fbpx
Wikipedia

Gabriel Báthory

January 01, 1970

Gabriel Báthory (Hungarian: Báthory Gábor; 15 August 1589 – 27 October 1613) was Prince of Transylvania from 1608 to 1613. Born to the Roman Catholic branch of the Báthory family, he was closely related to four rulers of the Principality of Transylvania (a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire which had developed in the eastern territories of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary). His father, Stephen Báthory, held estates in the principality, but never ruled it. Being a minor when his father died in 1601, Gabriel became the ward of the childless Stephen Báthory, from the Protestant branch of the family, who converted him to Calvinism. After inheriting most of his guardian's estates in 1605, Gabriel became one of the wealthiest landowners in Transylvania and Royal Hungary (a realm of the Habsburg Empire which included the northern and western parts of medieval Hungary).

Gabriel Báthory
Prince of Transylvania
Reign1608–1613
PredecessorSigismund Rákóczi
SuccessorGabriel Bethlen
Born(1589-08-15)15 August 1589
Várad, Principality of Transylvania
Died27 October 1613(1613-10-27) (aged 24)
Várad, Principality of Transylvania
Burial
Nyírbátor
SpouseAnna Horváth Palocsai
FatherStephen Báthory
MotherZsuzsanna Bebek
ReligionCalvinism

Gabriel made an alliance with the Hajdús—irregular troops stationing along the borders of Transylvania and Royal Hungary—and laid claim to Transylvania against the elderly prince, Sigismund Rákóczi in February 1608. Rákóczi abdicated and the Diet of Transylvania elected Gabriel prince without resistance. Both the Sublime Porte and the Habsburg ruler Matthias II acknowledged Gabriel's election. He ignored the privileges of the Transylvanian Saxons and captured their wealthiest town, Szeben (now Sibiu in Romania), provoking an uprising in 1610. His attempts to expand his authority over the Ottoman vassal Wallachia and his negotiations with Matthias II outraged the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I. The Sultan decided to replace Gabriel with an exiled Transylvanian nobleman, Gabriel Bethlen, and sent troops to invade the principality in August 1613. Transylvania was unable to resist and the Diet dethroned Gabriel. He was murdered by Hajdú assassins.

Early life edit

Childhood edit

 
Ruins of the Báthorys' castle at Szilágysomlyó (now Șimleu Silvaniei in Romania)

Báthory was born in Várad (now Oradea in Romania) before dawn on 15 August 1589.[1][2] His father, Stephen Báthory, was a cousin of Prince of Transylvania Sigismund Báthory.[3] Stephen was captain of Várad when Gabriel was born.[1] Gabriel's mother was his father's first wife, Zsuzsanna Bebek.[4] Although she had already given birth to four children, none survived infancy.[1] Sigismund Báthory dismissed Gabriel's father from Várad in the summer of 1592, and Gabriel's family then moved to the Báthorys' ancient castle in Szilágysomlyó (now Șimleu Silvaniei in Romania).[5]

The Principality of Transylvania emerged after the disintegration of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary in the 1540s.[6] The principality included the eastern and northeastern regions of the medieval kingdom[6] and its princes paid a yearly tribute to the Ottoman sultans.[7] The princes were elected by the Diet, but they were to seek the Ottoman sultans' confirmation to rule the principality.[8] The Habsburg kings of Royal Hungary regarded the principality as a part of their realm and the first rulers of the principality acknowledged the Habsburgs' claim in secret treaties in the 1570s.[9][10] The Diet of Transylvania consisted primarily of the representatives of the Three Nations (that is the Hungarian noblemen, the Saxon burghers and the Székelys).[11][12]

