Ember az anekdoták mögött

Miklós Wesselényi, the first leader of the Hungarian liberal reformopposition in the Reform Era is known as the hero of many anecdotes. These stories survived the storms of the history in the pages of two Transylvanian writers’ books, Zsigmond Kemény and Sándor Újfalvi. Those anecdotes are especially interesting, which elaborate the episodes of Wesselényi’s childhood and adolescence. The historians hitherto didn’t address the question of these stories credibility, and these stories became the part of the scientific biographies about Wesselényi. The interdisciplinary research facilitate the deeper study of the first 18 years of his life. In 1809 he lost his father, and in 1815 his best friend and educator, Mózes Pataki passed away. These fatalities impacted a huge effect on him, and played a big part in the development of his personality. Based on his letters and other sources the present study discusses the real events behind the anecdotes about Miklós Wesselényi, and his bereavement after his father’s and his educator’s death.