The history of Hungary’s most famous ‘betyár’, the outlaw Rózsa Sándor

There is no other Hungarian ’betyár’ who has as many legends, ballads, folk tales, and folk songs about them as the infamous Sándor Rózsa. The dreaded outlaw leader of the Southern Great Plain was considered by the authorities to be a very dangerous man who deserved the gallows, but for the people, he was a vigilante, a kind of Hungarian Robin Hood.

According to Origo, during the Hungarian Revolution between 1848-49, he wreaked havoc and terror among the ranks of the Austrians with his 150-strong band of outlaws. He gained such a reputation that when he was imprisoned in Kufstein, Austria, they showed him around for money. The legendary outlaw leader, Sándor Rózsa, became part of the Hungarian folklore, and his actions were romanticised. He was born on July 10, 1813, a little over 207 years ago.

He decided while imprisoned in Szeged that he would become a ‘betyár’ (Hungarian outlaw or highwayman on horseback)

András Rózsa, the father of our famous highwayman, also had issues with the law. Sándor Rózsa was born on July 10, 1813, in Röszke in the Southern Great Plain, but he lost his father when he was a child. His poor family background had a serious impact on Sándor’s life. However, his first conflict with the law was at the age of 23 when he committed his first documented crime on the outskirts of Kiskunhalas stealing two heifers from a local farmer. Sándor Rózsa was caught and imprisoned in Szeged for theft.

During his imprisonment, he decided to become a ‘betyár’ upon his release. In the first half of the 19th century, the Hungarian Great Plain was much like the Wild West of the United States: a large, open area away from all kinds of authority, and as such, it was heaven for highwaymen. With his recklessness, cunning nature, and ruthlessness, Sándor Rózsa soon stood out from the rest of the outlaws, and thanks to his infamous adventures, his name soon became known throughout the country.

Due to his reputation, several other ‘betyárs’ from the Great Plain joined the gang of Sándor Rózsa. He and his band of outlaws robbed innumerable manors and a whole host of homesteads, drove away horses and herds, looted post carriages, and if anyone tried to stop them, they did not hesitate to use their weapons.

A total of sixty crimes and thirty murders were proved to be carried out by Sándor Rózsa, although it is very likely that his actual criminal record was significantly longer than that. A large number of nobles and wealthy farmers were among his victims, but many gendarmes who tried to capture him also met their maker by Sándor Rózsa’s weapons.

1848 changed Sándor Rózsa’s life significantly

By the early 1840s, the infamous ‘betyár’ became one of the most wanted criminals on the royal gendarmerie’s list. However, Sándor Rózsa always outwitted his pursuers and vanished by the time they tried to capture him. Thanks to his agile horses, he was always on the run and never stayed in one place for too long. Interestingly, he even had supporters, such as the Veszelka family, who often hid the outlaw leader.

Because of the constant running and hiding, in 1845, he made someone write a draft for King Ferdinand V (Sándor Rózsa could neither read nor write), asking for a pardon for his crimes on the grounds that he henceforth wanted to live a calm and honest life. However, the king rejected his request.

The Revolution that broke out in Pest on 15 March in 1848 and the Hungarian War of Independence that followed it also had a great impact on the life of Sándor Rózsa. A resolution made on 13 October 1848 by the Defence Committee granted amnesty to the ‘betyár’ leader and authorised Sándor to organise a free military group. Sándor Rózsa gathered a 150-strong cavalry unit which he was the commander of.

The unusual appearance and fighting style of Sándor Rózsa’s cavalry unit wreaked havoc among the enemy ranks. They were dressed in baggy pants and vests and were armed with a plethora of somewhat unusual weapons. In addition to having pistols and rifles, they used special axes called ‘fokos’ and other tools such as ‘pányva’, which is a lasso-like rope, and ‘karikás ostor’, which is similar to a bullwhip. They utilised guerrilla tactics and usually ambushed the unsuspecting Austrian dragoons. They knocked the enemy out of their saddle with their ‘pányva’ and then ruthlessly cut them off. Sándor’s men vanished just as quickly as they attacked, and thanks to this hit and run tactic, they avoided long fights and were usually gone by the time the enemy backup could arrive.