Sigismund Báthory, who was a devout Catholic,[13] wanted to join the Holy League of Pope Clement VIII against the Ottoman Empire, but most Transylvanian noblemen opposed his plan.[14] Stephen Báthory's brother, Balthasar, was an opposition leader.[14] Balthasar was captured and murdered at Sigismund's order in late August 1594.[14] Gabriel's father fled from Transylvania to Poland, leaving his family behind in Szilágysomlyó;[15] the five-year-old Gabriel was imprisoned with his mother and newborn sister, Anna.[5] Stephen and Balthasar's brother, Cardinal Andrew Báthory (who lived in Poland), persuaded Pope Clement VIII to intervene on their behalf.[16] Gabriel, his mother and sister were freed at the pope's request and were allowed to join Stephen in Poland.[16] His mother became seriously ill, and died near the end of 1595.[17][18]

The Ottomans routed the armies of the Holy League in a series of battles after 1595.[19] Sigismund Báthory abdicated in favor of Gabriel's uncle, Andrew, in early 1599 in the hope that Andrew could regain the Ottoman sultans' favor with Polish mediation.[20][21] Gabriel's father accompanied Andrew back to Transylvania, and his family followed him.[20] Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia, who had joined the Holy League, invaded Transylvania and defeated Andrew with the assistance of Székely troops.[22] After Székely commoners murdered Andrew, Michael the Brave took possession of Transylvania.[22] Gabriel's father fled to Kővár (now Remetea Chioarului in Romania) and swore fealty to the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolph (who was also king of Hungary), before his death on 21 February 1601.[23]

Báthorys in Transylvania
Stephen
1477–1534
Voivode of Transylvania
r. 1530–1534
AndrewChristopher
1530–1581
Voivode of Transylvania
r. 1576–1581		Stephen
1533–1586
Voivode/Prince of Transylvania
r. 1571/1576–1586
Stephen
1553–1601		Balthasar
1560–1594		Andrew
1562/1563–1599
Prince of Transylvania
r. 1599		Sigismund
1573–1613
Voivode/Prince of Transylvania
r. 1581/1586–1599, 1601–1602
Gabriel
1589–1613
Prince of Transylvania
r. 1608–1613

In guardianship edit

The orphaned Gabriel and Anna were placed in the guardianship of their father's childless cousin, Stephen Báthory, and lost most of their father's estates; Szilágysomlyó was seized by the royal treasury, and their scattered estates in Szatmár, Szabolcs and Kraszna Counties were seized by a distant cousin, Peter Szaniszlófi.[24] Scholar János Czeglédi educated Gabriel in Nagyecsed, and the wealthy Stephen Báthory converted Gabriel from Catholicism to Calvinism.[25] Gabriel pledged that he would expel Catholics, Lutherans and Unitarians from his estates.[26] The young Gabriel's strength was legendary, and he was said to break horseshoes with his bare hands.[2]

Rudolf's troops occupied Transylvania in 1603 and his officials started to confiscate the estates of noblemen through legal proceedings on false charges of treason.[27] One of the wealthiest landowners, Stephen Bocskai, was accused of maintaining secret correspondence with Transylvanian exiles in 1604.[27] To avoid imprisonment, he rose up in open rebellion with the backing of the Hajdú, irregular troops stationed along the borders of Transylvania and Royal Hungary.[28][29] Although Stephen Báthory did not openly support Bocskai, he sent Gabriel to Bocskai's court in Kassa.[30][29] Sixteen-year-old Gabriel participated in a battle against the royal army near Sárospatak in early February 1605; three years later, poet János Rimay accused him of fleeing the battlefield.[31] Rimay also said that Gabriel spent his days mainly drinking wine and allegedly had an affair with his aunt, Kata Iffjú (who was over thirty years old at the time).[32]

