Benyovszky Móric - Hungarian edition

Benyovszky Móric

It is not by chance that Móric Benyovszky is considered the greatest adventurer in our country. His short but full life is almost impossible to sum up in a few sentences. Count Móric Benyovszky, full name Máté Móric Mihály Ferenc Benyovszky, was born on 20 September 1746 in Verbó. 1786. Died in combat on 23 May, aged 39, on the island of Madagascar.

Benyovszky served as an officer in the Austrian army and later joined the Polish army. Benyovszky tisztként szolgált az osztrák hadseregben, majd később a lengyel hadsereghez csatlakozott. The Polish nobility revolted against the Russian invaders in the 18th century. He was captured in Siberia and managed to escape. He escaped from Kamchatka to the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first European to overtake the famous James Cook.

A few years later, he settled in France, where Pope Francis XVI. King Louis gave him the rank of general and charged him with representing France on the island of Madagascar.

The natives of Madagascar elected him their king, but he later abdicated.

He took part in the American Civil War, met President George Washington, and befriended Benjamin Franklin.

Móric Benyovszky has travelled all over the world, from China, Japan and Brazil to the Caribbean. In 1785 he returned to Madagascar, this time in the service of England, fighting against French interests.

His extraordinary and adventurous life was ended by a cannon or rifle bullet in Madagascar in 1786. In honour of the famous Hungarian native, a street was named after him and a statue was erected in Madagascar.

The banknotes, issued by Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, were designed by Adrian Ferda, a fine artist and graphic designer. Adrian Ferda’s work can also be seen on the commemorative coins designed to celebrate the Visegrad Group’s anniversary.

The main motif on the banknotes is a portrait of Móric Benyovszky, based on a contemporary painting. On the right is a historic sailing ship, a reminder of the adventurer’s many voyages. The lower part of the souvenir shows a scene from Madagascar, where the natives carry Benyovsky on a throne as their future king.

The Hungarian edition shows a compass symbolising the traveller and the informed man, the Slovak version shows his birthplace in Verbo, and the Polish version shows a war scene of the Polish army of the time, on whose side he fought in Poland against the Russian intervention.