Joseph Péczeli, Jr.

* Komárom, 1789. November 23/25. – † Debrecen, 1849. May 23. / teacher, poet, historian, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences ; ; His name is often also mentioned as Péczely. The youngest child of József Péczeli Id. He lost his father at the age of four, and moved to Debrecen with his widowed mother at that time. He was a student at the Debrecen Reformed College between 1804–1809. In 1811–1813 he was the rector of the Mezőtúr Reformed College, then he continued his education abroad for three years (Vienna, Göttingen). He returned to Debrecen in the autumn of 1815 and worked as the rector of the Debrecen Reformed College from 9 November 1815 until his death. He formulated numerous reform ideas, e.g. the introduction of four-year compulsory schooling and the change of the language of college education to Hungarian. He initiated the introduction of four-year elementary school and six-grade high school education, and believed in the importance of physical education. He supported the expansion of school education in the Hungarian language and literature with significant sums. In 1836, he was one of the founders of the Kisfaludy Society. As a historian, he primarily dealt with the events of the modern era. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences elected him a corresponding member in 1832 and a full member in 1837. ; ; His main works: ; Summarium historiae recentioris Europae, a detectione Americae ad revolutionem Gallicam I–II., 1827–1830, ; A’ magyarok’ történei Ázsiaból kyývetelektől follava a’ mai ídkőgik I–II., 1837.