Lajos Kossuth

Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (Hungarian: [ˈlɒjoʃ ˈkoʃut]; Hungarian: udvardi és kossuthfalvi Kossuth Lajos; Slovak: Ľudovít Košút; English: Louis Kossuth; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, politician, and leader. He served as governor-president of the Hungarian State during the war of independence of 1848–1849.

Kossuth became well-known for his powerful speaking skills. He rose from a modest noble background to lead Hungary during a time of great change. His speeches moved many people, including famous figures like American journalist Horace Greeley, who admired him greatly.

Even important American orator Daniel Webster was so impressed by Kossuth that he wrote a book about his life. During his time, Kossuth received honors in countries like Great Britain and the United States, where some saw him as a symbol of fighting for freedom. His bronze bust can still be found in the United States Capitol, calling him the “Father of Hungarian Democracy, Hungarian Statesman, Freedom Fighter, 1848–1849.” Friedrich Engels praised him as a brave leader who stood up for his people in difficult times.

Early years

Lajos Kossuth was born into a noble family in Monok, in what is now Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County in Northern Hungary. He was the oldest of five children in a Lutheran family of Slovak background. His family later moved to Sátoraljaújhely.

Lajos grew up speaking Hungarian, German, and Slovak. He studied at schools in Sátoraljaújhely and Sárospatak, and later at the University of Pest, now Budapest. At age nineteen, he joined his father's law practice. Over the years, he worked as a lawyer, judge, and prosecutor, and helped organize a local tax count. He became well-known and trusted in his community.

Ancestry

The House of Kossuth, into which Lajos was born, originated from the county of Turóc (now partially Turiec region, Košúty, north-central Slovakia). The Kossuths married into several families, including the Zathureczky, Nedeczky, Borcsány, and Prónay families. Lajos Kossuth's mother, Karolina Weber, came from a Lutheran family in Upper Hungary (today partially Slovakia).

Entry into national politics

Lajos Kossuth began his political career when he was chosen to help Count Hunyady at the Diet of Hungary, a meeting place for important decisions. The Diet took place in Pressburg, which is now called Bratislava. Only wealthy nobles could vote, and Kossuth did not speak much during these meetings.

Kossuth wrote letters about what happened at the Diet, and people liked to read them. He started to publish these letters, but the government tried to stop him. Even when it was difficult, Kossuth kept sharing his ideas about freedom of speech and writing. In 1837, he was arrested and spent time in prison. While in prison, he read a lot and learned English. A young woman named Theresa Meszlényi helped him by bringing him books and visiting him. After a year, Kossuth was allowed to leave prison, and he married Meszlényi the same day. Their marriage was unusual because they had different religions, and it made Kossuth more determined to support people who wanted to marry someone from a different background.

The couple had three children.
Diet of Hungary
Pressburg
House of Magnates
British House of Lords
Miklós Wesselényi
Széchenyis
Austrian
liberal
lithograph
freedom of the press
Buda
English
King James Version
Bible
William Shakespeare
Metternich
mixed marriages
Ferenc Lajos Ákos

Journalist and political leader

Lajos Kossuth became well-known for his work as a journalist and leader in Hungary. In 1841, he began editing a newspaper called Pesti Hírlap. Through his writing, he talked about important issues like fairness for everyone and improving the economy. His newspaper became very popular, reaching 7,000 readers.

Kossuth believed that everyone living in Hungary should be treated as Hungarian, no matter where their family came from. He worked hard to support Hungarian culture and language. He also pushed for big changes, like ending unfair laws and thinking about separating from rulers in Vienna. His strong speeches and ideas helped shape Hungary’s future.

Work in the government

See also: Hungarian Revolution of 1848

Minister of Finance

When trouble began, Lajos Kossuth used the moment to lead Hungary toward change. On March 3, 1848, after hearing about a revolution in Paris, he gave a powerful speech asking for a government where people could choose their leaders. He spoke to a young prince, asking him to support the wishes of the Hungarian people.

Kossuth became the Minister of Finance in Hungary’s first new government. He worked hard to build up Hungary’s resources, creating new money and helping people feel proud of their nation. He started a newspaper named after himself so everyone would think of him as a leader.

As dangers grew from nearby groups, Kossuth asked Hungarians to defend their country. He traveled town to town, encouraging people to join the army. When the leader of the government stepped down, Kossuth helped lead the country.

