A Hajdú-Bihar Megyei Levéltár évkönyve 30. 2004-2005 (Debrecen, 2005)

Tanulmányok - Mónus Imre: Adalékok a Rákóczi szabadságharc történetéhez

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Mónus Imre: Adalékok a Rákóczi szabadságharc történetéhez

Contributions from the history of the Rákóczi fight for freedom Imre Mónus

Among the precedents to the Rákóczi fight for freedom, we consider the hegyalja uprising to be the most important. It was caused by the ravaging of the emperor’s military forces over the impoverished serfdom. The burden on the serfs was increased from year to year, and in the Upper-Tisza region the endurance of the serfdom reached the final limit. Their grievances were drawn up by earl Bercsényi Miklós. At Tiszahát Esze Tamás and Kiss stood at the head of the poor rank and file movement.

In May 1703 Prince Rákóczi Ferenc II made an agreement with Esze Tamás in the Brenza fortress, to declare war against the Habsburgs for independence of the Hungarian State.

Rákoczi’s forces gained their first victory in battle on the 14-th July 1703. This was followed by the successful battles in the lowlands, the highlands, in Trans- danubia and in Transylvania. Among Rákóczi’s military leaders, Bercsényi Miklós, Bottyán János, Károlyi Sándor and Ócskái László were prominent.

The war of independence was beset by numerous material difficulties, and Rákóczi received assistance only from the King of France. He held parliamentary meetings at Ónod and Sárospatak; the parliament meeting at Ónod was outstanding, where the dethronement of the house of Habsburg was declared.

Plague wrought havoc among the soldiers on several occasions, claiming more human sacrifices than the individual battles. General Bottyán János was also annihilated by the plague. Rákóczi did all he could to increase his military force, but the circumstances were not favourable after 1708. In the interest of making peace he attempted to negotiate with the Emperor, but he wanted Hungary to keep its independence, so he went to the Russian Emperor for assistance in the mediation, but the situation developed differently here at home, Count Károlyi Sándor accepted the Emperors conditions for peace and put down his arms in 1711 on the Nagymajtény flats in Szatmár.

The Emperor guaranteed safety for Rákóczi, but he and his loyal subjects chose the voluntary expatriation, and the final habitat of the fugitives was designated in Rodostó in Turkey in 1720.