Description
On 6 October 1849, thirteen military leaders of the Revolution of 1848-1849 were executed in Arad, and on the same day Count Lajos Batthyány, Hungary’s first prime minister, was put to death in Pest. This series of executions was timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the Vienna Revolution and the murder of Imperial Minister of War Theodor Baillet von Latour. It marked the high point of the retributions after the defeat of the Revolution and is commemorated as a day of national mourning by Hungarians. Pursuant to General Haynau’s orders, four officers – Arisztid Dessewffy, Vilmos Lázár, József Schweidel and Ernő Kiss – who had been sentenced to death by firing squad were executed first at 5:30 a.m., followed by the hanging of the other generals. Ernő Poeltenberg was the first to die at 6 a.m., followed by Ignác Török, György Láhner, Károly Knezi ́c, József Nagysándor, Count Károly Leiningen-Westerburg, Lajos Aulich and János Damjanich. The worst punishment was thus reserved for Count Károly Vécsey, who had to watch the executions of his comrades. According to witnesses, the 13 martyrs faced their executioners without fear, and their bodies were left hanging until the evening as a warning. But the executioners did not achieve their goals, as this only prompted thousands of people from the surrounding villages to come and pay their respects. On the evening of same day, Lajos Batthyány was executed by firing squad in Pest, in the courtyard of the New Building prison, where Batthyány’s sanctuary lamp is now located; he was later interred at the Franciscan Church in Pest.
Front: Oberverse of the coins bears half-profile portrait of Lajos Batthyány, based on a painting by Miklós Barabás. The other mandatory coin elements are also on this side: the inscription ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’, the value numerals ’30 000’, the mint mark ‘BP’ and the mint year ‘2024’.
Back: Reverse of the coins presents a stylised image of a grave marker, with the legend ‘1849’ commemorating the year when Lajos Batthyány and the 13 martyrs of Arad were executed. Below this are the names of the 13 martyrs, in the order of execution: ‘DESSEWFFY ARISZTID, LÁZÁR VILMOS, SCHWEIDEL JÓZSEF, KISS ERNŐ ̋, POELTENBERG ERNŐ, TÖRÖK IGNÁC, LÁHNER GYÖRGY, K N E Z I C ́ K Á R O L Y , N A G Y S Á N D O R JÓZSEF, LEININGEN-WESTERBURG KÁROLY, AULICH LAJOS, DAMJANICH JÁNOS, VÉCSEY KÁROLY’. The mint year ‘2024’ is found at the bottom. A detail from the Freedom Statue in Arad (by György Zala) can be seen to the right. The legend ‘ARADI VÉR- TANÚK’ (MARTYRS OF ARAD) is found in a circular legend to the upper right on the back, with the master mark of designer István Kósa in the centre.
