Condolence Letter of Ferenc Mádl to Ferenc Benedek’s Widow

Abstract

In 2022, it has been 15 years since the death of Ferenc Benedek, the internationally renowned professor of Roman law, who taught generations of lawyers at the University of Pécs, including two of Hungary’s presidents, Ferenc Mádl and László Sólyom. He became and remained not only a teacher but also a friend and confidant for President Mádl until his death in 2007. Although Benedek was more than half a decade senior to his student, there are many similarities in their upbringing and worldviews that have formed the basis of this friendly relationship. In addition to their talking points, they also shared a circle of friends, and this invisible spiritual circle lasted until the participants’ death. In this paper, we will look at the relationship between Professor Benedek and President Mádl through the career of the professor and his famous pupil, with the help of several documents in different archives and in the possession of the Mádl family.