republic · Balkans and Hungary
Hungarian State (1849)
Origins
Hungary's revolution of 1848 began with the April Laws, but by winter the court in Vienna was at war with the Hungarian government. After the spring campaign drove back Austrian forces, the Hungarian parliament, meeting in Debrecen, adopted the Declaration of Independence on 14 April 1849, deposing the Habsburg dynasty and electing Lajos Kossuth governor-president.
Rule and society
The new state left the question of monarchy or republic undecided. Kossuth headed the state, Bertalan Szemere's government ran affairs, and the honvéd army under commanders such as Artúr Görgei recaptured Buda in May 1849. Paper money, the Kossuth notes, financed the war. Relations with Romanian, Serb and Croat minorities stayed hostile until a late nationalities law in July.
Decline and legacy
Russian intervention in June 1849 tipped the balance, and Görgei surrendered at Világos on 13 August. Thirteen generals were executed at Arad in October, and Kossuth went into exile. Neo-absolutist rule followed until the Compromise of 1867.
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hungarian State (1849). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hungarian-state-1849
- MLA
- “Hungarian State (1849).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hungarian-state-1849. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Hungarian State (1849).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hungarian-state-1849.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hungarian State (1849)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hungarian-state-1849 (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