Boundless history: 1848 - Academy members of the first responsible Hungarian government: Ferenc Deák, József Eötvös, Lázár Mészáros, István Széchenyi, Bertalan Szemere

The outbreak of the revolution on 15 March 1848 and the subsequent period of the War of Independence had a profound effect on the life of the Academy. The situation was further complicated by the fact that none of the members of its governing body was present at its meetings. President József Teleki was absent for official and health reasons while Vice President István Széchenyi first participated in the sessions of the Diet as a delegate representing Moson County. Széchenyi then travelled to Vienna for negotiations, and at the end of March, at the request of Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány, accepted the post of Minister of Transportation. Alongside Széchenyi, other members of the Academy were also appointed to ministerial positions: Ferenc Deák served as Minister of Justice, József Eötvös Minister of Religion and Public Education, Lázár Mészáros Minister of Defence, and Bertalan Szemere Minister of the Interior.

On 20 March 1848, an extraordinary meeting was held at the Academy, where, in addition to a welcoming of freedom of the press, calls were made to reform the institution’s internal structure. It was argued that the Academy should be transformed from a private institution established by its founders into a national institution, and thus placed outside the supervision of the board of directors consisting of the founders. A committee was appointed to work out the details, which was set the further goal of applying the principle of scholarship in the Academy’s operations. It was the task of the general assembly to draft and adopt the new statutes, but the course of events made it impossible to convene one – just as it made sustained scholarly work impossible. The next meeting could not be held until May 1848, at which time a committee was established to review the press law and the juries responsible for adjudicating press offences. At the same time, Mihály Horváth proposed that sources relating to the history of Hungary over the preceding three centuries be collected and brought from Vienna to Pest; he also proposed the establishment of a public archive.

Following the summer recess, meetings continued until early 1849, at which point Teleki suspended them due to the state of siege. They did not resume until the end of April, when the imperial troops withdrew from Pest. At the meeting on 4 June, on the suggestion of János Hanák, Academy member and zoologist, the Academy issued a declaration of loyalty to the national government and the country’s governor. Bertalan Szemere served as both prime minister and minister of the interior of the second responsible government until its resignation.

In 1848–49, Academy members could be found not only among the members of the government, but also in various official positions. Ferenc Pulszky served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Károly Szász Sr in the Ministry of Religion and Public Education, and Ágoston Trefort became state secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Trade. György Bartal served as a ministerial advisor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while Sámuel Fabriczy held the same position in the Ministry of Religion and Public Education. Pál Jászay worked as secretary to Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány. Others participated in the first representative parliament, including Zsigmond Kemény and Mihály Vörösmarty. Academy members were also found in the National Guard and the emerging Hungarian Honvéd Army: Gusztáv Szontágh trained with the National Guard in Pécel and Rákoscsaba, while Károly Kiss organised the Pest National Guard and subsequently became inspector of military educational institutions at the Ministry of Defence.

The period of the revolution and the War of Independence affected not only the functioning of the Academy as an institution but also its members, most of whom sided with the cause and actively participated in the events of the period.