Rise to power edit

Bocskai was elected prince of Transylvania on 21 February 1605 and prince of Hungary on 20 April of that year.[33] His realm included most of Transylvania proper, Partium and Upper Hungary.[34] Stephen Báthory died on 25 July 1605.[35] He had willed most of his estates to Gabriel, who became one of the wealthiest noblemen in Bocskai's realm.[36] Bocskai hinted that he regarded Gabriel as his successor, ordering Bálint Drugeth (commander-in-chief of his army in Upper Hungary) to "hold Gabriel Báthory in the highest esteem among the Hungarian lords" if he did not return from his meeting with Ottoman Grand Vizier Lala Mehmed Pasha[37] in November 1605.[38] Young noblemen (including Gabriel's future enemy, Gabriel Bethlen) and military officials also supported Gabriel.[38] Years later, Gáspár Bojti Veres wrote that Gabriel hosted feasts to win popularity with Bocskai's courtiers and commanders.[38] Gabriel's relatives, Mihály Káthay (Bocskai's chancellor) and János Imreffy (Kata Iffjú's husband), were his principal supporters.[39] His position weakened after Bocskai who was taken ill suddenly had Káthay imprisoned for treason in early September 1606.[40] Káthay's opponents, Simon Péchi and János Rimay, persuaded the dying (and often unconscious) Bocskai to name Bálint Drugeth his successor in his last will.[41]

 
The Báthorys' fortress at Nagyecsed in 1688

Bocskai died in Kassa on 29 December 1606.[42] A mob accused Káthay of poisoning Bocskai, and lynched him on 12 January 1607.[43] Gabriel had demanded the Principality of Transylvania in a 2 January 1607 letter to the grand vizier, Kuyucu Murad Pasha.[43] Bocskai's deputy, the elderly Sigismund Rákóczi, continued to administer the principality with the consent of the Diet of Transylvania.[44] Gabriel sent Bethlen to Székely captain János Petki to secure his support, but Bethlen was imprisoned at Rákóczi's order on 26 January.[45] Rákóczi also dismissed Várad captain Dénes Bánffy, the fiancé of Gabriel's sister Anna.[46]

The delegates of the Three Nations of Transylvania wanted to demonstrate their right to freely elect the prince.[47] The Diet first passed a decree prohibiting a minor from being elected prince, preventing Gabriel's election.[48] It ignored Bocskai's last will, electing Rákóczi prince on 12 February.[47] Gabriel mustered troops, saying that he only wanted to protect Transylvania.[49] He demanded the cancellation of the Transylvanian decrees ordering the confiscation of his father and uncles' estates in 1595.[50] Gabriel approached Rudolph I's councillors after the Diet expelled the Jesuits from Transylvania, offering to defend the Catholic Church in the principality if he ascended the throne and saying that he was ready to reconvert to Catholicism.[51][52] Rudolph made him governor of Transylvania in June, but the appointment had no real effect on Gabriel's position.[52] Gabriel married Bocskai's kinswoman, Anna Horváth Palocsai, about two months later.[53]

After being unpaid for months, the Hajdús rose up in the autumn of 1607.[54] They offered their support to Drugeth, who refused to lead them.[54] Gabriel also treated them with disdain and promised to protect Transylvania against them at the end of October.[55] He soon mustered his troops and marched to Upper Hungary.[55] He again approached the royal court, asking Rudolph to make him voivode of Transylvania.[52] After the representatives of the Hajdús and the noblemen of Upper Hungary made a fifty-day truce in Ináncs at the end of the year, Gabriel began negotiations with the Hajdús.[55] They concluded a treaty on 8 February 1608.[56][57] Gabriel pledged to grant villages to the Hajdús in Partium, and they promised to support him in seizing Transylvania.[58][59] He also promised to expel "heretics and idolaters" (Unitarians and Catholics) from the royal council.[58][59] According to the contemporary Ferenc Nagy Szabó's memoirs, the Ottoman grand vizier soon decided to support Gabriel.[60]

Gabriel sent Imreffy to Rákóczi, offering to help Rákóczi seize two important domains in Upper Hungary if Rákóczi abdicated.[61] He informed Rudolph's commissioner, Zsigmond Forgách, on 13 February 1608 that Rákóczi had already agreed to leave Transylvania.[62] Although the Hajdús took control of the northwestern region of Partium, Gabriel forbade them to invade Transylvania proper.[63] János Petki announced Rákóczi's abdication at the Diet in Kolozsvár (now Cluj-Napoca in Romania) on 5 March of that year.[63]

