Lajos Kossuth
Leader of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, who declared Hungary's independence.
Life
Lawyer and newspaperman
Kossuth came from a family of petty nobles and was a lawyer and newspaperman. He campaigned for reform in the Diet, and in 1837 he was sentenced to prison for publishing reports of the Diet's proceedings.
Revolutions of 1848
During the Revolutions of 1848 he became Minister of Finance and organized the Honvéd national army. After Austria sent troops, he led the National Defense Committee in the war of resistance. In April 1849 the Diet declared Hungarian independence, and he was elected Governor-President.
Lifelong exile
That same year Russia sent troops to help Austria and the revolution failed. He went into exile in the Ottoman Empire, then made speaking tours of Britain and the United States, where he was warmly received. He refused to accept the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, remained in exile for life, and died in Turin, Italy, in 1894.
Legacy
Kossuth is the symbol of Hungarian national independence, and streets and squares across Hungary are named after him.
Did you know? When his body was brought back from Turin to Budapest, hundreds of thousands of people attended his funeral.
Key dates
- 1837Sentenced to prison
- 1848Became Minister of Finance
- 1849Declared independence and became Governor-President; went into exile after the revolution failed
- 1851Lecture tour of Britain and the United States
- 1894Died in Turin