Pál Almásy

For French/Hungarian photojournalis (1906–2003), see Paul Almásy.

Pál Almásy
Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office 9 January 1849 – 2 July 1849
Preceded by	Dénes Pázmándy
Succeeded by	László Palóczy
Personal details
Born	18 January 1818 Gyöngyös, Kingdom of Hungary
Died	1 November 1882 (aged 64) Budapest, Austria-Hungary
Political party	Opposition Party
Profession	politician

The native form of this personal name is Zsadányi és törökszentmiklósi Almásy Pál. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Pál Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós (18 January 1818 – 1 November 1882) was a Hungarian lawyer and politician, who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1849.

Career

He was son of József András János Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós (Buda-Pest, 13 May 1794 - Gyöngyös, 21 May 1823) and wife (Pest, 25 November 1812) Zsófia Berzeviczy de Berzevicze et Kakaslomnitz (Debrecen, 22 July 1792 - 13 September 1860) and brother of Gabriella Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós (Gyöngyös, 21 April 1816 - Olomouc (Olmütz), 17 January 1896), married in Gyöngyös on 16 December 1838 to Zdenko Otto, Count von Zierotin, Baron von Lilgenau (Brno, 23 November 1812 - Wien, 18 November 1887), and Zsófia Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós (- 15 November 1898), married to Karl, Count von Bocksberg.

After studying law he became a lawyer in 1838. He participated in the working of Diet of 1844 as emissary for Heves and Külső-Szolnok County. He served as Viscount (vicecomes) of the county between 1844 and 1847.

He was elected to a member of the House of Representatives in Spring 1848 as representative of Gyöngyös, his birthplace. He was appointed deputy speaker of the first popular representation legislature in April. At the end of the year, during attack of General Franz Schlik he functioned as Government Commissioner of Heves and Külső-Szolnok County. After that, when the National Assembly moved to Debrecen after fall of Buda, he returned to his legislative office. However Speaker Dénes Pázmándy surrendered before Field Marshal Windisch-Grätz in January 1849, therefore Almásy became speaker of the lower house in Debrecen. He announced Hungarian Declaration of Independence on 14 April 1849 which contained dethronement of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. He was also one of the signatories of the document as well as Speaker of the House of Magnates Zsigmond Perényi and House of Representatives Recorder Imre Szacsvay.

After defeat of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 he emigrated to Paris. In 1851 the Pest Military Tribunal sentenced him to death in absentia. The sentence was performed symbolically. he had a close relationship with other members of emigration such as György Klapka, László Teleki, Mihály Horváth but he had a bad relationship with Lajos Kossuth because he condemned Kossuth's personal leadership style.

He returned to home in 1859 but still remained in connection with Klapka. He did not appoint himself during 1861 elections but involved in politics actively besides Resolution Party. He started to organize with Lajos Beniczky and István Nedeczky against Habsburg rule and for restitution of Hungarian independence alongside 1848 laws. It was revealed only in 1918 that one of the participants Lajos Asbóth (father of Union general Sándor Asbóth) was an informer of the Austrian police. Almásy was arrested in 1864 and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in the next year. He released in 1867 after Austro-Hungarian Compromise when many political prisoners granted an amnesty. Then he lived in retirement until his death in 1882.

He married firstly in Pest on 16 June 1839 Amália, Countess Batthyány de Németújvár (1818 - 5 August 1867) and secondly his cousin Malvin Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós (Pest, 2 October 1832 - Budapest, 4 November 1900), and had two children by first marriage, József Imre Pál Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós (2 April 1840 - 6 October 1858) and Amália Mária Erzsébet Almásy de Zsadány et Törökszentmiklós (Pest, 20 February 1842 - Gottlieben, 27 January 1914), married firstly in Wien on 10 April 1860 and divorced on 30 April 1874 Rudolf, Baron von Maltzahn (- Marxhagen, 2 January 1885) and married secondly in Dresden on 13 September 1874 Wilhelm Friedrich Max, Baron von Fabrice (Dresden, 30 August 1845- Munich, 18 November 1914).

References

• Jónás, Károly - Villám, Judit: A Magyar Országgyűlés elnökei 1848-2002. Argumentum, Budapest, 2002. pp. 75–79