Reign edit

Consolidation edit

 
Michael Weiss, mayor of Brassó (now Brașov in Romania)

The Diet elected Gabriel prince on 7 March 1608, and sent delegates to him in Nagyecsed.[56] Although his election was technically free, he controlled the strongest army in the principality (making resistance impossible).[56] He pledged to respect the laws of the principality, especially the privileges of the Three Nations, before accepting his election on 14 March.[64] Gabriel was ceremoniously installed in Kolozsvár on 31 March, and the Diet granted him the domains of Fogaras (now Făgăraș in Romania) and Kővár as hereditary estates.[65] He began settling the Hajdús in Partium, and granted Böszörmény to those forced to leave Nagykálló; others received parcels in Bihar County.[66] About 30,000 Hajdú soldiers received parcels of land from Gabriel during his reign.[67]

To assert his suzerainty over Wallachia and Moldavia, he decided to dethrone Prince Radu Șerban of Wallachia; however, the royal council and Michael Weiss (mayor of the important Transylvanian Saxon town of Brassó, now Brașov in Romania) dissuaded him.[68][69] Radu Șerban voluntarily swore fealty to Gabriel in the presence of his envoys on 31 May.[68] On 18 July, thirteen-year-old Prince of Moldavia Constantin I Movilă also acknowledged Gabriel's suzerainty and promised to pay a yearly tribute of 8,000 florins.[68] That month, Gabriel visited Brassó.[70] His feasts infuriated the burghers, who called him a drunkard or a greedy new Sardanapalus in defamatory poems.[71][72] Gabriel's promiscuity was notorious; he reportedly seduced young women and promoted noblemen who were willing to offer him their wives.[73]

He sent Bethlen to Istanbul and Imreffy to Kassa to secure his recognition by the Sublime Porte and the royal court.[74] After a brief negotiation, Imreffy and representatives of Rudolph's brother Matthias (who had persuaded Rudolph to abdicate in his favor) signed two treaties on 20 August.[75][74] The first treaty summarized the privileges of the Hajdús in Royal Hungary and the Principality of Transylvania.[76] The second recognized Gabriel as lawful ruler of Transylvania, but forbade him to secede from the Holy Crown of Hungary.[74] Bethlen returned from Istanbul in late November with the sultan's delegates, who brought the ahidnâme confirming Gabriel's election.[74] The sultan exempted Transylvania from paying the customary tribute for three years.[77]

Romanian Orthodox priests approached Gabriel for support against noblemen who treated them like serfs.[71] At their request, he freed them from taxation and service demands by the landowners in June 1609.[71] Gabriel also granted them the right to freely move about the principality.[71][75] At his initiative, in October the Diet abolished all grants which had exempted some noble estates from taxation.[75]

Assassination attempt edit

While Gabriel was sleeping at István Kendi's home in Szék (now Sic in Romania) during the night of 10–11 March 1610, a man entered his bedroom.[71][78] Although the intruder had wanted to stab Gabriel, he changed his mind and confessed that Kendi and other (mostly-Catholic) noblemen had hired him.[78][79] Kendi soon fled to Royal Hungary, but his accomplices were captured.[78] The Diet sentenced the conspirators to death on 24 March, and their estates were confiscated.[80] Gabriel made Imreffy chancellor and Bethlen captain of the Székelys.[81]

The motivation for the conspiracy is unclear.[79] According to the contemporary Tamás Borsos, the conspirators wanted to murder Gabriel because his undisciplined Hajdú troops had destroyed many villages.[79] Calvinist pastor Máté Szepsi Laczkó said that the Catholic noblemen wanted to get rid of the Protestant prince.[82] Others claimed that Boldizsár Kornis (captain of the Székelys) joined the plot because Gabriel had tried to seduce his young wife.[83]

