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Hungary - Historical Military Flags (1848)
Last modified: 2002-07-05 by dov gutterman
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- 85th Battalion of the Hungarian Army
- Kom�rom County Home Guard
- Tolna Megyei Lovas Nemzet�rs�g
- Torda Megyei Nemzet�rs�g
- Viennese Legion
- Other Units Flags
See also:
Other sites of 1848 Flags:
85th Battalion of the Hungarian Army
from http://w3.swi.hu/magyarmult/,
located by Istvan Molnar, 16 July 2000
by Istvan Molnar, 19 June 2001
I don't know if this flag was used. This is a flag of the
Independece War 1848-1849.
"85 Honve'd
Za'szlo'ally" means "85th Battalion of
the Hungarian Army"
"E'llyen a Fu:ggetlen Magyarhon Szabadsa'ga" means
"Live the Freedom of the Independent Hungary"
Istvan Molnar, 16 July 2000
Description From 'National Relics - A History of the War
Banners of the Hungarian: Revolution and War of Independence
1848-1849. Atlantic Studies on Society in Change No. 115.':
"FRAGMENT OF THE BANNER OF THE 85TH HONV�D BATTALION
The fragmented central parts of the front sheet of the banner. In
the middle of the fragment there is the Baroque smaller coat of
arms (the so-called Kossuth arms) without the crown and under it
an inscription '1849/Junius 1 Napj�n' (on 1 June, 1849). The
coat of arms and the inscription are bordered by a wreath of
wheat ears and bunches of grapes held together by a bow of blue
ribbon. The inscription above the wreath reads '85 Honv�d
Z�szl�ally' (85th honv�d battalion) and the one under it reads
'�llyen a F�ggetlen Magyarhon Szabads�ga' (Long live the
liberty of independent Hungary), embroidered in red. As indicated
by its symbols, the banner must have belonged to an agricultural
associationand must have been transformed into a honv�d war
banner by the lady donating it. It was consecrated on June 1,
1849. After the suppression of the war of independence the banner
was saved an preserved by G�bor Kocsis, a Szekler from
�rokfalva. It was donated to the National Museum by the
Rik�nbeloli Honv�d Egyes�let in 1894. From there it got into
the possesion of the War Museum in 1936. Made presumably by Mrs.
Rafael Benko, n�e Roz�lia L�z�r in 1849. A single-sheet silk
ripp embroidered with silk thread and purl, decorated with
pressed and gilded silver lamellas. Size: 124 by 74 centimetres
Inventory number: HTM 39/ZI"
This picture is a well reconstruction of the original flag...
Istvan Molnar, 18 June 2001
Kom�rom County Home Guard
Here is a photo of the Home
Guard of Kom�rom County (1848).
Istvan Molnar, 24 January 2002
Tolna Megyei Lovas Nemzet�rs�g
by Istvan Molnar, 11 June 2001
reverse side
by Istvan Molnar, 11 June 2001
tm848.gif)
CoA on the reverse side
by Istvan Molnar, 11 June 2001
The images are based on the photo of the flag. Description
from 'National Relics - A History of the War Banners of the
Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence 1848-1849. Atlantic
Studies on Society in Change No. 115.':
"BANNER OF THE MOUNTED NATIONAL GUARD OF TOLNA COUNTY
A Hungarian tricolour. In the white stripe on its front the
Hungarian arms is painted into a small pointed shield. Above the
curved upper end of the shield there is the Hungarian crown. On
the back the arms of Tolna County is displayed irt the same
manner. In 1849 the banner was seized by the Russians at
Vil�gos. In 1941 it was returned to Hungary. It got to the
Military History Museum following its second return in 1948.
Restored by Mrs. �ipli, n�e M�ria Farag� in 1998.
A single-sheet banner made in 1848 frorn silk ripp, with pa�nted
decoration. Size: 105 by 95 centimetres Inventory number: HTM
23/ZI"
Istvan Molnar, 11 June 2001
Torda Megyei Nemzet�rs�g
by Istvan Molnar, 22 June 2001
Description From 'National Relics - A History of the War
Banners of the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence
1848-1849. Atlantic Studies on Society in Change No. 115.'
"BANNER OF THE NATIONAL GUARD UNIT OF TORDA COUNTY - A
double-sheet banner made in 1848 from silk, embroidered and
painted. Size 94/89 centimetres. Inventary number: 22/ZI. On its front side there is an embroiered
blazon with the crown and the traditional Baroque-style shield
bordered by a wreath of olive branches. In the right field there
are four silver fesses. The
reverse side displays the arms of Torda County. The three
free edges are bordered with triangles facing each other in the
national colours. The banner is unusally suspended, the axis of
the escutheon forming a right angle to the staff. It was probably
used either by the 11th Sz�kely (Szekler) or by the 15th
M�ty�s (Matthias) husz�r (cavalry) regiment. According to the
Russian records it was seized by the Russian troops at Vil�gos
from Bem's army corps. It was returned to Hungary first in 1941.
