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 Board of Academy of Sciences, hero of the 1838 Pest flood.
A prominent and wealthy Hungarian aristocrat, son of Baron Miklós Wesselényi and Ilona Cserei, he was born at Zsibó (now
Jibou
Jibou (; hu, Zsibó ; german: Siben; yi, זשיבוי) is a town in Sălaj County, Transylvania, Romania. In 2011 it had a population of 10,407. Jibou includes the town proper and other four villages: Rona ( Hungarian: ''Szilágyróna''), Cuceu ( ...
), and was educated at his father's castle by
Mózes Pataky in a
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
and patriotic direction.
He inherited his father's physical strength, and he further trained himself in different sports, such as horse-riding and swimming. He was a celebrity in his age for his sportsman's accomplishments.
Early career
Wesselényi entered politics in 1818, taking minor positions at numerous County Diets, as was customary with the upper nobility his family belonged to. He went on a grand tour of Western Europe with his friend, Count
István Széchenyi
Count István Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék ( hu, sárvár-felsővidéki gróf Széchenyi István, ; archaically English: Stephen Széchenyi; 21 September 1791 – 8 April 1860) was a Hungarian politician, political theorist, and wri ...
in 1821 and 1822. Realizing their native Hungary's need to catch up with the development of other European states, they become leading figures of the progressive opposition in the Upper House, promoting a program of reform and economic and national development.
Hungary was under the foreign rule of the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
emperors, who treated any native reform movement with deep suspicion. The Habsburg government, fearing unrest and independence efforts, took increasingly oppressive measures to curb the nationalist movement.
Accomplishments
Wesselényi abolished several feudal laws and customs on his own estates, freed his serfs, built and ran schools on his own money, and organized lectures on modern agriculture for his former subjects. He established a printing press in
Kolozsvár
; hu, kincses város)
, official_name=Cluj-Napoca
, native_name=
, image_skyline=
, subdivision_type1 = County
, subdivision_name1 = Cluj County
, subdivision_type2 = Status
, subdivision_name2 = County seat
, settlement_type = City
, l ...
to promote his ideas.
In 1833 he published a political book titled ''Prejudices'' (''Balítéletek''),
which was immediately banned by the Habsburg government.
In the Diet of 1834, he became one of the political leaders of the opposition. He held several speeches on current topics attacking feudal institutions, and printed and distributed the minutes of the Diet in order to give publicity to the debates.
For these activities, the government took him to trial for inciting unrest, operating a printing press without royal permission, and also for one of his speeches, where he called for general land-redemption. His long-lasting trials (two at the same time) became a focal point of the country's political life and reform movement. His legal representative was
Ferenc Kölcsey.
During the 1838 Pest Flood, he saved many lives by rowing about the flooded city and rescuing people from rooftops, gaining nationwide admiration.
Prison
Finally his trials ended and he was sentenced to 3 years in prison. After serving 2 months in the casemates of the
Buda
Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...
castle, he started to have a serious eye ailment, and he was permitted to travel to Gräfenberg (now
Lázně Jeseník) in
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
with his family in order to cure his illness.
He returned in 1843, almost completely blind and a wreck of his former self. He moved back to
Zsibó, and served in minor positions within the local county government. Subsequently, he did much for agriculture, children's homes and the introduction and extension of the
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
industry in Hungary.
Last years
![Zilah szobor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Zilah_szobor.jpg)
Seriously ill, he still took part in the initial stages 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 ...
, and had a key role in persuading the
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
n Diet to proclaim union with Hungary, one of the important goals of the Revolution. Seeing the development and radicalization of the events, similar to his friend, Count Széchenyi, and also many from the reform-minded aristocracy, he also became disillusioned. In September 1848 he left the country under the pretext of continuing his medical treatment in Gräfenberg. He stayed there, accompanied by his wife, Anna Lux, who faithfully supported and tended him through his illness.
Wesselényi died in 1850, while returning to Hungary from Gräfenberg.
Among his other accomplishments, he is remembered for his support of the development of Hungarian agriculture, the introduction and extension of the
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
industry, and his support for children's homes and child care. He was elected to the Board of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1830, and in 1831 he received honorary membership of the institution.
From 1902, a
statue of Wesselényi by artist
János Fadrusz
János Fadrusz (2 September 1858, Pressburg – 26 October 1903, Budapest) was a Hungarian sculptor in the Neoclassical style. He was especially noted for his works on historical subjects.
Biography
He was the son of a poor cheesemaker, who ...
has stood in the center of Zalău.
References
[. This cites ]
Bibliography
*
External links
*
* http://epa.oszk.hu/00900/00979/00012/02egyed.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wesselenyi, Miklos
People from Jibou
Hungarian politicians
1796 births
1850 deaths
Blind politicians
Miklos