John Paget’s Memorandum: Hungary and Transylvania in 1836

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 11 Sayı: 4, 2671 - 2686, 22.09.2024

Mehmet Şerif Erkek

Öz

From the renowned poet Lord Byron, who lost his life fighting for the Greeks during their War of Independence, to David Urquhart, one of the most prominent defenders of the Turks in Europe, many Englishmen volunteered for various causes throughout the 19th century. Among these individuals was John Paget, a member of an established English family. After meeting his future wife, the Hungarian Baroness Polixena Wesselényi, in Rome, Paget traveled extensively through Hungary and Transylvania before eventually settling in Transylvania, where he endeavored to contribute to the region's development. However, what keeps Paget's legacy alive in Hungary today is not his contributions to local development but rather his travelogue, Hungary and Transylvania, in which he documented his journeys between 1835 and 1837. The foundation of this work emerged in 1836 when Paget met Lord John Ponsonby, the British Ambassador to Istanbul; at Ponsonby’s request, Paget prepared a memorandum to provide the ambassador with updated insights on the lesser-known regions of the Austrian Empire. Notably, this memorandum included matters of particular interest to Ponsonby that were not addressed in his travel book. This study aims to transcribe Paget's memorandum, which holds significance for Hungarian history, and to elucidate the historical context in which it was composed.

Anahtar Kelimeler

John Paget, Hungary, Transylvania, Lord Ponsonby

Kaynakça

• Bökös, B. (2017). Representations of Hungary and Transylvania in John Paget’s travelogue. Acta Universitatis Sapientiae Phililogica, 9 (1), 87-98.
• Erkek, M. Ş. (2023). Lord John Ponsonby'nin İstanbul sefareti, 1832-1841 [Doktora tezi, Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi]. Yök Tez.
• Hering, G. E. (1838). Sketches on the Danube; Hungary and Transylvania. Thomas McLean.
• GRE/E/317/1-21. (1836). John Paget’s memorandum. Papers of John Viscount Ponsonby. Archives and Special Collections, Durham University.
• GRE/E/463-1-2. (1836, May 21). John Paget to John Ponsonby. Papers of John Viscount Ponsonby. Archives and Special Collections, Durham University.
• Kovács, S. (2008). Kétszáz éve született John Paget, Erdély magyar honpolgára. Keresztény Magvető, 114 (2), 203-218.
• Leicester Journal. 16 December 1836.
• Madden, H. M. (1939-1940). The diary of John Paget, 1849. The Slavonic and East European Review, 19 (53/54), 237-264.
• Miklós, T. (2008). Kétszáz éve született John Paget János (1808-1892). Füredi História, 8 (2), 14-16.
• Országh, L. (1979). Anglomania in Hungary, 1780-1900. Angol Filológiai Tanulmányok / Hungarian Studies in English, 12, 19–36.
• Paget, J. (1850). Hungary and Transylvania: with remarks on their condition, social, political and economical (Vol. 1). Lea & Blanchard.
• Pellérdi, M. (2021). Travel writing and the integration of East-Central Europe. Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies (HJEAS), 27 (1), 99-120.
• Sándor, M. (1987). John Paget János. In M. Sándor (Ed.), John Paget: Magyarország és Erdély (pp. 329–348). Helikon.
• Szekely, K. (1992). John Paget cave descriptions of an English nobleman who has become Hungarian. In Proceedings of the ALCADI '92 International Conference on Speleo History (pp. 103-108). Karszt es Barlong.
• Wykes, D. L. (1980). John Paget, M.D., of Transylvania (1808-1892). Transactions of the Unitarian Historical Society, 17 (2), 54-72.