The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-29 00:00:00

THE EVENTFUL HISTORY OF
SZEGEDIN.

Vie Times says :—" Quite apart from the late
melancholy catastrophe, Szegedin has had an eventful
history, although, unfortunatay, its chief features are
connected with not the brightest phases in the fortunes
of Hungary. Although the prosent fortress dates only
since the Turkish occupation ol the town in the six-
teenth century, it was already s flourishing mart and
one of the strong places of Himgary so far back as
King Matthias Corvinus at thi end of the fourteenth
century. It was here, in 1526, that the Hungarian
Prince Szapolya, encamped at the head of 14,000 men,
sealed the fate of Hungary, prostrated by the over-
throw of Mohacs, and submitted himself as a vassal
to Solyman the Magnificent. The Sultan burnt
down the greater portion of Szegedin, and on the
ruins erected a fortress, which became one of the
bulwarks of the Ottoman power in those regions for
over a century and a half. It was the chief
town of one of the 14 sandjaks into which the con-
quered portion of Hungary was divided, all subject to
the Pasha who resided at Buda, with the authority of
Beglerbeg. But when, in 1683, Duke Charles of
Lorraine recaptured Buda, the hour of deliverance
had also arrived for Szegedin. Again, in 1849 the
town was fated for a few brief weeks to play a pro-
minent part in the terrible drana of the time. In
July Kossuth and the Provisional Government had to
quit Pesth, retiring before the advancing Austrian
forces. The seat of authority was transferred to
Szegedin, the citizens received Kossuth with enthusiasm
and he assured them that 'freedom would start from
Szegedin and conquer Europe.' The deputies and
magnates assembled; buildings were set apart for ad-
ministrative offices ; and a large supply of paper money
was issued. Kossuth proposed to set up an arniy
corps of 30,000 men, but he had neither time nor men
to carry out his design. The Austrians gave him no
rest. At the end of July the Dictator had to quit his
temporary resting place. Oa August 3, Marshal Hayman
entered the town and at ohce opened fire on the Hun-
garian army, posted on the other side of the river,
behind the suburb of Nev Szegedin. This suburb
was burnt to the ground atd a great powder magazine
blew up, causing great havoc. ilaynau was able to
cross the river, and the defeat and flight of the Hun-
garians completed the dowlfall of the revolution. A
few days later the capitulation of Wagon put an end
to all legitimate resistance. It may be observed that
the railway bridge over the Theiss at Szegedin, built
in 1850, was considered at the time to be the greatest
work of the kind in Europe, It is estimated that the
amount of land under water in the immediate neigh-
bourhood of the city is about 800,000 Hungarian acres,
or nearly 960 (English) square miles. The chief pro-
prietor is Prince Pallavicini, who owns about 100,000
acres, of which at least three-fifths are submerged.
The loss of the crops within the inundated district is
set down at ten millions of florins (21,000,000), and of
taxes in connexion with the same at a million of
florins (2100,000). The lowest estimate of the mis-
chief done to the town itself sets it down at five
millions of florins, or half a million sterling."