Andrej Radlinsky (1817-1879), editor and journalist, came from a
family of burghers. When he finished his studies of theology in
Vienna and obtained a degree at the University of Pest, he was in
charge as a chaplain in the town of Banska Stiavnica, the center of
Hungarian mining industry.
In the spring 1848 he maintained the contacts with local Slovak
patriots, with the representatives of rioting miners and
dissatisfied students of Mining Academy. Radlinsky was unable to
direct their expressions of dissatisfaction and disagreement with
inconsequent March reforms and continuing national oppression into
a goal-aimed movement. Under the threat of persecution, he
afterwards lived in seclusion. In January 1849 he hid himself
from the penetrating Hungarian army, and in April he fled before
the army to Vienna. In Vienna Radlinsky was active in the large
Slovak political emigration. He acquired the permission of the
Viennese government to issue a Slovak newspaper, which he edited
jointly with the protestant minister Daniel Lichardus. Despite an
unpromising environment, they hoped to solve the Slovak question
on the political and legal level, withstanding aristocratic
interests and Magayrization of Old Conservatives noblemen who once
more controlled the public sphere in Slovakia. During the summer
time Radlinsky also acted as the Slovak People's Trustee. When the
Hungarian army was defeated, he realized that the position and the
fate of Hungary and also Slovaks was decided for long time.
Together with D. Lichardus they incited patriots in Slovakia to be
politically active and initiated petition movement in September.
In Hont and Orava counties A. Radlinsky himself advocated
separation of the Slovaks from Hungary and favored establishing
Slovak crown land. After the revolution he edited the Slovak
translation of imperial law codes in Pest. A. Radlinsky became
involved in controversy with high Hungarian church hierarchy
because of his democratism. His newspapers and advocacy of reform
in the church contributed to the social, national and cultural
awakening of Slovaks within the lower strata and strengthened their
rudimentary national consciousness.
Steliar, Franticek Andrej Radlinsky: Jeho Zivot a boj za
prava naroda slovenského. Trnava 1934.
Slovnik slovenskej literatury Bratislava, 1984, II.
Rapant, Daniel Slovenské povstanie 1848-49.
Martin-Bratislava 1937-72, I-V.
JGC revised this file
(http://www.ohiou.edu/~chastain/r-z/radlins.htm) on
October 24, 2004.
Please E-mail comments or suggestions to
© 1998, 2004 James Chastain.
Dusan Skvarna
Bibliography