The cholera epidemic of 1831 and its consequences in Zemplén County, especially in the district of Varannó

Abstract

The cholera epidemic of 1831 had serious consequences in the Kingdom of Hungary, primarily in Zemplén County. Although the authorities did their utmost to deal with the epidemic, the large number of deaths and existing social tensions led to an uprising among the peasants. The uninformed population believed that officials, clergy, and landowners were deliberately creating a situation that would lead to the death of the people. Many of them were killed during the uprising. In many places, officials and clergy were unable to regain the trust of the population even after the uprising. The cholera epidemic and peasant uprising that raged in the summer of 1831 still raise interesting questions today, not only for social and political history, but also from the perspective of church history.