Gabriel met Palatine of Hungary György Thurzó in Királydaróc (now Craidorolț in Romania) in June, but they could not reach an agreement.[84] He said during the negotiations that he was a sovereign, but the palatine was merely a "lord's serf".[85] After returning to Transylvania, Gabriel planned to reunite Royal Hungary and Transylvania under his rule with Ottoman support.[86] Although he ordered the princes of Moldavia and Wallachia to send reinforcements and the Saxons to pay a tax of 100,000 florins, the prince of Moldavia did not send troops and the Saxons paid only 10,000 florins.[86] Imreffy again went to Royal Hungary to negotiate with Thurzó in Kassa.[86] By 15 August, they reached a compromise which resolved most of the contentious issues.[87] However, Matthias II did not ratify the agreement because it stated that Transylvania was not required to provide military assistance to Royal Hungary against the Ottomans.[88]

Conflicts edit

 
Szeben during the 17th century

Gabriel went to Szeben (now Sibiu in Romania), the wealthiest Saxon town, on 10 December.[89] Although only 50 soldiers accompanied him into the town, his army was stationed on the outskirts.[90] Gabriel stopped at the gate of the town the following day, pretending that he only wanted to study it; while the gate was open, his army unexpectedly marched in and captured the town without resistance.[89] He said that he wanted to secure his entry into Szeben because the Saxons could refuse monarchs entry into their towns.[91] According to the contemporaneous Diego de Estrada, Gabriel wanted to transfer his capital to Szeben from Gyulafehérvár (now Alba Iulia in Romania), which had been destroyed during the Long Turkish War.[91] The Diet declared Szeben capital of the principality on 17 December, limiting its privileges, authorizing noblemen to acquire real estate and Calvinist priests to preach in the town's Lutheran churches.[92][93]

Gabriel launched a military campaign against Wallachia on 26 December.[81][94] Radu Şerban fled the country, enabling Gabriel to take possession of Târgoviște without resistance.[81][95] Gabriel styled himself prince of Wallachia in a 26 January 1611 charter.[96] According to Radu Popescu's chronicle, his troops brought pillage, destruction and death to the countryside.[97] Gabriel sent his envoys to Istanbul, asking Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I to confirm his rule in Wallachia.[96] He outlined a plan for the conquest of Poland.[81] He also demanded compensation for the salaries of his Hajdús from the Ottomans, who began to call him "Deli Kiral" (Mad King) because of his actions.[95]

The Ottoman governors of Buda and Temesvár (now Timișoara in Romania) invaded the Hajdú villages in Partium, forcing them to hurry back and defend their homes.[98][99] Ahmed I granted Wallachia to Radu Mihnea and ordered Gabriel to return to Transylvania in March.[100][101] Although the sultan's decision outraged Gabriel, he had no choice but to accept it.[101] Radu Şerban ousted Radu Mihnea from Wallachia at the head of an army of Cossack and Moldavian mercenaries.[101] The Diet ordered the mobilization of the Transylvanian army, authorizing Gabriel to collect an extraordinary tax in April.[102] However, Michael Weiss (who had regarded Gabriel as a new Nero) incited the burghers of Brassó to rise up against the monarch.[103] Gabriel dispatched Hajdú captain András Nagy to lay siege to Brassó, but Weiss bribed Nagy to lift the siege.[104] Radu Şerban invaded Burzenland (now Țara Bârsei in Romania) unexpectedly, and routed Gabriel's army near Brassó on 8 July 1611.[105] Gabriel barely escaped from the battlefield to Szeben.[106][107]

Matthias II considered Gabriel's attack against Wallachia as treachery, because he regarded Transylvania and the two Romanian principalities as realms of the Hungarian Crown.[108] Zsigmond Forgách, commander-in-chief of Upper Hungary, invaded Transylvania in late June.[109][99] Although Nagy and the Hajdús under his command supported Forgách, most Protestant noblemen refused to join the invasion.[110] Most Transylvanians regarded the invasion as an unlawful action, and only the Saxons were willing to support Forgách.[111] He and Radu Şerban besieged Szeben, but could not capture it.[112] Gabriel sent envoys to Istanbul, seeking assistance from the Sublime Porte.[113] Nagy and his Hajdú troops deserted Forgách and routed the reinforcements sent to him from Upper Hungary in mid-September.[114] After learning of the arrival of Ottoman troops to support Gabriel, Radu Şerban withdrew from Szeben; this forced Forgách to lift the siege.[115][99] The Transylvanian army routed the retreating royal troops, capturing hundreds of soldiers.[115]

