hungarian hussar
Aware that they were on the path to civil war in the summer of 1848, the Hungarian government ministers attempted to gain Habsburg support against Conservative Josip Jelačić of Croatia-Slavonia 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 Banat, and in Transylvania), 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 first accepted Hungary's autonomy. Shortly after the Austrian revolution, Franz Joseph took over as Emperor (his uncle Ferdinand I was mentally retarded). Still, Hungarian autonomy was refused.
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. (source: wikipedia)
Hungarian Hussar
