Baron Géza Fejérváry de Komlóskeresztes (15 March 1833 – 25 April 1914) was a Hungarian general who served as the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

in a government of bureaucrats appointed by King

Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

during the Hungarian Constitutional Crisis of 1903–1907.

Biography

He began his career in the army. As a captain in 1859, he was part of the Austrian forces opposing the

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Franco-Austrian War, the Austro-Sardinian War or Italian War of 1859 ( it, Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana; french: Campagne d'Italie), was fought by the Second French Empire and t ...

and participated in an action on hotly contested heights of San Martino in front of

Solferino Solferino ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a small town and municipality in the province of Mantua, Lombardy, northern Italy, approximately south of Lake Garda. It is best known as being close to the site of the Battle of Solferino on 24 June 1859, par ...

. For his heroism in this, he won the cross of Maria Theresa – Austria-Hungary's highest military decoration. In 1864 fought against the Danes in the

Second Schleswig War The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. ...

. In 1872 Fejérváry became State Secretary in the Hungarian Ministry of National Defence (Honvéd) and Minister of National Defence in 1884. In 1895 he persuaded Franz Joseph to agree to the religious and political reforms of the

Sándor Wekerle Sándor Wekerle (14 November 1848 – 26 August 1921) was a Hungarian politician who served three times as prime minister. He was the first non-noble to hold the office in Hungary. Biography He was born in Mór to a Danube Swabian family, i ...

ministry. In 1903 he resigned, together with the prime minister,

Kálmán Széll Kálmán Széll de Duka et Szentgyörgyvölgy (8 June 1843 – 16 August 1915) was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1899 to 1903. Early career He was born in the ancient Hungarian noble family Széll de Du ...

, owing to the rejection of a bill to increase the contingent of recruits, and was appointed captain of the Hungarian Life-Guards organized at that time. Fejérváry was appointed premier 18 June 1905. The parliamentary majority declared that the Fejérváry ministry was unconstitutional, and organized a national opposition against it. Fejérváry nevertheless succeeded in settling these differences by the so-called Pactum, on the basis of which the Wekerle ministry was formed 8 April 1906. From this time onwards Fejervary's political activity ceased and he resumed his military career. On the death of Prince Esterházy, Captain of the Hungarian Royal Guard, Fejerváry was appointed his successor. He died of cancer of the tongue.

Notes

References

* 1833 births 1914 deaths People from Jaroměř People from the Kingdom of Bohemia Prime Ministers of Hungary Defence ministers of Hungary Foreign ministers of Hungary Finance ministers of Hungary Agriculture ministers of Hungary Hungarian nobility Hungarian expatriates in the Czech lands Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Takovo Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Theresian Military Academy alumni Austrian military personnel of the Second Schleswig War {{Hungary-politician-stub