The Uprising in Nagykanizsa was a revolt during the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848-1849 on 3 October 1848, of the population of this town, helped by the Hungarian national and militias led by József Vidos, the vice-ispán of Vas, against the Croatian occupation army led by Lieutenant Colonel Albert Nugent. The Croatian army occupied the city of Nagykanizsa and Zala county as a result of Ban Josip Jelačić's campaign against Hungary, which started on 11 September 1848. During the Croatian occupation, Albert Nugent's occupation troops tried to use Nagykanizsa as an important station in the supply line of the main Croatian army operating towards the Hungarian capitals, Buda and Pest. But as a result of the very intensive and well-organized guerilla warfare of the people of the county and the national guards led by József Vidos, the Croatians had more and more difficulties in maintaining the supply chain. And on 3 October the people of Nagykanizsa rose up, and chase away the Croatian troops from the town, forcing Nugent to retreat his troops south of the Mura River, and back to Croatia. Vidos's national guards, who arrived too late on 3 October to help the population of Nagykanizsa in achieving their victory, nevertheless took part in the chasing of the Croatians south of the Mura River.
Background On 11 September 1848, the Croatian army had crossed the Drava river, attacking Hungary, but the Hungarian troops were too small to resist, so they retreated, concentrating near Nagykanizsa.Cser József: Nagykanizsa a szabadságharc alatt Czupi Kiadó, Nagykanizsa 2009, pp. 28 Here, László Csány, the government commissioner of the Drava region, ordered the battalions of the National Guard at the Drava to leave the defense line and try to join the Hungarian army that was being concentrated at Keszthely.. The reason for this decision was that the commander of the Hungarian corps in Drava, Major General Count Ádám Teleki declared that he did not feel that his forces were sufficient to defend the Muraköz region (the region between the Drava and the Mura rivers, today part of Croatia, called Međimurje County). But he did not want to expose the poorly trained and equipped National Guard battalions to the risk of being cut off or crushed by an much superior enemy army. Csány's plan was to try to hold off Jelačić's troops at Keszthely with the concentrated Hungarian army. József Vidos, the vice-ispán of Vas County, and his mobilized regiment of three battalions of the National Guard from the aforementioned county were to join this army concentration. The inhabitants of the city buried the gold and silver coins, jewelry and other silverware in order to keep them safe from the Croatian army, which they feared it will occupy the city. The valuable clothes and other things that could not be buried were sent away, and the girls too. Others fled to neighboring villages. But once the fear had faded, most of the refugees returned home with their luggage. After a day or two of regrouping, the Hungarian army retreated towards Keszthely.
The 30,000 strong Croatian army of Lieutenant General Josip Jelačić 30,000Halis István: Szines mozaik Nagy-Kanizsa történetéből Nagy-Kanizsa, 1893, pp. 116 arrived at Nagykanizsa on 15 September.Hermann Róbert: Kanizsa felszabadítása 1848. október 3-án Zalai Múzeum 7. Zalaegerszeg, 1997, pp. 129 The marching troops were watched by the people who had taken to the streets.Cser József: Nagykanizsa a szabadságharc alatt Czupi Kiadó, Nagykanizsa 2009, pp. 29 The cavalry of the Croatian army consisted of 215 Cuirassiers and 600 Croatian Hussars, who looked so pitiful compared to the Hungarian hussars that a woman was so surprised that she commented: Jesus and Mary! [an exclamation of surprise, like the English: „Jesus Christ!” or „Oh my God!”] Even these can be called hussars? Henceforth, during the Hungarian War of Independence, the Hungarians mocked the Croatian Hussars, who usually performed poorly in battles, as Jesus Mary Hussars.
Before leaving Nagykanizsa, Jelačić's troops confiscated bread, potatoes, peas, and other foodstuffs from the people of the town.Halis István: Szines mozaik Nagy-Kanizsa történetéből Nagy-Kanizsa, 1893, pp. 117 The marching troops caused a lot of damage to the vines and corn of the inhabitants of the town. When the Croatian Seressaner marched through the city, a 3-year-old child shouted "Long live Kossuth" (Lajos Kossuth, the most important political leader of the Hungarian revolution), whereupon the Seressaner stabbed him to death with their bayonets. During those days the Croatian soldiers killed several people from the town.Cser József: Nagykanizsa a szabadságharc alatt Czupi Kiadó, Nagykanizsa 2009, pp. 32 The Croatian soldiers allegedly told the people of Nagykanizsa: We will live here because they promised us. And a Croatian Seressaner used to scare the Hungarian women saying that he would tie them with wire and sell them as slaves in the Ottoman Empire.Cser József: Nagykanizsa a szabadságharc alatt Czupi Kiadó, Nagykanizsa 2009, pp. 51 All this only increased the fear, anger and desire for revenge of the Hungarian population against the Croats. For all this villainy, the people of Nagykanizsa, when they caught one in the vineyards or fields, beat him to death and buried him immediately. More were beaten to death in the small taverns. According to a report, on the night of 18 September, the people of Nagykanizsa and the people of Sormás who came to their aid beat to death about 100 Illyrians (this is how the Croatians were often called).
