Michele Maylender
Encyclopedia
Michele Maylender (September 11, 1863-1911) was a Hungarian politician who was the founder of the Autonomist Association
, known also as Autonomist Party in Fiume.
Michele Maylender was born in Fiume (today Rijeka) as a son of a Jewish merchant. After schooling in Fiume Maylender went to Kolosvar and then to Budapest
to study law. In 1888 he became doctor juris and in 1890 passes the exams for a lawyer. In 1891 he opens a legal office in Fiume, where he showed excellent professional skills. Maylender was among the founders in 1893 of a literary circle, which became the largest Italian cultural venue in Fiume.
In 1896 Maylender, claiming greater autonomy from the centralizing Hungarian executive of Dezső Bánffy
, founded the Autonomist Party. The initiative was successful and in 1897 Maylender was elected mayor, succeeding to the late Giovanni de Ciotta
, who held the position continuously from 1872 to 1896. The election of Maylender was the decisive signal of political change under way in Fiume. It culminated when the Municipal council of Fiume was dissolved and was finally replaced by a Royal Commissioner, the ministerial adviser Antonio de Valentsits in 1898. After that Maylender started a weekly magazine "La Difesa" where the autonomist claims were made explicit.
When in 1901 Kálmán Széll
succeeded to Dezső Bánffy as Hungarian Prime Minister he seriously tried to restore a positive climate in the city, and Maylender was once again elected to the office of mayor. Meanwhile, the mandate of the fiuman deputy at the Hungarian parliament was about to expire. In the new climate the majority of the Autonomist Party thought "it was time to send an Italian" (the office was held by Count Tivadar Batthyány
) and it addressed Maylender. Maylender refused, and Luigi Ossoinack
(head of the Royal Hungarian Sea Navigation Company "Adria", and, as one of the wealthiest fiumani, the main funder of the Autonomist Party) decided to advance the candidacy of the young Riccardo Zanella
. Although Batthyany (publicly backed by Maylender) won over Zanella, Maylender resigned few months after and withdrew from politics, officially he devoted himself to historical studies and started the monumental "History of the Academies of Italy" a work, published posthumously, of still unmatched scope..
Maylender returned to active politics in 1911, when he accepted to run as Fiuman deputy at the Hungarian parliament. He was elected but died suddenly hit by stroke at the couloirs of the parliament in Budapest in 1911.
The brother Samuel Maylender was a physician and become future socialist leader of Fiume, who later joined the Communist Party of Fiume
in 1921. The sister Edvige married Antonio Grossich
, world-known surgeon who in 1908 introduced tincture of iodine for rapid sterilisation of the human skin, and future head of the Consiglio Nazionale Italiano in 1918.
Autonomist Association
The Autonomist Association was a political party in Fiume, that existed continuously from 1896 to 1914. Its goal was to maintain the autonomy of the corpus separatum of Fiume within the Hungarian Kingdom.- Origins :...
, known also as Autonomist Party in Fiume.
Michele Maylender was born in Fiume (today Rijeka) as a son of a Jewish merchant. After schooling in Fiume Maylender went to Kolosvar and then to 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...
to study law. In 1888 he became doctor juris and in 1890 passes the exams for a lawyer. In 1891 he opens a legal office in Fiume, where he showed excellent professional skills. Maylender was among the founders in 1893 of a literary circle, which became the largest Italian cultural venue in Fiume.
In 1896 Maylender, claiming greater autonomy from the centralizing Hungarian executive of Dezső Bánffy
Dezso Bánffy
Dezső Baron Bánffy de Losoncz was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1895 to 1899.-Biography:...
, founded the Autonomist Party. The initiative was successful and in 1897 Maylender was elected mayor, succeeding to the late Giovanni de Ciotta
Giovanni de Ciotta
Giovanni de Ciotta was the first-born son of Lorenzo de Ciotta and Adriana Maria de Adamich, daughter of the foremost Fiuman merchant and father of modernisation in Fiume Andrea Lodovico de Adamich. The family de Ciotta originated from Livorno where Giovanni served the Austrian army in quality of...
, who held the position continuously from 1872 to 1896. The election of Maylender was the decisive signal of political change under way in Fiume. It culminated when the Municipal council of Fiume was dissolved and was finally replaced by a Royal Commissioner, the ministerial adviser Antonio de Valentsits in 1898. After that Maylender started a weekly magazine "La Difesa" where the autonomist claims were made explicit.
When in 1901 Kálmán Széll
Kálmán Széll
Kálmán Széll de Duka et Szentgyörgyvölgy was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1899 to 1903.-Political career:...
succeeded to Dezső Bánffy as Hungarian Prime Minister he seriously tried to restore a positive climate in the city, and Maylender was once again elected to the office of mayor. Meanwhile, the mandate of the fiuman deputy at the Hungarian parliament was about to expire. In the new climate the majority of the Autonomist Party thought "it was time to send an Italian" (the office was held by Count Tivadar Batthyány
Tivadar Batthyány
Count Tivadar Batthyány de Németújvár son of Count Zsigmond Batthyány de Német-Ujvar, and Johanna Nepomucena Justina Maria Goberta Erdödy....
) and it addressed Maylender. Maylender refused, and Luigi Ossoinack
Luigi Ossoinack
Luigi Ossoinack . Born in Fiume, studied in Ljubljana, Graz and Vienna, where he graduates at the commercial academy. He practised trade in Trieste, Odessa, London and “North America”....
(head of the Royal Hungarian Sea Navigation Company "Adria", and, as one of the wealthiest fiumani, the main funder of the Autonomist Party) decided to advance the candidacy of the young Riccardo Zanella
Riccardo Zanella
Riccardo Zanella was the only elected president of the short lived Free State of Fiume.Zanella was born to an Italian father and Slovene mother in Rijeka, Austria-Hungary . He attended Hungarian Commercial School in Rijeka and Budapest. Soon he was professor of bookkeeping in the same school in...
. Although Batthyany (publicly backed by Maylender) won over Zanella, Maylender resigned few months after and withdrew from politics, officially he devoted himself to historical studies and started the monumental "History of the Academies of Italy" a work, published posthumously, of still unmatched scope..
Maylender returned to active politics in 1911, when he accepted to run as Fiuman deputy at the Hungarian parliament. He was elected but died suddenly hit by stroke at the couloirs of the parliament in Budapest in 1911.
The brother Samuel Maylender was a physician and become future socialist leader of Fiume, who later joined the Communist Party of Fiume
Communist Party of Fiume
The Communist Party of Fiume was instituted on November 1921, after the proclamation of the Free State of Fiume created by the Treaty of Rapallo. The Communist Party of Fiume was the smallest Communist Party in the world at the time...
in 1921. The sister Edvige married Antonio Grossich
Antonio Grossich
Antonio Grossich . He was a surgeon from Fiume, a politician and writer....
, world-known surgeon who in 1908 introduced tincture of iodine for rapid sterilisation of the human skin, and future head of the Consiglio Nazionale Italiano in 1918.