Ervin Batthyány

Count Ervin Batthyány (17 October 1877 – 9 June 1945) was a Hungarian political activist, school founder and journalist. He promoted anarchist principles in early 20th century Hungary.

Early life Ervin Batthyány was born on 17 October 1877 in Bögöte to Ferenc Batthyány and Edit Trefort. Ervin's father was a wealthy landowner from the Batthyány family, and his mother was the daughter of Education Minister Ágoston Trefort. Both belonged to a circle of intellectuals receptive to reform.

Ervin graduated from high school in Budapest, and studied in Cambridge and London. There, he became influenced by the ideas of Edward Carpenter, William Morris, Leo Tolstoy and Peter Kropotkin. In London, he met with Kropotkin on one occasion. The panel also hosted socialists represented by Ervin Szabó, liberals represented by Gusztáv Gratz and Christian socialists represented by Sarolta Geőcze. He died in England in 1945.

Legacy

In his village of Bögöte, the cultural center bears the name of Ervin Batthyány. A plaque was unveiled in his honor in 2006.