The last units of Jelačić's army left the city on 19 September, but in Nagykanizsa and its surroundings remained important troops to assure the Croatian occupation of the region.
Despite the Croatian occupation, at the end of September the recruitment of the Hungarian army started in Nagykanizsa.Cser József: Nagykanizsa a szabadságharc alatt Czupi Kiadó, Nagykanizsa 2009, pp. 42 The new Hungarian recruits assembled in front of the town hall and then left the town singing on carts in full view of the Croatian soldiers, who did not know what was happening.Cser József: Nagykanizsa a szabadságharc alatt Czupi Kiadó, Nagykanizsa 2009, pp. 43-44
Prelude The Hungarian resistance against the occupation and József Vidos's campaign In the meantime, the Hungarian National Defence Commission (the temporary de facto Hungarian government led by Lajos Kossuth) declared a popular uprising against the occupying Croatian troops, which meant that the population should use guerrilla warfare to harm the occupiers wherever possible, cut off their supply routes, smash their supplies and weaken the troops in every way possible.Halis István: Szines mozaik Nagy-Kanizsa történetéből Nagy-Kanizsa, 1893, pp. 118 On 19 September, Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány appointed Vidos commander of the Vas popular uprising, and the next day gave him a task of great autonomy to decide what is the best way to achieve success. The Prime Minister believed that in the event of Ban Jelacic's invasion and advance, the forces of the Transdanubian popular uprising and national guards should enter Croatia behind the back of the Ban. Batthyány entrusted Vidos with the implementation of the plan. Batthyány placed the national guards from Veszprém, Győr, Sopron, Zala, Moson, Somogy and, of course, Vas counties under the command of Vidos, the vice-ispán of Vas. The force thus concentrated was to invade Croatia in two columns. Vidos received the order on 23 September and began to concentrate the National Guard battalions under his command. He moved his headquarters to Szombathely, and ordered the forces of Sopron and Moson counties to come here. He ordered the Győr County National Guard to Kiscell, the Veszprém County National Guard to Jánosháza, and the Somogy County National Guard to Körmend. He entrusted the concentration of the forces from Zala to government commissioner Vilmos Horváth. He had serious problems with the supply of the mobilized national guards. Under these circumstances, he considered the success of the invasion of Croatia doubtful, but he nevertheless moved his troops towards Zala County. on the Vashosszúfalu - Nagybajom - Marcali route. According to reports from there, Muraköz was occupied by 2000 Croats. Vidos believed that it was impossible to keep his national guards together for any length of time, especially when the weather conditions were compounded by food shortages. He, therefore, suggested to the Prime Minister that the army should attack an enemy troop as soon as possible.. The time for limited action was fast approaching. At the end of September, the Zala County Committee asked Vidos for help to liberate Nagykanizsa.. This attack also allowed Vidos to cut one of Jelacic's main supply lines.
Even before the arrival of Vidos, the people of Zala county and their national guardsmen were already causing trouble for the Croatian troops. From the second half of September onwards, they were already causing serious disruption to Croatian supplies. At the end of September, 2500 National Guards from Somogy County arrived in Zala County under the leadership of Major József Palocsay. On 3 October, they were stationed near Zalasárszeg. There are discrepancies of the order of thousands in the data on the number of the Sopron County National Guards. According to the government commissioner Sándor Niczky, a total of two battalions set out with Vidos, and on 2 October - on Vidos's further orders - he wanted to send another battalion of the county and a company of mounted national guardsmen to reinforce them. The government commissioner of Vas County, Lajos Békássy, suspended the supply of recruits at the turn of September to October, and ordered a mass popular uprising and the mobilisation of the National Guard to reinforce Vidos' army. However, the mobilization was only at a preparatory stage at the beginning of October. The national guardsmen of Veszprém County received the mobilisation order on 27 September, and on 28 September they set off from Pápa towards Jánosháza at 10 am. On 30 September, however, another decree arrived from Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány, ordering the National Guards to turn back home.