Surrender at Világos
The Surrender at Világos ended the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49. It happened on 13 August 1849 at Világos, now Şiria in Romania. The Hungarian army, led by General Artúr Görgey, surrendered to Count Theodor von Rüdiger of the Russian Army. After the surrender, Austrian General Julius Jacob von Haynau became the Austrian representative in Hungary and harshly punished many people.
The Hungarians were already weakened after Russia joined the conflict, and the war was turning against them. A decisive moment came with the Battle of Temesvár (9 August 1849), where the Hungarians were defeated, leaving them with few good options.
On 21 July, Russian General Chruloff sent an offer to Görgey through Cavalry Captain Katlaroff and Rüdiger. The offer promised total freedom for Hungarian officers and soldiers. Görgey replied through László Batthyány, saying that all Hungarians should have freedom, not just those who fought, and joking that if a Russian prince wore Hungary’s Holy Crown, it might help.
The Hungarian army surrendered at Bohus Castle on 13 August 1849. Görgey tried to blame Russia for the defeat, rather than Austria, but the Russians still handed the Hungarians over to the Austrian authorities.
After Világos, Lajos Kossuth fled Hungary on 17 August. Over the next weeks, many other troops and fortresses surrendered to the Russians or Austrians.
On 6 October 1849, at Arad, twelve Hungarian generals and one colonel were executed, along with Lajos Batthyány, Hungary’s first prime minister. These executions are remembered as the 13 Martyrs of Arad.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:40 (CET).