The Armenian Heroes of the Hungarian War of Independence in 1848-49 [antikvár]

THE ARMENIAN HEROES OE THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCEIt is generally known, that two of the thirteen military leaders of the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848 who suffered martyrdom on 6 October, 1849, Ernő Kiss and Vilmos Lázár were of Armenian nationality. The chronicles also recall a third hero of the struggle for freedom of Armenian origins, General János Czecz, who later, living in South America "added much to the glory of the Hungarian name".It was not that well known, however, that in 1848-49 how the Hungarian Armenians assisted the Hungarian nation's fight almost beyond their ability. The historians of the Armenians, Lukács Avedik, Kristóf Lukácsi, Kristóf Szongott etc. present extensive data in their works showing this.We can see from these works, that the representatives of the almost entirely Armenian populated Transylvanian cities at that time, Szamosújvár and Erzsébetváros, how enthusiastically advocated in favour of the unification of Hungary and Transylvania on the Diet of Transylvania in 1848. We also know, that in June, 1848, when the government was in need of reserves for the new Kossuth banknote to be put into circulation, how generously both the affluent merchant, and the less wealthy Armenian citizens contributed to the altar of the nation throughout Transylvania, especially in Kolozsvár.The above mentioned historians also show us, that the citizens of Erzsébetváros and Szamosújvár, proved their loyalty to the Hungarian government both in word and action,, welcomed the liberating Honvéds of General Bem first at the end of December, 1848 and then again in March, with a feeling of great joy and tables laid with food.They literally had to pay for the war, when Emperial Colonel Urban exacted a 40,000 Forint ransom from5