Renata Raáb
The press coverage of the Hungarian events in 1848-49 in Northern Europe

The revolution in Copenhagen on March 21 st, 1848 and its consequence - the so called 3-year-war (Treårskrigen) for the rule of Schleswig - made not only Denmark, but also the Swedish-Norwegian Monarchy active participants of the international politics of 1848. This explains why both the Swedish and Danish public closely followed the news arriving from Hungary. While the Russian intervention had a positive influence on the image of Hungarians in Sweden - where the revolution was considered a heroic fight against Swedens ancient enemy; the Danish - being in war with Germany- initially had hostile feelings towards the revolution because of the Frankfurt-Budapest alliance. They condemned Hungarian politics towards the country's national minorities, and it was only in spring 1849, when the series of victories over the Austrian army significantly changed Danish public opinion in favour of the Hungarians. Taking sides, however, was not easy for the average Danish citizen even after spring 1849, since in July the Danish government announced: Denmark is directly interested in the fall of the Hungarian Revolution, as this would have a positive impact on the outcome of the Danish-German war. The Danish press coverage of the Hungarian Revolution is therefore full of contradictions, but it's these contradictions that make Danish views on 1848-49 particularly interesting.