Memorial Day for the Martyrs of Arad is observed in Hungary every October 6 to commemorate the execution of thirteen Hungarian rebel generals in 1849 following the defeat of the Hungarian Revolution. This revolution, which began on March 15, 1848, in Pest, aimed for independence from the Austrian Empire and started with peaceful demands for press freedom. The uprising was ultimately suppressed by Russian and Austrian forces, leading to the execution of the generals by Austrian general Julius Jacob von Haynau in Arad. Present-day Hungarians honor these figures as national heroes and martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the freedom and independence of their people. Although not all executed generals were ethnic Hungarians, they are collectively remembered for their fight for Hungarian independence.