Legendary hero of the Hungarian Revolution and war of independence of 1848, Member of Parliament and of the National Assembly in Switzerland.
He was born in Temesvár (today Timişoara, Romania) in a military family of Czech and Moravian origin. Among his ancestors there were several military engineers, officers, generals. His grandfather moved to Hungary during the reign of Franz Joseph II. He was a military man, and got rank, wealth and noble title as a military head physician. His Father, town magistrate Jozsef Klapka (Arad, 1786 – 1863), between 1819-1833 was Mayor of Temesvár owner of a printing-house and founder of a library. He lost his mother (Julianna Kehrer) at the age of four. He is 11 when he moves to his uncle Frigyes Klapka and to his aunt Krisztina Deák. They sent him to school in Kecskemét. His uncle Frigyes who was an imperial and royal hussar lieutenant gave him patriotic upbringing. He studied at the Piarist School in Temesvár, then in Kecskemét and graduated from the Piarist High-School in Szeged. In 1838 at the age of 18 he started studying at the military school in Karánsebes (today Caransebeş, Romania).
In March, 1838 he enrolled in the 5th artillery regiment as a cadet. In 1842 helped by his father and especially by his uncle, he managed to enroll first in the Hungarian Noble Guards and later to the Guards in Vienna. The years spent in Viena influenced his military career, since he was advanced to Lieutenant. It is here where he met Artur György. In 1847 he kept his rank but left the army. In 1848 he was sent to Transylvania to mobilize the Hungarian military forces of Eastern Transylvania. On his return, as a captain he fought in the 6th battalion in Southern Hungary. In September Lajos Batthány appointed him commander of the defence and artillery of the fortress. It was of vital importance that the fortress remained in the hands of the troops that were loyal to the Hungarian Constitution and that were one of Klapka’s tasks. The success in Transylvania and Komárom (today Komarno, Slovakia) he was nominated Major of the General Staff. In 1849 Kossuth appointed him Commander of the Upper-Tisa Army Corps and was advanced Colonel. After the successful campaign in spring, and after the victory at Isaszeg, on April 6, 1849 he was advanced General and for a short period he was the Deputy Minister of War.
He achieved everything that was possible to achieve and as quickly as it was possible during in a war. His civil career was also successful: he represented Borsod County in the Parliament. But the events of history as well as his faith connected him to the military.
The most successful period of his life lasted until October 2, 1849. He was the excellent commander of the Fortress in Komárom. He surrendered the fortress weeks after the capitulation at Világos (today Şiria, Romania), he had been fighting and bargaining. In the end both the defenders and the attackers had no other choice than to settle an agreement.
After he was compelled to surrender the fortress he left the country. He immigrated to Turkey, then to London, Paris and Leipzig and then he settled down in Geneva. In 1885 he was given Swiss citizenship and from 1856 he became member of the National Assembly of Switzerland. But he did not forget his country: in 1859, during the Austrian- Italian-French war he organised the Hungarian legion in Italy. He was planning to settle an agreement with the Romanian Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza for the storing of the weapons brought from the West for the volunteer troops. In May, 1859 in Paris together with Lajos Kossuth and Lászlo Teleki he founded the Hungarian Government in exile. In 1864 he sided Garibaldi against the Austrians and the Habsburgs. In the Austrian-German war he founded the Klapka Legion. He never forgot the crimes that the Habsburgs had done against his country and its freedom.
After the settlement he went back to Hungary and represented first Illavalva as a member of the Deák-party and then Temesvár twice in the Parliament. In 1868 he was elected president of the Honvéd Society.
After that he retired from both the political and public life. He died on May 7, 1892 in Budapest. At his funeral 30000 people were singing the Klapka march, which had been composed in his honour by Béni Egressy. Although his funeral was in Budapest, he was buried in Komárom, because he fought four battles for this town.
A memorial plaquette was placed on the birth house in Timisoara, so as to honour his memory.
