László Skultéty

László Skultéty (Slovak: Ladislav Škultéty-Gábriš, June 27, 1738 – August 19, 1831) was the longest serving Hungarian Hussar in Hungarian history. He served 81 years as a cavalryman before his retirement. He fought in 256 battles during 22 military campaigns and the rule of four emperors.[2]

László Skultéty
Born
László Gábris[1]

(1738-06-27)June 27, 1738
Pruzsina, Kingdom of Hungary (now Mojtín, Slovakia)
DiedAugust 19, 1831(1831-08-19) (aged 93)
Arad, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire (now Romania)
Other namesLadislav Škultéty-Gábriš
OccupationHussar
Known forOldest hussar in the Kingdom of Hungary
The native form of this personal name is Skultéty László. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Biography

He was born on 27 June 1738 in Pruzsina, Kingdom of Hungary (now Mojtín, Slovakia). According to his birth certificate, written in Latin, he was a son of Georgius Gabrizech and Catharina Kowacze (ch?).[3]

According to contemporary sources, he spoke Hungarian, German, Slovak, Latin and partially French.[2] He volunteered for the Ghilányi Hussar regiment when he was 12, after the death of his mother.[2][4] Skultéty served under András Hadik during the Seven Years' War, and participated in the capture of the Prussian capital, Berlin.[5] He achieved two high awards of the Habsburg army Silver Medal for Bravery and Military Cross. He died in a field hospital at the age of 93 in Kisszentmiklós (today part of Arad, Romania). He donated Mojtény (present-day Mojtín) his life savings and his last will was to build a church and a school there.[2] His tomb was renovated in 1898, when citizens of Arad erected an obelisk.

Controversial reburial

In 2013, his remains were exhumed and buried in his native village with respect to the planned abolishment of the old cemetery in Arad and per agreement between Slovak and Romanian public authorities.[6][2][7] The action caused outrage in the Hungarian government because Skultéty's grave in Arad was one of the many Hungarian cultural heritage sites and Budapest was not notified about the planned exhumation.[8] Zsolt Semjén, the Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary, said that "Slovakia has to stop the falsification of history".[8] The reburial was held on 27 June 2013.

References
  1. Index.hu: Skultéty Lászlót akarják a szlovákok
  2. Kráľ, Milan. "V Mojtíne pochovali večného vojaka". Perex, a.s. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
  3. "Rejtély maradhat Skultéty László nemzetisége". ujszo.com. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  4. Endre Safáry, József Zachar, Nyolcvan nyár nyeregben: Skultéty László huszár zászlótartó élete, IKVA Kft., 1992, ISBN 9789637757105
  5. "Kálmán Nagy, A magyar huszár születése, dicsõ harcai és történelmi jelentõsége". Lovasok.hu. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  6. Cotuna, Adrian (17 June 2013). "Slovacii din judeţ sunt stupefiaţi de atitudinea Ungariei în cazul husarului deshumat din Aradul Nou". Glasul Aradului. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  7. "Najslávnejší husár Ladislav Škultéty-Gabriš". Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
  8. "Történelemhamisítás halottakkal (Falsification of history with departed)". MNO. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
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