Departures of note

Kálmán Thaly is remembered for the most famous literary forgery in Hungarian literature: he composed Kuruc poetry—verse attributed to the 18th-century anti-Habsburg rebels—and presented it as genuine historical work. His collections, published between 1857 and 1861, including *Do not hurt the Hungarians* and *Szekely Horn*, were initially celebrated for their nationalistic fervor, but later exposed as fabrications. This deception, however, did not overshadow his broader career as a historian and politician.

Beyond poetry, Thaly was a parliamentarian and a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, wielding influence in military affairs. He helped found the Historical Society and edited its journal. His intense patriotism centered on Francis II Rákóczi, the prince who led the Hungarian uprising against Habsburg rule. In 1873, Thaly launched a movement to exhume Rákóczi's grave and repatriate his remains, a goal finally achieved in October 1906 when the hero's body was brought home to Hungary.

Thaly's historical writings, all marked by nationalism, included five books. His life's work straddled genuine scholarship and patriotic mythmaking, leaving a complex legacy in Hungarian cultural history.