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 location	Kingdom of Hungary
Years active	Early-late 19th century
Territory	Hungary and Slovakia
Ethnicity	Hungarian and Slovak
Criminal activities	banditry, 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

• Juraj Jánošík
• Sándor Rózsa
• Jóska Savanyú
• Jóska Sobri
• Márton Vidróczki

See also

• Csikós
• Gulyás (herdsman)
• Hajduk (soldiers)

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