Bezerédj Imre, the famous Kuruc Colonel
Bezerédj Imre
Bezerédj Imre Kuruc Colonel was born on 9 December 1679 in Vámoscsalád (Vas county). He was a cousin of Béri Balogh Ádám through his mother. He entered the military and reached the rank of captain in the Hussar regiment of Esterházy Gábor. He also fought against the French in the War of the Spanish Succession. He returned home in 1703 and joined Rákóczi the following year. He became a colonel in the field army of Vas County, and in 1705 he commanded the cavalry regiment of Hatvani Szabó Máté. He had a reputation for being a famous raider, fighting in the areas of Kőszeg and Sopron, but he often crossed into Austria.
He was appointed brigadier on 19 July 1706. In 1707 he was back in the Transdanubian region, his main task being to disrupt the Imperial forces massed on the Rába line around Sárvár. On 3 March, he attacked the troops of General Rabutin de Bussy, who was preparing to cross the river, accompanied by Béri Balogh Ádám. Although the raid was initially successful, the outnumbered Imperial army soon fell into line and Bererédj was briefly captured in the Battle of Sitke. His horse was shot out from under him and he was held down by a German dragoon. He was eventually saved by the soldiers of Béri Balogh and cut off from the hands of the Imperial troops. Bezerédj’s deed was also sung by an unknown Kuruc poet.
In the summer he camped with his regiment near Kőszeg, then in September Bottyán János ordered him back to the Rába River. In November he was on a raid in Lower Austria. At the end of the year, however, he began to negotiate with the Austrians to defect, and, according to recent research, he was rumored to have been framed by Pálffy János, the Croatian Ban (Duke) and Imperial General. They also tried to put pressure on him by capturing his wife. It was only after the defeat at Trencsén and the betrayal of Ocskay László that he finally made up his mind, in August 1708.
On 5 September 1708, the prince promoted him to the rank of general, i.e. major-general. However, his appointment did not take effect, because on the same day, on the orders of Esterházy Antal, some of Bezerédj’s soldiers arrested the brigadier at Kőszeg.
He was court-martialed at the Diet of Sárospatak, then sentenced to death together with his brother-in-law and lieutenant-colonel Botka Ádám and beheaded on 18 December 1708. The legendary brigadier, who is said to have single-handedly killed 72 enemy officers, was buried in Sárospatak. Today his tombstone can be seen in the Rákóczi Museum there, his monogrammed pickaxe is in the Hungarian National Museum, and his bag of mace in the Smidt Museum in Szombathely.
Source: Szibler Gábor