This section is all about the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848-1849, Europe's largest unknown war, the largest war of the Springtime of Nations.

The Springtime of Nations was the greatest revolutionary period in the 19th century. It threatened to shatter the post-Napoleonic European order when the French ruling dynasty, the Bourbons, got kicked out (again) by the people of France. The revolution quickly snowballed from there as the repressed German, Italian, various Slavic, Austrian, Hungarian, and Romanian national sentiments flared into war.

It was only in Hungary, however, that a revolutionary government achieved any success. The country built a professional army out of nowhere, whose victory against the forces of the Habsburgs looked like it might upset the fragile balance of power of Europe. To save Austrian Empire, stem the republican tide, and restore European order, the Russian Empire entered the war and helped crush the rebels.

The revolutions were crushed by the anciens régimes, but 1848 made it crystal clear that the absolutist order and the last vestiges of feudalism that still supported post-Napoleonic Europe, can no longer stay. Likewise, for Hungarians, the war may have been lost, but the idea of a modern Hungary could not be undone. As the European order shifted and changed in the next tumoltuous two decades, Austria was forced to formally accept Hungary as an equal partner, acceeding to the revolutionary demands of 1848. An autonomous Hungarian government was formed by the veterans of 1848, leading to the rise of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867, ushering in a golden age for the country. While the empire saw unprecedented cultural and economic development in the next 70 years, it came crashing down after starting and losing WW1, carved up by the Entente among nation states formed from the empire's repressed minorities.

Hungary's only military genius, part one is an overview of the Winter Campaign of the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848-49 focusing on Artúr Görgey, commander of the main Hungarian army. Part two continues the story with the Spring Campaign where Görgey was acting commander-in-chief of the Hungarian armed forces . Part three concludes story with the Summer Campaign and the final events of the war with Görgey as commander-in-chief, Minister of War, rogue general, then dictator, then pariah. For over a century, Görgey was blamed for the surrender and considered a traitor to the nation. At the same time his political superior, Lajos Kossuth, the man who threw Görgey under the bus on his way into exile is still hailed as a national hero. I recount the story as Görgey saw it with some of my own commentary.

I translated a history book tells the story of my translation project of Róbert Herman's book 1848-49: A szabadságharc hadtörténelme (The Military History of the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848-1849) that I did with Christ Pringle. Expected publication: 2023+.

I lost the battle of Pákozd tells the story of my first wargaming battle. Nick Murray and I played the battle of Pákozd of 1848, the first battle of the Hungarian War of Independence, fought between mixed regular and irregular Hungarian and Croatian forces. We played the Bloody Big Battles (BBB) ruleset and scenario authored by Chris Pringle who also acted as our game master.