In 1948 it got to the Military History Museum. Restored by M�rta
T�th in 1998."
Vil�gos is now Siria (Arad county, Romania). Torda county is one
of the oldest Hungarian counties. It was devided into two parts
in 1886. The eastern part was united with Maros-sz�k (Maros
county of the Sz�kely Land), - now Mures county of Romania. The
western part was united with Aranyos-sz�k (Aranyos county of the
Sz�kely Land), now in Cluj and Alba counties of Romania.)
Istvan Molnar, 22 June 2001
Viennese Legion
by Istvan Molnar, 6 June 2001
The image is based on the photo
of the flag. The original flag is a tricolour with painted
CoA. Description From 'National Relics - A History of the War
Banners of the Hungarian: Revolution and War of Independence
1848-1849. Atlantic Studies on Society in Change No. 115.':
"The Banner of the Viennese Legion - A one-sheet banner made
in 1848 from silk damask, with painted images. Size 155 by 122
centimetres. Inventary number HTM 24/Zl - On the front of the
red, white, and green banner there is the Hungarian arms with the
crown and four silver fesses in its right field. An inscription
is painted in gold under the escutcheon saying 'Szabads�g,
Egyenl�s�g, Testv�ris�g' (Liberty, Wquality, Fraternity).
Below this one is another also in gold: 'Wiener Legion f�r
Ungarn'. The reverse side is identical with the front. There were
several units fighting in the war of independence under the name
B�csi-Wiener Legion, it is therefore impossible to tell which of
them used this particular banner. It was seized by the Russians
at Vil�gos, was restored to Hungary in 1941 for the first time
and in 1948 for the second time when it got to the Military
History Museum. Restored by Mrs. Laki, Ilona T�th in 1997."
(Vil�gos, Arad county now Siria, Arad county, Romania)
Istvan Molnar, 6 June 2001
Other Units Flags
Here is the translation from http://www.sulinet.hu/,
located by Dov Gutterman, 24 January 1999:
"Our Escaped FlagsThe War History Museum guards flags
remaining from the 1848-49 Revolution and War of Liberation. Each
has its own history. Here's a sampler:
The
Hunyadi Volunteer Corps' Flag
After the victory of the Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian
Parliament passed a resolution bringing back, in its
"ancient right" the country's coat-of-arms and national
colours. Later, these -methodically combined with the counties'
CoA- appeared on the flags of the National Guard, which had been
in preparation since March with great speed. The population of
each county prepared and donated the flags of that county's
National Guard. To standardize all the different flags, the
Parliament passed a decree, though it did not meet with much
success.
The
Regular Flag of an Unidentified Corps
The real strength of the 1848-49 War of Liberation was not the
National Guard, but rather the specialized and enthusiastic
Hungarian Army, whose first two batallions were drafted in the
capital city (Buda). The gigantic parade for the flag-blessing
took place on June 24 1848, in Pest, in U'jpiac Square (now
Erzse'bet Square). The flag, which the contemporary press
enthusiastically wrote about, saying "finally, the first
Hungarian flag par excellence is born", became the Hungarian
Army's flags' standard of measure. about its origins, -since it
was not regulated by a decree, at least not as far as the
archivists have discovered- we know little. It was probably
prepared in O'buda. Tradition holds Jo'zsef Knopp as the standard
painter of "Madonna-ic" flags. The young artist from
O'buda studied in Munich and Vienna, and upon hearing of the
revolution, returned to the capital (Buda). The regiment's
commander, Gyo:rgy La'za'r, probably entrusted him with the
preparation of the flag. The flags are formed in the Hungarian
tradition, but their origins can be traced to the empire's flags.
The Ministry of Defence declared these flags as "prepared
according to regulations" and distributed one to each corps.
Many corps, mainly the 3rd,
4th and 5th Batallions stuck to their unregulated flags, and that
is why some corps have two banners.
Company Flag - Decoration
The first "standard" flag had an interesting fate. In
the battle of Koma'rom (Komarno) on Jul.14 1849, an Austrian
soldier ripped it out of the standard-bearer's hands, and during
the ensuing scuffle, one of its corners was ripped off. The loss
of the flag - an incident of great shame in the eyes of the
batallion - meant its recapture. The Austrian commander, however,
contrary to orders, only burned the staff and the decorative
ribbon, received from the flag's seamstress, Mrs. Lajos
Batthya'ny, at the nightly campfire. The banner itself was
guarded by the Austrian family, and in 1930 was purchased from
the grandson for the sum of 1,500 pengo". The flag, however,
still haden't played out its fate entirely: in 1945, it ended up
in the hands of the Red Army, and was only returned from
'internment' in 1948."
There is also the flag of the
3rd Honv�d Battalion
Georges Kovari III, 25 January 1999 and Istvan Molnar,
18 June 2001
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