László Lovassy (May 8, 1815 in
Nagyszalonta, Hungary – January 6, 1892 in Nagyszalonta) was one of the leaders of the
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 or fully Hungarian Civic Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849 () was one of many European Revolutions of 1848 and was closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. Although th ...
.
His father was István Lovassy and his mother was Örzse Illéssy. After finishing his studies in
Nagyvárad
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Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...](_blank)
to be the member of the dietal youth. He took part in the
Diet
Diet may refer to:
Food
* Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group
* Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake
** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...
of 1832-36 (with the help of his uncle, János Illéssy) as a law student.
At the meetings of the Lower House, more and more debates occurred among the youth and the conservative representatives, so
Miklós Wesselényi
Baron Miklós Wesselényi de Hadad (; archaically English: Nicholas Wesselényi;Robert J. Hunter : Racing Calendar - Page xxv 1842 20 December 179621 April 1850) was a Hungarian statesman, leader of the upper house of the Diet, member of the Bo ...
advised the law students to establish a union, where they could discuss matters.
In 1834, on the model of the French ''
Société des droits de 1'homme'' the so-called ”''Társalkodási Egyesület''" was established in Pozsony, under the leadership of Lovassy. Their aim was the extension of human rights, but at the beginning they abstained from direct anti-governmental claims. They also dealt with several causes: e.g.: the case of the Hungarian language, the situation of the Polish, the case of peasantry, freedom of religion and speech.
Lovassy soon became the paragon of the youth demanding democratic reforms and constitutional independence. As
Metternich
Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ; german: Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternic ...
was against these demonstrations, he replaced the then chancellor with
Fidél Pálffy
Count Fidél Pálffy ab Erdőd (6 May 1895 Svätý Jur – 2 March 1946 Budapest) was a Hungarian nobleman who emerged as a leading supporter of Nazism in Hungary.
Early life
After service in the First World War he lived on an estate in Czechos ...
, who bore down on the dietal youth.
Lovassy was arrested May 30, 1836, together with
József Madarász
József Madarász de Kisfalud (27 August 1814 – 31 January 1915) was a Hungarian lawyer and politician, who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives between 1898 and 1899. He functioned as an emissary in the Hungarian Diet of 1832 ...
and
Ferenc Pulszky
Ferenc Aurél Pulszky de Cselfalva et Lubócz (17 September 1814 – 9 September 1897) was a Hungarian politician, writer and nobleman. After fleeing Hungary in 1849 and being condemned to death in his absence, he was able to return and resume hi ...
. They were accused of high treason. Lovassy chose as his lawyer, but he thought that his trial was only a formality.
Probably he was right, as he and his supporters were sentenced to ten years in 1837.
István Lovassy persuaded his son to apply to the king for mercy, but
Ferdinad V rejected the proposal, as he agreed with the sentence. Lovassy was taken to Spielberg, where he soon went insane because of the captivity.
Due to this, he was given a pardon in 1840. After his release he was treated in Pozsony for more than 18 years, after which he settled at , where he lived for more than 20 years.
A little before his death he moved to Nagyszalonta, where he died January 6, 1892, at the age of 76.
On his tomb:
''Lovassy László''
''született: 1815. május 8''
''meghalt: 1892. január 6''
''Életéről a történelem beszél''
''Áldás és béke dicső emlékezetén''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lovassy, Laszlo
1815 births
1892 deaths
Hungarian revolutionaries
People of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848