But where is György Dózsa? – are there objective heroes in history?

Abstract

In this paper, the author focuses on the controversial life and death of György Dózsa, the sixteenth-century mercenary and leader of a peasant revolt against the upper classes, to address the questions of what is heroism and who gets to define it. Whereas earlier Marxist historians considered him a hero for challenging the rule of the upper classes (while at the same time ignoring his upper-class background), twenty-first century historiography has omitted him from the pantheon of Hungarian national heroes. This omission is highlighted most clearly in Ópusztaszer National Historical Memorial Park near Szeged in south-eastern Hungary, a region claiming to be the place where the Hungarian state was born. The statues erected to commemorate one thousand years of Hungarian statehood did not include György Dózsa; instead, they commemorate those figures who best symbolized the stability of the state. Internal dissent does not make for good national heroes.