A forradalom és szabadságharc elsõ korszerű szintézise: Márki Sándor milleniumi összefoglalója
The First Modern Synthesis of the Revolution and War of Independence: Sándor Márki’s Millennium Summary

Summary/Abstract: This article presents Sándor Márki’s summary of the 1848-1849 Revolution and War of Independence, the tenth volume of the millennial series A magyar nemzet története (The History of the Hungarian Nation). Márki’s work represents the first modern synthesis of the revolution and war of independence, predating Gyula Szekfű’s later, harsh critique of the existing historiography. The author emphasizes that Szekfű was mistaken in claiming the topic had not been addressed, as he overlooked significant works such as Márki’s. Márki faced considerable challenges: much of the political and military documentation was held in Vienna, and the events of the war were still recent, with many participants still alive. Nevertheless, he completed the substantially longer-than-planned work – 22 sheets – in an exceptionally short period of six and a half months. His research made use of the Csány archive in Arad, resulting in particularly thorough chapters on the events in Transylvania. Márki’s synthesis broke with earlier traditions, for instance, by rejecting the periodization based on constitutional law, instead distinguishing between the revolution, the self-defense struggle, and the war of independence. He critically analyzed the dethronement of the Habsburgs and the roles of the leaders of the struggle, particularly Kossuth and Görgei, and did not accept the charges of betrayal against the latter. Márki also addressed the nationality question and the diplomatic precedents of Russian intervention in detail. According to the author, Márki’s work far surpassed the efforts of contemporary amateur writers and contained a richer factual basis than Szekfű’s later summary, making it a work deserving of renewed attention.

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