Regent-President of Hungary

In December 1848, Hungary’s leaders refused to accept a new king and called for the nation to defend itself. Kossuth became the leader of Hungary during a very difficult time.

He helped create laws to protect the rights of different groups within Hungary, letting them use their own languages in schools and local areas. However, he worried that giving too much control to different groups might break Hungary apart.

In 1849, Kossuth declared Hungary independent from the rulers who had controlled it. But other countries, including Russia, helped Hungary’s enemies. After many battles, Hungary’s leaders had to give up.

Kossuth believed that the leader of the Hungarian army had made bad decisions that led to the end of the fight for independence.

Escape and tour of Britain and United States

Kossuth’s time in power ended, and he became a fugitive. He crossed into the Ottoman Empire, where he was welcomed and kept safe. The Ottomans refused to hand him over to Austria despite threats.

In August 1851, Kossuth left for the United States aboard the ship USS Mississippi. During his journey, he stopped in Marseille, where many people wanted to welcome him, but French authorities would not allow him to come ashore.

Great Britain

Kossuth arrived in Southampton in October 1851 and spent three weeks in England. He was warmly welcomed everywhere he went. In London, crowds filled the streets to see him. He spoke in many cities, sharing his ideas for Hungary’s freedom. His speeches were clear and powerful, even though he had learned English during his earlier imprisonment.

In Birmingham, thousands of people came to see him. In London, he spoke to a large crowd of workers and trade union members. His visit created excitement and support for Hungary’s cause.

United States

From Britain, Kossuth traveled to the United States. He was welcomed like a hero. In New York City, he received a grand reception similar to Washington and Lafayette. He met with President Millard Fillmore at the White House and spoke to Congress.

Kossuth traveled across the country, giving over 600 speeches. He was very popular, and many things were named after him. However, some people were upset because he did not speak out against slavery in the United States, though he had condemned it in Hungary.

He left the United States in 1852, returning to London.

London

Attempted leadership in exile

After returning from America to Europe, Lajos Kossuth lived in London for eight years. There, he made many important friends among British writers, journalists, and politicians. He also met with people from France, Italy, Russia, Germany, and Poland, including Giuseppe Mazzini and Stanisław Gabriel Worcell, who helped plan uprisings in the early 1850s.

Kossuth hoped that conflicts between big countries might help free Hungary from Austria. He spoke with Emperor Napoleon III in Paris about this. He worked with Mazzini to join a group called the Revolutionary Committee, but arguments among the exiles followed.

Kossuth watched for chances to help Hungary become free again. One plan to create a group of Hungarian soldiers during the Crimean War did not happen. In 1859, he talked with Napoleon III and left England for Italy to organize Hungarian soldiers, planning to land on the coast of Dalmatia. However, the Peace of Villafranca stopped this plan. Many countries still supported Austria to keep balance among powerful nations.

Over time, Kossuth’s strong and firm ways lost him support among Hungarian exiles. Some exiles said he acted like the only hero of the revolution. Count Kázmér Batthyány criticized him in The Times, and Bertalan Szemere, a former prime minister, wrote harsh comments about Kossuth’s actions and character. Some Hungarians were upset that Kossuth kept using the title of Regent. He believed this was right until new democratic elections in Hungary, so he used the title until the 1869 Hungarian parliamentary election.

Later years: Italy

Kossuth moved to Turin, Italy, in 1861 and watched as another leader, Ferenc Deák, helped Hungary make a deal with the Austrian rulers. Kossuth did not agree with this deal and wrote a letter against it. He believed it would hurt Hungary in the future.

Kossuth stayed in Italy for the rest of his life. He lived in a village called Collegno, where he enjoyed gardening and writing about his memories. Even though he faced money problems, he found success by sharing his famous speeches and debates through books. In 1890, a group of visitors recorded his voice on an early sound machine called a phonograph, making his voice one of the oldest recorded voices in history.

Kossuth never returned to Hungary, but many people there still admired him. A group of people formed a political party in his honor, called the "Kossuth Party," which stood against the rulers’ decisions. In 1879, a new law said that Hungarians living outside the country for too long could lose their citizenship. Kossuth refused to promise loyalty to the rulers and said he would rather not have a country at all. Because of this, he lost his Hungarian citizenship in 1890. Many cities in Hungary gave him special honorary citizenship as a sign of support.

