Betyár

The betyárs (Hungarian: betyár (singular) or betyárok (plural)), were the highwaymen of the 19th century Kingdom of Hungary. The "betyár" word is the Hungarian version of "Social Bandit".[1] (The word itself is of Ottoman Turkish origin:"bekar" means 'bachelor' or 'unmarried man' in Turkish.)

Betyárs
Founding locationKingdom of Hungary
Years activeEarly-late 19th century
TerritoryHungary and Slovakia
EthnicityHungarian and Slovak
Criminal activitiesbanditry, highway robbery, horse theft mail, robbery, train robbery
Sándor Rózsa's reconstructed portrait
Jóska Sobri (painted by Sándor Száva)

Several betyárs have become legendary figures who in the public mind fought for social justice. The most famous Hungarian betyárs were Sándor Rózsa from the Great Hungarian Plain, Jóska Sobri, Jóska Savanyú from Bakony and Márton Vidróczky from Mátra.

Lviv Batayr's culture ("батяр" (batiar)- ukrainian ) in the west part of Ukraine (Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpatia, Ternopil oblast) was spread during the 19th and 20th centuries.

A wanted poster from 1856 promising reward for Sándor Rózsa, dead or alive

Hungarian folktale tradition

Until the 1830s they were mainly regarded as criminals, but an increasing public appetite for betyár songs, ballads and stories gradually gave a romantic image to these armed and usually mounted robbers. Rózsa is only the foremost of many Hungarian outlaw heroes, or betyárs, who appear in Hungarian history and folklore.[2] There is a far-flung Hungarian folktale tradition featuring a large number of local Robin Hoods.[2]

Famous betyárs

See also

References
  1. Shingo Minamizuka, A social bandit in nineteenth century Hungary: Rózsa Sándor, East European Monographs, 2008, p. 1
  2. Graham Seal, Outlaw Heroes in Myth and History, Anthem Press, 2011, p. 79
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