Sándor Rózsa (born July 10, 1813,

Röszke Röszke is a village in Csongrád county, in the Southern Great Plain region of southern Hungary. The nearest town is Szeged . Sándor Rózsa, the legendary Hungarian bandit was born here in 1813. Geography It covers an area of and has a popula ...

– died November 22, 1878, Szamosújvár) was a Hungarian outlaw (in Hungarian: ''

betyár The betyárs ( Hungarian: ''betyár'' (singular) or ''betyárok'' (plural)), were the highwaymen of the 19th century Kingdom of Hungary. The "betyár" word is the Hungarian version of "Social Bandit".Shingo MinamizukaA social bandit in nineteen ...

'') from the

Great Hungarian Plain The Great Hungarian Plain (also known as Alföld or Great Alföld, hu, Alföld or ) is a plain occupying the majority of the modern territory of Hungary. It is the largest part of the wider Pannonian Plain. (However, the Great Hungarian plain ...

. He is the best-known Hungarian highwayman; his life inspired numerous writers, notably

Zsigmond Móricz Zsigmond Móricz (; 29 June 1879, Tiszacsécse – 4 September 1942) was a major Hungarian novelist and Social Realist. Biography Zsigmond Móricz was born in Tiszacsécse in 1879 to Bálint Móricz and Erzsébet Pallagi. On his mother's ...

and Gyula Krúdy. He enjoyed much the same esteem as

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

highwayman

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ea ...

, with elements of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

thrown in for good measure. Rózsa, like Jóska Sobri, is one of the most famous Hungarian betyárs (bandits).

Biography

It was at the age of 23 (1836) when he first was sent to jail in

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also other alternative names) is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the m ...

. After escaping he chose the life of a highwayman and a number of bloody and infamous acts made his name well-known. In October 1848 on behalf of the Committee of Defence (''Honvédelmi Bizottmány''), he joined 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 t ...

with his company of 150. With their strange appearance and method of fighting they had success but because of their lack of discipline they were disbanded. After the fall of the revolution he was forced to flee and returned to his earlier brigand lifestyle. He was not captured until 1857, when he was betrayed by one of his companions. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. He spent 9 years in prisons at

Kufstein Kufstein (; Central Bavarian: ''Kufstoa'') is a town in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the administrative seat of Kufstein District. With a population of about 19,600 it is the second largest Tyrolean town after the state capital Innsbruck. The grea ...

, Szabadka and Pétervárad till he was released in a general amnesty in 1868. In the same year he resumed his old pursuits and robbed post coaches and railway trains. He was again captured on January 12, 1869 and was again sentenced to imprisonment for life. He died in

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

in Szamosújvár. Sándor Rózsa is also discussed in the book (Terrible Robbers of the Bieszczady and Surrounding Areas) by Polish author Robert Bankosz. His favourite hiding places were the islets on Ludas Lake (now Ludaš Lake, Serbia).ISTN
ISTN - Reke koje spajaju

Popular culture

In the Czechoslovakian television series (1985), Sándor Rózsa is played by Czech actor Pavel Zedníček. In 2018, the Hungarian Two-tailed Dog Party has named its "State Fund Wasting Public Program" after him.

References

External links

Article about Rózsa Sándor in ''The New York Times'' published on December 15, 1878
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rozsa, Sandor Hungarian outlaws 1813 births 1878 deaths Hungarian Revolution of 1848 Inmates of Gherla prison People from Csongrád-Csanád County Hungarian folklore