Gabriel led his army from Szeben to Várad, but the Ottoman troops did not accompany him.[116] Delegates of the counties and towns of Upper Hungary persuaded Thurzó to begin negotiations with Gabriel, and their envoys signed an agreement in Tokaj in December.[117] Gabriel pledged to send delegates to the Diet of Hungary and not allow serfs to join the Hajdús.[118] However, the princes of the Holy Roman Empire persuaded Matthias II not to ratify the treaty until Gabriel reached an agreement with the Saxons.[119]

Meanwhile, Gabriel sent Hajdú captain András Géczi to Istanbul to express his gratitude for Ottoman support.[120][121] Géczi made an agreement with Michael Weiss in Brassó, however, and asked for Gabriel's removal on behalf of the Three Nations of Transylvania in Istanbul in November.[122][123] The Imperial Council of the Ottoman Empire accepted the proposal, and decided to replace Gabriel with Géczi.[121] After the burghers of Brassó refused to surrender, Gabriel invaded Burzenland and captured seven Saxon fortresses in late March and early April 1612.[124] The Diet of Transylvania urged the Saxons of Brassó to surrender in May, but the Three Nations delegates did not punish the noblemen who had fled to the town.[125] Gabriel proposed a month later at the Diet that the principality should renounce the sultan's suzerainty, but his proposal was refused.[121]

Géczi sent letters to András Nagy (who promised to murder Gabriel), but Nagy's letter was captured.[119] Gabriel killed Nagy or had him executed in August, according to various sources.[119] Gabriel Bethlen (the leading figure of the pro-Ottoman policy) fled to Ottoman territory on 12 September, and visited the Ottoman governors of Temesvár, Buda and Kanizsa.[126] With their help, he contacted the grand vizier Nasuh Pasha.[127] Weiss, who wanted to install Géczi as prince in Gyulafehérvár, left Brassó at the head of an undisciplined army on 8 October 1612.[128] Gabriel attacked Weiss and his troops, annihilating them six days later.[128][129] Weiss was beheaded on the battlefield, and Géczi withdrew to Brassó.[130] The Diet sentenced the absent Géczi and Bethlen to death, granting amnesty to those who had surrendered.[130]

Fall edit

 
Várad (now Oradea in Romania) in 1617

The Diet authorized Gabriel to begin negotiations with Matthias II, and their envoys signed an alliance in Pressburg (now Bratislava in Slovakia) on 24 December 1612.[131] Matthias sent his delegates to Transylvania to urge the Saxons to surrender to Gabriel.[131] The treaty outraged Ahmed I, who decided to replace Gabriel with Bethlen in March.[127][132] Matthias and Gabriel's envoys concluded a new treaty on 12 April, and Matthias acknowledged Gabriel's hereditary right to rule Transylvania.[133] In a secret agreement, Gabriel promised to support Matthias even against the Ottomans.[134] He granted a royal pardon to the Saxons and their allies, including Géczi (who was made commander of Gabriel's guard).[135]

Gabriel Bethlen left Istanbul in August, accompanied by Skender, the Pasha of Kanizsa.[136] Radu Mihnea invaded Transylvania from Wallachia in early September.[136] Canibek Giray, Khan of the Crimean Tatars, invaded the principality three weeks later.[136] By early October, Ottoman troops arrived to support Bethlen.[127] Gabriel fled from Transylvania proper and withdrew to Várad to seek assistance from Royal Hungary against Bethlen and his allies.[137] Zsigmond Forgách sent an army of 2,000 troops, commanded by Miklós Abafy, to Várad.[138]

