II Rakoczi Ferenc - Budapest, Hungary
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 47° 30.374 E 019° 02.830
34T E 352945 N 5263270
This statue stands in a grassy park area near to the Hungarian Houses of Parliament. It shows II Rakoczi Ference riding a rearing horse.
Waymark Code: WMKV76
Location: Hungary
Date Posted: 05/30/2014
Views: 10
Ferenc Rákóczi II was a Hungarian aristocrat and leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince (fejedelem) of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Today he is considered a national hero in Hungary.
On the eve of the War of the Spanish Succession, he and his fellow magnates sought help from Louis XIV of France. Their intermediary betrayed his trust, and Rákóczi was arrested and imprisoned, escaping death with his wife’s help by leaving his cell in disguise. After two years in Poland, he returned in 1703 to put himself at the head of the peasant revolt known as the Kuruc (or Kurucok) rising. He had considerable initial success, but the Anglo-Austrian victory at Blenheim in 1704 destroyed hopes of help from France and of eventual success, though fighting in Hungary continued until 1711.
Meanwhile, the Transylvanians were looking to Rákóczi to restore their independence, electing him prince on July 6, 1704, a major result of which was the destruction of any hopes for compromise with the emperor Leopold I, who was also king of Hungary. France sent no effective aid, Rákóczi’s efforts to secure the Russian tsar Peter I’s help against Austria failed, his peasant armies suffered further heavy defeats, and finally he left his country forever on Feb. 21, 1711, a few months before the signing of the Peace of Szatmár with Austria.
After seeking refuge in Poland and France, Rákóczi went to Constantinople in 1717 on the invitation of the Sultan to help organize an army against the Austrians. Peace, however, was concluded before he arrived, the Sultan had no use for his services, and Rákóczi lived out his life in exile in Turkey.
Monarch Ranking: Prince / Princess
Proper Title and Name of Monarch: Franciscus II. Dei Gratia Sacri Romani Imperii & Transylvaniae princeps Rakoczi. Particum Regni Hungariae Dominus & Siculorum Comes, Regni Hungariae Pro Libertate Confoederatorum Statuum necnon Munkacsiensis & Makoviczensis Dux, Perpetuus Comes de Saros;
Country or Empire of Influence: Transylvania and Hungary
Website for additonal information: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:Waymark Visitor - Must either
- Provide a photo at the Statue
- Answer a related question, if available, as posted on the Waymark description to the satistfaction of the Owner