Századok – 2017

2017 / 3. szám - KONFERENCIA GRÓF DESSEWFFY EMIL HALÁLÁNAK 150. ÉVFORDULÓJA ALKALMÁBÓL - Velkey Ferenc: Egy reformkori baráti-politikai szövetség és próbája: Széchenyi István és Dessewffy Emil

EGY REFORMKORI BARÁTI-POLITIKAI SZÖVETSÉG ÉS PRÓBÁJA

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ISTVÁN SZÉCHENYI AND EMIL DESSEWFFY: A FRIENDLY AND POLITICAL ALLIANCE AND ITS TEST IN THE REFORM ERA by Ferenc Velkey

SUMMARY

The relationship of István Széchenyi and Emil Dessewffy has so far remained outside the focus of Hungarian historiography, despite the fact that each of them was an influential friend and political ally for the other. While their personal relationship became utterly confidential in the course of their cooperation, it remained mostly motivated by regards of political tactics. Their common goal was to act as a counterbalance against the weight of Kossuth within the reform opposition, and to strengthen the Hungarian political basis of the Viennese government. The internal tension of their relationship was caused by the fact that while Emil Dessewffy was the leading politician and organiser of the conservative side, Szécheny refused to identify himself with this position, even if his allies regarded him as such and used his name. It was this contradiction that resulted in the spring of 1847, after his failure to establish an independent „progressive” wing, in Széchenyi’s backing away from his conservative allies as well. tartózkodásuk korábbi napján, amikor az ellenzékiek csipkedték Dessewffyt, akkor őt Széchenyi „védelmezte”. Az éles jelenetet Széchenyi nem rögzítette naplójába, csak a vicc-koncertet és Dessewffy Emil játékos üldöztetését villantotta fel, illetve azt (megerősítve Kemény beszámolóját), hogy ő valóban kedélyesen figyelte „mindkét oldal jóindulatát és humorát”. SZIN6 1846. aug. 7. 421.