In Hungary October 6 is the depressing day commemorating the unlawful execution of 13 Hungarian military generals on that day in 1849 – by the order of Franz Joseph, Emperor of the Hapsburg Monarchy, after the end of Hungary’s War of Independence (1848-1849).

Hungarians still today consider the execution to be a martyrdom among the generals, namely: Karoly Knezic, Jozsef Nagysandor, Janos Damjanich, Lajos Aulich, Gyorgy Lahner, Erno Poeltenberg, Karoly Leiningen-Westerburg, Ignac Torok, Karoly Vecsey, Erno Kiss, Jozsef Schweidel, Arisztid Dessewffy, Vilmos Lazar.

One of the executed was actually a colonel, but reportedly promoted to the rank of general – post mortem. While the execution took place in Arad, (then still part of Hungary, in what today is Romania). Hungarian President Count Lajos Batthyany was reportedly also executed in Budapest on that day.

Many of the Hungarians today refer to the Arad bloodshed as the ” Hungarian Golgotha.” Ironically while Hungary’s War of Independence was against Hapsburg (Austrian) oppression) the Hungarian forces reportedly surrendered to the Russians (invited by the Hapsburgs) at a place called Vilagos.

Historians claim that because Hungary surrendered to the Russians, then theoretically the world can not say that Hungary had lost the War of Independence as no surrender was made to the Austrians.

Under today’s Geneva Convention the lives of the 13 generals would have been saved, historians say. They added that the October 6 date was intentionally chosen for the quick-step execution by the Emperor to revenge the hanging of the Hapsburg Minister of Defense Theodor Baillet von Latour (October 3, 1848). Today a small obelisk marks the spot where the generals were murdered.

By Tamas S. Kiss, published on XpatLoop.com with the permission of BudapestReport.com