Death, legacy, complete works

Lajos Kossuth passed away in Turin, and his body was brought back to Pest, now part of Budapest, where the whole nation mourned. A famous writer named Mór Jókai gave a speech at his funeral. A bronze statue was later put up in the Kerepesi Cemetery to honor Kossuth as one of Hungary's greatest speakers and patriots.

Kossuth's complete works were published in Hungarian in Budapest between the years 1880 and 1895.

Honors and memorials

In Hungary

The main square of Budapest with the Hungarian Parliament Building is named after Kossuth, and there is an important memorial there for national ceremonies. Many cities in Hungary have streets named after him. The first public statue for Kossuth was put up in Miskolc in 1898. Hungary’s main radio station, Kossuth Rádió, is named after him too.

Béla Bartók wrote a symphonic poem called Kossuth, which was a funeral march and later played for piano.

In Slovakia

A major memorial outside Hungary is a statue in Rožňava, which was knocked down twice but restored in 2004 after much discussion.

In Romania

The only statue of Kossuth that stayed in place after 1920 in Romania is in Salonta. Another memorial in Târgu-Mureş was moved and put back up in 2001 in a small village called Ciumani.

In the United Kingdom

There is a blue plaque on the house in London where Kossuth lived from 1850 to 1859. A street in Greenwich, London, is named Kossuth Street. There is also a letter of support from Kossuth shown at the Wallace Monument near Stirling.

Rest of Europe

In Serbia, there are statues of Kossuth in Stara Moravica and Novi Itebej. In Ukraine, memorials can be found in Berehove and Tiachiv. There are streets named after Kossuth in several cities there. In Shumen, Bulgaria, the house where Kossuth lived in exile is now a memorial house with documents and items from his time. A street in Sofia, Bulgaria, also carries his name.

In Kütahya, Turkey, the house where Kossuth stayed is now a museum. It has a statue of Kossuth in the yard and period furniture inside. In Turin, Italy, there is a plaque and a street named after him. Brescia, Italy, also has a square named for him.

In the United States

Kossuth County in Iowa is named for him, and there is a statue in front of the courthouse in Algona, the county seat. Several small towns in the United States are named Kossuth, including ones in Ohio, Mississippi, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. There is also a area named Kossuth in Bolivar, New York.

A bust of Kossuth is displayed in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., in the "Freedom Foyer," along with busts of Václav Havel and Winston Churchill. There is a statue of Kossuth in New York City on Riverside Drive near Columbia University. Other statues can be found in University Circle in Cleveland, Ohio. There is also a Kossuth Park in Cleveland. Many streets across the United States are named after him, including in New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Connecticut, Indiana, and Ohio. There is a neighborhood in Dayton, Ohio, called the Kossuth Colony Historic District.

In Canada

In Canada, Kossuth Road in Cambridge, Ontario, and Kossuth Park in Wainfleet, Ontario, are named in his honor.

In Kurdistan, Iraq

The main street in Rawanduz was renamed in Kossuth’s honor in 2017.

Memorials

There are many places named after Lajos Kossuth around the world. You can find statues of him in New York City and Pécs. There is a special Kossuth Memorial that was originally in Budapest but moved to Orczy Park in 2014. You can also see his statue in Heroes' Square in Budapest. In London, there is a blue plaque honoring him, and in Cambridge, Canada, a road is named after him. There is even a Kossuth Museum in Kütahya, Turkey. A plaque was placed in 2017 in Liverpool to remember the speeches he gave there in 1856.

Works

Here are some important writings and speeches by Lajos Kossuth:

• Works by Lajos Kossuth at Project Gutenberg
• [Memories of My Exile]
• [The Future of Nations]
• [Kossuth in New England: A Full Account of the Hungarian Governor's Visit to Massachusetts, with His Speeches]
• [The life of Louis Kossuth, Governor of Hungary, including notices of the men and scenes of the Hungarian revolution; to which is added an appendix containing his Principal speeches, &c]
• [Gesammelte Werke: Aus dem ungarischen "Selected Works" Vol. I]
• [Gesammelte Werke: Aus dem ungarischen "Selected Works" Vol. II]
• [Die Katastrophe in Ungarn By Lajos Kossuth]
• [Meine Schriften aus der Emigration By Lajos Kossuth']
• [A Pragmatica sanctio Magyarországban. Történeti, jogi és politikai szempontokból By Charles, Lajos Kossuth]
• [Felelet gróf Széchenyi Istvánnak Kossuth Lajostól By Lajos Kossuth, gróf István Széchenyi]