Why did the Viennese court accept the reform address brought by Lajos Kossuth’s delegation in March 1848?

The Viennese court accepted the reform address brought by Lajos Kossuth’s delegation in March 1848 primarily because it was in a state of panic.1

The broader context for this acceptance was the Revolution of 1848, which had triggered a breakdown of central authority in Vienna. Following news of the revolution in Paris and subsequent uprisings within Vienna itself, the imperial government was struggling to maintain control and had already been forced to dismiss the repressive statesman Klemens von Metternich.213

When the Hungarian delegation arrived on March 15, 1848, to present the reform program—which would eventually be enacted as the March Laws—the court was overwhelmed by the revolutionary fervor spreading across the monarchy and felt compelled to accede to the Hungarian demands.123