József Eötvös

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József Eötvös

Baron József Eötvös von Vásárosnamény [ˈøtvøʃ] (born September 13, 1813 in Buda , † February 2, 1871 in Pest ) was a Hungarian writer and statesman .

Early years

He was born in Buda as the son of Baron Ignác Eötvös and Baroness Lilien. After an excellent education , he entered the civil service as a deputy notary and was introduced to the world of politics early on by his father . He spent many years in Western Europe , where he absorbed new ideas in both literature and politics and made acquaintance with the leading exponents of Romanticism . On his return to Hungary he wrote his first political work, Prison Reform , and in the National Assembly of 1839/1840 he made a great impression with his eloquence and erudition. In one of his first speeches (published in 1841) he advocated equality for Jews .

Writers and politicians

In the following period Eötvös spread his progressive ideas in the national liberal newspaper Pesti Hírlap . He took the position that the necessary reforms could only be carried out by a responsible and purely national government in an administrative system based on the principle of self-government . A strong Hungary is necessary for the continued existence of the peoples living in the Carpathian Basin , which, however, must not develop into a pure nation state; it should rather "cheap" political and linguistic demands for self-awareness awakened nationalities meet and this a higher degree of freedom offer than they could get in neighboring countries.

These views can be found in his novel The Village Notary (1844–1846), one of the classics of Hungarian literature , as well as in his lesser-known historical novel The Peasants' War in Hungary from 1850 and the comedy Long live equality! . In 1842 he married Anna Rosty. However, his happy private life did not prevent him from continuing his public career.

Revolution of 1848

József Eötvös as Minister of Culture in the first Hungarian government (bottom right) , also Prime Minister Batthyány (top) , Lajos Kossuth (top left) , Ferenc Deák (top right) , Gábor Klauzál (in the middle left) , Paul III. Anton Fürst Esterházy (in the middle right) , Bertalan Szemere (bottom left) , Lázár Mészáros (bottom left) and István Széchenyi (bottom right)
József Eötvös monument

Eötvös was already considered one of the leading writers and politicians in Hungary. His eloquence was so attractive that even the Palatine , Archduke Joseph of Austria , had to make use of it if he wanted the full attention of the magnate table. In the revolution of 1848 , Eötvös' liberal ideas began to triumph. Eötvös became minister of culture in the first Hungarian government under the liberal prime minister Lajos Batthyány . However, his influence went far beyond his own area of ​​expertise. József Eötvös, Ferenc Deák and István Széchenyi embodied the pacifist and moderate side of the Council of Ministers.

In protest against the politically more radical Lajos Kossuth , however, Eötvos retired to Munich in the autumn of 1848 . Although withdrawn from the storms of the War of Independence there , he continued to serve his country with pen and pen. His work Influence of the ruling ideas of the 19th century on the state (1851–1854, German-language editions in Vienna and Leipzig ), had a lasting influence on literature and public opinion in Hungary.

After 1848

After his return in 1851 Eötvös stayed away from all political movements . In 1859 he published the guarantees of power and unity of Austria (German edition Leipzig in the same year). In the National Assembly of 1861, Eötvös was one of Deák's most loyal supporters. The enforced peace that prevailed over the next few years enabled him to turn to literature again, and in 1866 he was appointed President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences .

Minister under Gyula Andrássy

In the national assemblies of 1865 and 1867 he again fought with full zeal on the side of Déak, with whose policy he now fully identified. When the government was formed around Gyula Andrássy in February 1867, he again assumed the office of Minister of Education. He was the only minister from 1848 who could return to his office. Eötvös finally had the opportunity to implement some of his lifelong ideals. In the same year the National Assembly passed its draft law on equality for Jews; however, his further efforts towards religious freedom were less successful, mainly due to opposition from Catholics .

His greatest achievement, however, was the passing of the national school law . This law provided for the most comprehensive school system in Hungary since the days of Maria Theresa . As a good Catholic (in matters of religion he was a pupil of Montalembert ) Eötvös caused some displeasure with the dogma of papal infallibility . He stubbornly defended the equalization with Austria and presided over the Council of Ministers while Andrassy was absent. However, the exertion of the past few years was too much for his declining health, and he died in Pest on February 2, 1871. On May 3, 1879, a statue was erected in his honor on Eötvös Square in Pest.

meaning

Eötvös is as important in Hungarian literature as it is in Hungarian politics. His peculiarity, both as a writer and as a politician and statesman, lies in the fact that Eötvös was a true philosopher , a philosopher in heart and in theory. In his poems and novels, dressed in an artistic form, he expressed all of his great ideas for which he fought in social and political life. His best verse is found in his ballads , yet his poetry is insignificant compared to his novels.

Was named after Eötvös the 1895 in Buda along the lines of the Paris Ecole Normale Supérieure was founded Baron-Jósef Lorand Kollégium, a teacher training school with boarding facilities, which have long considered the leading elite school in Hungary and today (turn to his son Loránd Eötvös named) Eötvös Loránd University .

Works

  • 1840: "The frozen child" (orig .: A megfagyott gyermek ), poems
  • 1842: "Der Karthäuser" (orig .: A karthauzi ), novel
  • 1846: "The village notary" (orig .: A falu jegyzője ), novel
  • 1850: "The Peasants' War in Hungary" (orig .: Magyarország 1514-ben ), historical novel
  • 1850: "On the equality of nationalities in Austria"
  • 1851–54: "The Influence of the Ruling Ideas of the 19th Century on the State"
  • 1858: "The Sisters" (orig .: A nővérek ), novel
  • 1859: "The guarantees of power and unity in Austria"
  • 1865: "The question of nationalities" (orig .: A nemzetiségi kérdés )

literature

Web links

Commons : József Eötvös  - collection of images, videos and audio files