Louis Kossuth

Lajos (Louis) Kossuth (1802–1894) was a Hungarian statesman, journalist, and political orator who became a leading figure of the 1848–49 Hungarian Revolution. As editor of influential reform newspapers and a prominent speaker in the Hungarian Diet, he helped popularize liberal and nationalist demands, including constitutional government and greater autonomy within the Habsburg Empire. In 1849 he served as Governor-President of Hungary during the revolutionary government. After the revolution’s defeat, he lived in long exile, notably in the Ottoman Empire, Britain, and Italy. Though not chiefly a literary author, he was a prolific political writer whose speeches circulated widely.