Lajos Kossuth

Kossuth, Lajos (1802–94), Hungarian patriot and statesman who campaigned against Austrian rule and led the Hungarian revolution of 1848–49. A minister in the government set up in 1848, he engineered Hungary's declaration of independence as a republic the following year and became president. Austria, with the aid of Russian troops, forced a surrender, and Kossuth fled. He was received as a hero in the United States and England, where he lived for many years, and he died in Italy.

See also: Hungary.