Dear kevino,
After extensive research, I managed to find a biography of Mihaly
Tancsics on a German website. I have translated the text for you in
the following.
Mihaly Tancsics (April 21, 1799 - June 28, 1884)
A peasant socialist. Born in Acsteszér, Hungary. Until the age of
twenty, he has to work as a serf. Then he becomes a weaver apprentice
boy, which does not appeal to him, too: He leaves Hungary and wanders
through Europe. In France and England, he gets to know the labour
movement in these countries before returning to Hungary. He writes
articles about serfdom for various publications. Since he himself also
prints pamphlets making propaganda for the liberation of the serfs, he
is sentenced to prison; but he is freed again during the revolution of
1848. Tancsics is the only (former) serf and worker elected as member
of the Hungarian House of Commons.
In his magazine "Munkások ujsága" (= "Workers' Newspaper") he demands
that all major estates of more than 20,000,000 square meters should be
expropriated and, together with the Crown Seigniories, it should be
given to the land-less peasants. The revolution is beat down by the
Austrian army, Tancsics has to escape into the underground first, then
into emigration, until a general amnesty is declared in 1857. But as
early as 1860, he is arrested again because he has organized an
anti-Austrian worker demonstration. He is sentenced to 15 years in
prison, but he is released early from custody in 1867, now nearly
blind. He founds a new workers' newspaper, "Golden Trumpet", a very
radical publication fighting for the rights of the workers. In 1869,
he is elected as member of parliament again.
He dies in Budapest in 1884 - none of his revolutionary postulations
had been fulfilled by then.
Source:
Die Schwarze und die weisse Kunst auf der Briefmarke: Andere
Bucharbeiter 1700-1800, by Klaus Henseler, 2001 (in German)
http://www.klaushenseler.de/Gutenberg/Andere_Bucharbeiter/1700-1800/1700-1800.html#tansics1
Please follow this link to view a portrait of Mihaly Tancsics:
http://www.deltav.hu/links/1848/nevek/Tancsics.jpg
(Source: Táncsics Mihály, by unknown website author)
Mihaly Tancsics seems to be an eminently respectable historical figure
in Hungary today, since during my research I came across a notable
number of schools, public establishments and streets bearing his name.
Unfortunately, Tancsics is obviously virtually unknown outside
Hungary. Most sources dealing with his life were in Hungarian. The
website bobbie7 already found doubtless contains a biography that
might have a little bit more detail, but this is not neccessary so:
http://www.tancsics-ohaza.sulinet.hu/tancsics.html
(Táncsics Mihály, by the Táncsics Mihály Gimnázium, Orosháza, Hungary)
Search terms used:
"mihaly Táncsics":
://www.google.com/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22mihaly+T%C3%A1ncsics%22&btnG=Google-Suche&lr=
"Táncsics mihaly" 1799 1884:
://www.google.com/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22T%C3%A1ncsics+mihaly%22+1799+1884&btnG=Google-Suche&lr=
mihaly Tancsics 1884:
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=mihaly+Tancsics+1884&meta=
Tancsics 1799:
://www.google.com/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=Tancsics+1799&btnG=Google-Suche&lr=
Hope this is what you were looking for!
Regards,
Scriptor |
