Széchenyi István gróf és Lonovics József barátsága
The Friendship of Count István Széchenyi and József Lonovics

Summary/Abstract: Count István Széchenyi and the bishop of Csanád, József Lonovics knew each other as early as the in the 1830s. At the time, their relationship was official but it is remarkable that the count – who had a tendency to make cutting remarks about his contemporaries, including clerics – was always respectful when talking about Lonovics. On 19-20 August 1836, during his visit to Temesvár, the count described Lonovics as a “smart” person, and from the 1840s onwards he mentioned the bishop of Csanád more and more often in his diaries. This is notable because Széchenyi, after the beginning of the 1840s, took a political stance that was both pro-government and was representative of the civil reform movement, while Lonovics, though not averse to certain reforms, was primarily supporting the government. Their concerns about the politics of the opposition brought the two men together. Despite the fact that they disagreed on some fundamental questions (for example, railway construction), they started meeting more often. In September 1846, Lonovics traveled to Szeged at Széchenyi's request, and the tone of his letter of invitation is noteworthy because it seems to suggest that their relationship was official rather than friendly at that time. Though the last paragraph bears witness to the fact that Széchenyi still had confidence in the bishop, the prospects and general state of health of whom he also described. It seems as if the distance between them had grown before the revolution, though Széchenyi still counted on József Lonovics' support for some of his political plans, for example, at the conference of conservative magnates at the end of December 1847. There were several factors that facilitated the development of their friendship: Széchenyi's position, their Christian belief, their common interest in Anglo-Saxon culture as well as the political environment of the era. Lonovics came very close to becoming an intimate friend as it was not only political issues that the count discussed with him but also personal problems, including his and his wife's. They recommended books to each other and they were reading several newspapers together. Their friendship was not shaken by the fact that Lonovics was critical of Anglo-Saxon Liberalism, the system Széchenyi was endeavoring to adapt to Hungary. Lonovics was always welcome as the count enjoyed his witty erudition, while Lonovics thought highly of Széchenyi's knowledge, reasoning ability and ambitious projects that he managed to realize. Both of them were critical of the system, even though it was Lonovics who could, every now and then, influence Széchenyi's political moves. In this period, they already regarded each other as friends. After Széchenyi's suicide, Lonovics made it clear to the count's widow that they had been on friendly terms.

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