Kisfaludy Sándor társadalmi és politikai reflexiói az 1831-es kolerajárvány idején
Socio-political Reflexions of Sándor Kisfaludy on the Cholera Epidemic of 1831

Summary/Abstract: The cholera pandemic reached Hungary in 1831 from Galicia, and it required the authorities to take immediate preventive measures. The Council of Lieutenancy in Buda was the central factor of disease control, but its orders had to be implemented by the Hungarian counties. The counties, which held significant autonomy regarding enforcement, had to establish sanitary permanent deputations, appoint commissioners, and employ guards to control its borders. This situation frequently caused conflicts of competence between the government and middle level authorities, as well as among the counties themselves. Zala county, in southwestern Hungary also established four sub-deputations, among one of which was presided over by the writer Sándor Kisfaludy, an esteemed member of the local wealthy nobility. The present contribution, based on county archival sources, demonstrates how Kisfaludy tried to cope with his tasks on the western border of Zala. The analysis concentrates on Kisfaludy’s attempts to manage acute crisis situations and his perception of problems between lower-level and mid-level county authorities and the central government. It also considers how Kisfaludy became aware of and reflected on more profound structural sociopolitical tensions, which he experienced through his official praxis.

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