Johann Majlth, (1786-1855) Earl Hungarian conservative
politician, ranked among the eminent Hungarian nobles.
After finishing university studies he was an employee of high
Hungarian bodies. In the 1840s he developed his broad educational
and cultural prospect as an editor and publicist. He belonged to
the representatives of the conservative noblemen camp and was an
opponent of the Hungarian reform movement. He held a positive view
towards the efforts of non-Magyar nations, and he summoned the
Slovaks to defend themselves in an active form against
Magyarization.
During the year 1848 he disagreed with the anti-Viennese state and
legal radicalism, national intolerance, and the partial reforms of
Hungarian government. He remained an advocate of the unified
Habsburg monarchy, of the equality of its nations as the condition
of stability, and of the conservative political system built on
bureaucracy. Majlath moved from Hungary to Vienna and Munich.
When in November 1848 the Vienna government started to deal with
the issue of re-building the monarchy, Majlath, at the request of
the prime minister, Schwarzenberg, elaborated several proposals for
the rearrangement of Hungary to allow a guarantee of the equality
of its nations. According to these proposals, after the division
to seven nationally administered districts, Hungary, as a matter of
fact, would cease to exist in its old shape. Districts would have
their own Diets, administration, education, jurisdiction, and they
would be under the imperial bodies in Vienna and have their
representatives there. A special royal commissioner would be named
to head these bodies. Majlath devoted special attention to the
Slovaks and to their relations with Magyars. After the examining
at length contemporary theories of social psychology, he concluded
that the Slovaks would be able to develop their life freely only
after complete separation from Hungary and establishment of their
own political unit. The capital of the Slovak district ought to
be in the town of Banska Bystrica and the official language there
ought to be the Slovak language. The district ought to develop its
own jurisdiction, culture and school system (including university
and secondary school, publishing houses and political newspapers).
Majlath suggested achieving these political changes at the
commencement of the emperor's military campaign in Hungary. Because
of the refusal of Windischgrätz, Hungarian Old-conservatives
living in Vienna, and several ministers, Majlath's proposals did
not become official governmental policy. Majlath's plan to rebuild
the monarchy had several features in common with the Slovak efforts
to establish their own legal state; and several Slovak activists
maintained contacts with Majlath, including Michael Hodaea, Jozef
M. Hurban, and Stefan Zavodnik. In March and April Majlath
organized the work of counsellors of various nations in the
government, and he positively evaluated the proposals of the Slovak
Government Trustees. Discouraged by the political failures,
problems with estates and personal family troubles, he committed
suicide.
Magyar életrajzi lexikon Budapest 1969, II,
125.
Rapant, Daniel Slovenské povstanie 1848-49. I
Slovensky biograficky slovnik IV.
Szinnyei, Jozsef Magyar irok élete és
munkai, 1905, VII, 332-336.
JGC revised this file
(http://www.ohiou.edu/ip/majlath~chastain/.htm) on
October 23, 2004.
Please E-mail comments or suggestions to chastain@www.ohiou.edu
© 1999, 2004 James Chastain.
Dusan Skvarna
Bibliography