author
Lajos Kossuth
1802–1894
A fiery speaker and political reformer, he became the most famous face of Hungary’s 1848 fight for independence. Even in exile, he remained an enduring symbol of national freedom and self-government.
1 Audiobook
Select Speeches of Kossuth
by Lajos Kossuth
About the author
Born in Monok in 1802, Lajos Kossuth trained in law but rose to prominence through journalism and politics. His reports from the Hungarian Diet and his advocacy of reform made him a powerful public voice at a time when demands for constitutional change were spreading across Europe.
Kossuth became one of the central leaders of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. He served as a key political figure in the revolutionary government and later as governor-president during Hungary’s struggle against Habsburg rule. After the revolution was defeated with Russian help, he went into exile, but his speeches and writings kept the Hungarian cause alive internationally.
He spent much of the rest of his life abroad, including in Britain and Italy, and died in Turin in 1894. Remembered as an orator, statesman, and national hero, he remains one of the defining figures of 19th-century Hungarian history.