The Tisza family

When you enter the castle in Geszt, get ready to meet people resembling the heroes of novels by the famous Hungarian author Mór Jókai: tough characters, gentle poets, parliamentary debaters, people with great equestrian skills, heroes of duels, members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. On the coat of arms of the counts there is a single Latin word, persevero, which characterises so many members of the Tisza family: I will stand firm by my values and I will persevere.

The first identifiable ancestor of the family was the clerk György Tisza in the court of the princes of Transylvania in the 17th century. It was thanks to his son, István, that the family’s standing rose above the average gentry. Once the Ottoman army was expelled from the country, three generations of Tiszas fought to get their ancestral land back. One exceptional family member was a man “seeking to stake out his claim,” László I Tisza (? – 1771), who, in 1761, obtained the 20,000-acre Geszt estate in lieu of the old estate.

One of his children, László II Tisza (1765–1831) was the chief notary and parliamentary representative of Bihar County. He married Countess Katalin Teleki in 1796, and they had four daughters, three of whom married aristocrats. Their exceptionally talented son, Lajos Tisza (1798–1856) was the deputy of the lord lieutenant, the highest-ranking officer in Bihar County, and was well-known for his intransigence: when a fight broke out in the county assembly, he had the armed forces escort the opposition out. He married Countess Júlia Teleki in 1825, and their son and their grandson both served as Prime Ministers of Hungary.

Kálmán Tisza’s (1830–1902) government brought about an exceptionally flourishing period in the Hungarian economy–this was the period of embourgeoisement and “belle époque”. István Tisza (1861–1918) fought fiercely to save historical Hungary, and even the leaders of Europe were in awe of his qualities. Kálmán’s brother, Lajos Tisza (1832–1898) was a dynamic, well-travelled, highly educated person who served as a minister in several governments, worked on the redevelopment of the city of Szeged, and was deputy head of the Public Works Council during the large construction projects in Budapest.

The family consistently supported the Reformed Church of Hungary and were benign towards the people living and working on the estate. The Tisza ladies were known locally and nationally for their charitable work, they helped and treated those in need during epidemics and famines.

The education of their children was very important to them. The role and attitudes of the tutors were always a key consideration in the family, as it is clear from the fact that their youngest, Domokos Tisza, was taught by the great poet János Arany. Education included conversations after meals with family and guests – this way family tradition was preserved and handed down to the younger generations. Both the girls and the boys learned to play the piano.

Spending time together was important for the family, they played various community games. In the park they could play nine-pin bowling and tennis, and in the castle (carom) billiards and cards.