Chapter 87: Chapter 85 – May 13, 1848

Buda-Pest

Since the Bohemian corps had surrounded the two cities, the residents had been in turmoil. If the Republic hadn't assured the people that their ally, the Kingdom of Sardinia, would strike Austria from the other side, most people with the means would've escaped by now. Of course, the presence of the Bohemian corps outside the city also served to deter any who wished to escape.

In order to cover the large area of Buda-Pest, the Austrian soldiers had been forced to spread out thin. Keeping this in mind, General Haynau had even prepared a regiment of detached cavalry in case the Hungarians attempted to exploit this weakness to break through the Austrian line. The Hungarians, however, had remained surprisingly quiet.

 

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Hungarian Minister of War, Lázár Mészáros, reported, distressed, "President, I've just received word from our spies that the Croatian traitors led by Jelačić will reach the city by tomorrow. At that time, the enemy forces will exceed 100,000, and our chances of victory will plummet!"

Count Lukács, a major critic of Kossuth and one of the leaders of the reactionary forces in Hungary, asserted, "Minister Mészáros is right. We can no longer fend off the enemy forces and it won't be long before they enter the city. Gentlemen, I propose that we begin peace talks with the Vienna government in order to preserve as much of Hungary as possible!"

With the successive military defeats of the Republic, many supporters of the revolution had lost faith in the elected government, which had strengthened the voice of the reactionary forces led by the nobles, who had opposed harsh measures against Austria from the beginning. At this point, they sought to preserve their interests through negotiations with the Vienna government.

Kossuth and the Republicans were currently in a terrible position. Outside, the Austrians were "liberating" cities and villages daily, freeing the serfs and redistributing the land to them in order to gain the support of the common folk. Inside, he was being opposed by the nobles and the military officers, who were mostly of noble descent, and was unable to pass any effective legislation.

As a result, in just over a month, the Hungarian Republic had become an oppressor in the eyes of most minorities. In the eyes of poor farmers and liberated serfs, the Hungarian Republic in Buda-Pest was just a tool for the nobles and capitalists to exploit them while the Emperor, who was far away in Vienna, was like a benevolent father who protected them. 

Sándor Petőfi, who belonged to Kossuth's camp, hurriedly retorted, "Impossible! Hungary has been in turmoil due to the trickery of the Austrians. The Vienna government intends to divide Hungary along ethnic lines into Croatia, Slavonia, Slovakia, Vojvodina, Transylvania, and central Hungary. They only plan to leave us with central Hungary! Even in this province, we will have no autonomy. Not to mention, the Vienna government already holds the high ground in this war. Their terms will surely be extremely harsh!"