György Klapka
Encyclopedia
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György Klapka , also known as , or George Klapka, (7 April 1820 – 17 May 1892) was a Hungarian soldier
.
Klapka was born at Temesvár, Kingdom of Hungary
(nowadays Timişoara, Romania) and entered the Austrian Army in 1838. He was still a subaltern
when the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
broke out, and he offered his services to the patriot party.
He served in important staff appointments during the earlier part of the war which followed; then, early in 1849, he was ordered to replace Lázár Mészáros
, who had been defeated at Kassa
, and as general commanding an army corps he had a conspicuous share in the victories of Battle of Kápolna
, Isaszeg
, Vác
, Nagysalló
and Battles of Komárom
. Then, as the fortunes of war turned against the Hungarians, Klapka, after serving for a short time as minister of war, took command at Komárom, from which fortress he conducted a number of successful expeditions until the Surrender at Világos
(now Şiria, Romania) in the August put an end to the war in the open field. He then defended Komárom for two months, and finally surrendered on honorable terms.
Klapka left the country at once, and lived thenceforward for many years in exile, at first in England
and afterwards chiefly in Switzerland
. He continued by every means in his power to work for the independence of Hungary
, especially at moments of European war, such as 1854, 1859 and 1866, at which an appeal to arms seemed to him to promise success. In 1859, Alexander John Cuza, the first Ruler of the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, offered general Klapka military support asking for a favourable reconfiguration of other peoples situation in the Habsburg Empire (including Romanians): ”In may 1859 two agreements were signed between Alexandru Ioan Cuza and general Klapka, commander of the Hungarian revolutionaries, by which A.I.Cuza commits to obtain and provide weapons to Hungarian revolutionaries, helping them against Austria, at the same time setting the principles for reconciliation between the nationalities of Austria.”
After the war of 1866 (in which as a Prussian
major-general he organized a Hungarian corps in Silesia
) Klapka was permitted by the Austrian government to return to his native country, and in 1867 was elected a member of the Hungarian Chamber of Deputies, in which he belonged to the Deák
party. In 1877 he made an attempt to reorganize the Turkish
army in view of the war with Russia
. General Klapka died at Budapest
on 17 May 1892. A memorial was erected to his memory at Komarom in 1896.
He wrote Memoiren (Leipzig, 1850); Der Nationalkrieg in Ungarn, &c. (Leipzig, 1851); a history of the Crimean War, Der Krieg im Orient . . . bis Ende Juli 1855 (Geneva, 1855); and Aus meinen Erinnerungen (translated from the Hungarian, Zurich, 1887).
The writer Jerome Klapka Jerome, best known for Three Men in a Boat
, was named after him.
----
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
.
Klapka was born at Temesvár, Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
(nowadays Timişoara, Romania) and entered the Austrian Army in 1838. He was still a subaltern
Subaltern (rank)
A subaltern is a chiefly British military term for a junior officer. Literally meaning "subordinate," subaltern is used to describe commissioned officers below the rank of captain and generally comprises the various grades of lieutenant. In the British Army the senior subaltern rank was...
when the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
broke out, and he offered his services to the patriot party.
He served in important staff appointments during the earlier part of the war which followed; then, early in 1849, he was ordered to replace Lázár Mészáros
Lázár Mészáros
General Lázár Mészáros , was the Minister of War during the 1848 Hungarian Revolution....
, who had been defeated at Kassa
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
, and as general commanding an army corps he had a conspicuous share in the victories of Battle of Kápolna
Battle of Kápolna
The Battle of Kápolna was a battle in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, fought on 26 and 27 February 1849. The battle ended with Austrian victory and influenced the politics of central Europe: Franz Joseph I announced the Constitution of Omnütz on 4 March 1849.- Dembiński, the Polish supreme...
, Isaszeg
Isaszeg
Isaszeg is a town in Pest county, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary. It has a population of 10,979 .-Sightseeing:On the top of the cemetery hill stands the old parochial church of the village. It was last rebuilt in gothic style. However, the foundations of the old rotunda is visible north and...
, Vác
Vác
Vác is a town in Pest county in Hungary with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The archaic spellings of the name are Vacz and Vacs.-Location:...
, Nagysalló
Tekovské Lužany
Tekovské Lužany is a village and municipality in the Levice District in the Nitra Region of Slovakia.-History:In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1156. The settlement had Hungarian majority in the 17th century according to the Turkish tax census.-Geography:The village lies at...
and Battles of Komárom
Battles of Komárom
Three Battles of Komárom were fought in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 between the Hungarian and Austrian armies at the Castle of Komárom.The Austrian legions were attacking Komárom from December 1848. Under the command of János Damjanich and György Klapka Hungarian troops arrived to liberate the...
. Then, as the fortunes of war turned against the Hungarians, Klapka, after serving for a short time as minister of war, took command at Komárom, from which fortress he conducted a number of successful expeditions until the Surrender at Világos
Surrender at Világos
The Surrender at Világos took place on 13 August 1849 at Világos, and formally ended the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. After it, Julius Jacob von Haynau became the regent of Hungary and took bloody reprisals against Hungary...
(now Şiria, Romania) in the August put an end to the war in the open field. He then defended Komárom for two months, and finally surrendered on honorable terms.
Klapka left the country at once, and lived thenceforward for many years in exile, at first in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and afterwards chiefly in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He continued by every means in his power to work for the independence of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, especially at moments of European war, such as 1854, 1859 and 1866, at which an appeal to arms seemed to him to promise success. In 1859, Alexander John Cuza, the first Ruler of the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, offered general Klapka military support asking for a favourable reconfiguration of other peoples situation in the Habsburg Empire (including Romanians): ”In may 1859 two agreements were signed between Alexandru Ioan Cuza and general Klapka, commander of the Hungarian revolutionaries, by which A.I.Cuza commits to obtain and provide weapons to Hungarian revolutionaries, helping them against Austria, at the same time setting the principles for reconciliation between the nationalities of Austria.”
After the war of 1866 (in which as a Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
major-general he organized a Hungarian corps in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
) Klapka was permitted by the Austrian government to return to his native country, and in 1867 was elected a member of the Hungarian Chamber of Deputies, in which he belonged to the Deák
Ferenc Deák
Ferenc Deák de Kehida , , was a Hungarian statesman and Minister of Justice. He was known as "The Wise Man of the Nation".-Early life and law career:...
party. In 1877 he made an attempt to reorganize the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
army in view of the war with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. General Klapka died at Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
on 17 May 1892. A memorial was erected to his memory at Komarom in 1896.
He wrote Memoiren (Leipzig, 1850); Der Nationalkrieg in Ungarn, &c. (Leipzig, 1851); a history of the Crimean War, Der Krieg im Orient . . . bis Ende Juli 1855 (Geneva, 1855); and Aus meinen Erinnerungen (translated from the Hungarian, Zurich, 1887).
The writer Jerome Klapka Jerome, best known for Three Men in a Boat
Three Men in a Boat
Three Men in a Boat ,The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog! published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K...
, was named after him.