Kossuth’s March 3 address

Addressing the diet (session of parliament) in Pozsony*,
delegate Kossuth demanded the following major reforms from the
Lower House:

1. Abolish censorship, i.e. freedom of
thepress. 2. A Hungarian Ministry. 3. Annual Diet, elected by
universal suffrage. 4. Equality of all before the law.
5.Formation of a national guard. 6. No tax exemption for nobility
or clergy. 7. Suppression of feudal rights. 8. Elected juries for
criminal cases. 9. A national bank. 10. Create a national
army.11. Liberate political prisoners. 12. Unite Transylvania
with Hungary

KOSSUTH

Afraid the Upper House would dilute and delay
action, Kossuth suggested the list be taken directly to the
monarch. On March 14, the Upper House supported the motion and a
delegation, headed by Kossuth took it as “Address to
theThrone” for accession by Ferdinand V.

* During the
Turkish occupation in the 16th and 17th century, the Hungarian
parliament moved out of the occupied heartland, and held its
sessions in Pozsony (now Bratislava, Slovakia; Pressburg in
German, Posonium** in Latin). The Habsburg kings, were crowned
here in
St. Martin’s cathedral.

FERDINAND V

**For a medieval view of “Posonium” Click here

Aptil 11 saw the acceptance of
the April laws. Approved by the Diet, (the session having
been personally closed by the king in the archbishop’s palace) 31
new laws largely reflected the Kossuth demands of March 3. They
were – in a sense – a new constitution, reputedly modelled after
that of Belgium.

Archbishop’s Palace

Discussed and voted on in haste,
the April laws contained some inconsistent elements, but
clearly reflected the Diet’s desire to emphasize Hungary’s
independent thrust.

Some major issues :

• The King to exercise power
  through a responsible minister (without his endorsement
  no order to be valid).
• The bicameral Diet to be
  convoked annually at Pest, the members being elected for
  three year terms.
• The King may dissolve the
  Diet, but obliged to convoke a new one within three
  months.
• No dismissal until next
  years’ budget approved.
• The two elements were the
  Chamber of deputies and Chamber of Magnates.

Chamber of Magnates

• Franchised to vote were
  citizens who paid taxes, also those with secondary or
  higher education.
• Official language to be
  Hungarian, save Latin in some instances.

Other elements :

• While endorsing freedom of
  the press, inciting against the person of the King or
  other parts of the Habsburg empire considered a crime.
• While creating a cabinet
  post of “Minister of War”, its authority not
  delineated :

  – jurisdiction over
  Hungarian units stationed anywhere (e.g. in
  Italy) ?

  – or over imperial
  forces (regardless of nationality) stationed in
  Hungary ?

  – deployment of
  Hungarian troops “beyond the borders”
  to require the “countersignature of the
  responsible minister”.

• Borders not defined :

– of Hungary ?

– of the empire ?

• Some obligations of
  “the peasants” relieved, others maintained.

Philosophically many had
questioned whether the April laws were to provide broad
equality or a rear-guard action by the nobility (i.e. Diet
members) to preclude more radical steps.

The April laws had other
deficiencies :

Relations with the several
minorities (Slovaks, Rumanians, Serbs, etc.) not defined, while
Hungarian declared the official language.Croatia-Slavonia had been an autonomous region of the
Hungarian Crown – its status undefined.
As was seen later, the anti-Hungarian faction in Vienna took full
advantage of such inconsistencies to undermine the Hungarian
government.
Sensing the unclear interface with Austria, Prince Esterházy
approached Austrian minister Pillersdorf to establish a
commission to deliberate common issues. The Hungarian
representative, Ferenc Pulszky, was cut short in his efforts,
when the Austrians adjourned the commissions’ activities.

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