In 1860 the supreme court of judicature, known as the _curia regia_,
and the county assemblies were reinstated, and the Magyar was
recognized as the official language. Later in the year the district
called the Banate of Temesvár was re-annexed to Hungary. In 1861 the
old constitution was restored to Hungary, including Transylvania,
Croatia, and Slavonia, and the Hungarian Diet reassembled in the old
capital, Buda, afterwards removing across the river to Pesth. Within
a few months, however, an address was presented at Vienna demanding
the fullest autonomy for Hungary. To this the emperor declared himself
unable to accede, and the Diet was dissolved. Stringent measures were
again put into force by the imperial government, and military aid was
invoked to enforce the collection of the taxes.
In 1865 the Diet was opened by the emperor in person, and the imperial
assent was given to the principle of self-government for Hungary. The
provisions of the Pragmatic Sanction (of 1722) were proposed as the
basis for the settlement of the questions still at issue. The Diet
also demanded, however, an acknowledgment of the continuity of the
constitutional rights of 1848. Before an imperial decision had been
reached on this point, the war of 1866 broke out between Austria and
Prussia (allied with Italy), and the Diet was prorogued. The Hungarian
troops formed an important contingent in the Austrian army which faced
the Prussians in Bohemia, and the general in command, Marshal Benedek,
was himself by birth a Hungarian. Hungarians also fought in the army
of the south, which, under the leadership of the Archduke Albrecht,
made a brief but brilliant campaign against the Italians. In Bohemia
the Austrians met with a decisive defeat at Sadowa (in July, 1866),
and although in Italy Archduke Albrecht gained the important battle of
Custozza, and Admiral Tegetthoff a naval victory near Lissa (in the
Adriatic), the general results of the summer’s campaign were adverse to
Austria, and brought about material changes in its relations to Germany
and in its own imperial organization.
By the peace of Prague (August, 1866) the German confederation was
dissolved, and Austria’s long preëminence among the states of Germany
came to an end, the leadership in German affairs being transferred to
Prussia. The centre of gravity of the Austrian empire (which was thus,
as it were, pushed out of Germany) was thrown southward and eastward,
and the most important result for Hungary was the constituting of
the present dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, finally sanctioned in
February, 1867.
[Illustration: CARTS.]
Under this arrangement the constitutional, legal, and administrative
autonomy of 1848 was secured to Hungary, while the full control of
the army rested with the emperor-king. The representative committee
of the Diet, which conducted and completed the new constitutional
arrangements, was headed by Deák, and the presidency of the first
ministry was given to Count Andrássy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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