Skender Pasha convoked the delegates of the Three Nations to a Diet at Gyulafehérvár.[136] The Diet dethroned Gabriel on 21 October, urging him in a letter of farewell to accept the decision,[139] and elected Bethlen prince two days later.[136] According to the contemporaneous historian Máté Szepsi Lackó, András Géczi and Miklós Abaffy soon hatched a plot to murder Gabriel in Várad.[140] They entered his room on 26 October 1613 and persuaded him to give them his sword, but did not attack the strong prince because he still had a dagger.[140] The following day, Abaffy told Gabriel that the troops from Royal Hungary wanted to see him.[141] After visiting Abaffy's army, Gabriel returned to Várad in a carriage.[141] Horsemen suddenly attacked the carriage, forcing it to turn into a narrow street.[141] Gabriel jumped out of the carriage, but was soon shot.[141] He tried to resist at a willow tree near the Pece Stream, but dozens of Hajdús attacked and killed him.[142] Hajdú infantry captain Balázs Nagy brought Gabriel's body first to Nagyecsed, and then to Nyírbátor.[143] His body lay unburied in the crypt of the church in Nyírbátor, and he was ceremoniously buried at Bethlen's order only in 1628.[132][143]

Transylvania went through a chaotic period during Gabriel's rule.[132] Historian Katalin Péter states that Gabriel "was not the man to tolerate inaction for long" and "ruled with extravagance and capricious irresponsibility".[74] Gabriel, according to Péter, was unable to keep a balance among the different groups of the Transylvanian nobility, which gave rise to new tensions between Calvinists and Catholics, natives and newcomers, pro-Habsburg and pro-Ottoman politicians.[144] Neither could he realize that the Ottoman Empire had recovered after the Long Turkish War by the time he ascended the throne and his expansionist ambitions were not tolerated by the Sultan.[81] Historian László Nagy's evaluation of Báthory's rule is different.[145] He says that Báthory's bad fame can be traced back to the works of historians who worked in the court of Gabriel Bethlen who made conscious efforts to denigrate his predecessor.[145] Nagy also emphasizes that 17th-century popular literary works show that many commoners was mourning Báthory's death.[146] The 20th-century Hungarian novelist Zsigmond Móricz characterizes Gabriel Báthory as a "true fairy prince", adding that "fairies are unfit for this world".[145]

Family edit

Gabriel's wife, Anna, was the daughter of György Horváth Palocsai and Krisztina Sulyok.[149] According to Nagy Szabó, she was "a big fat woman" and Gabriel "did possibly not love her too much".[149] Michael Weiss said that Gabriel's separation from his wife was a reason for the Saxons' rebellion because it contradicted divine law.[150] Bethlen accused Gabriel of an incestuous affair with his sister, Anna, first mentioning the rumour in Istanbul in 1613 in an attempt to depose him.[151] The accusation was repeated during a secret lawsuit against Anna, whom Bethlen accused of witchcraft in 1614.[152]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Nagy 1988, p. 11.
  2. ^ a b Szabó 2012, p. 204.
  3. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 12–14.
  4. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 13.
  5. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 14.
  6. ^ a b Keul 2009, pp. 40–41.
  7. ^ Barta 1994, p. 261.
  8. ^ Dörner 2009, pp. 138–139.
  9. ^ Felezeu 2009, pp. 25–26.
  10. ^ Barta 1994, pp. 259–260.
  11. ^ Dörner 2009, pp. 154–155.
  12. ^ Barta 1994, p. 265.
  13. ^ Barta 1994, p. 294.
  14. ^ a b c Keul 2009, p. 139.
  15. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 24.
  16. ^ a b Horn 2002, p. 187.
  17. ^ Horn 2002, p. 188.
  18. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 27.
  19. ^ Barta 1994, p. 295.
  20. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 25.
  21. ^ Barta 1994, pp. 295–296.
  22. ^ a b Keul 2009, p. 142.
  23. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 26.
  24. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 26, 45–46.
  25. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 37, 42.
  26. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 37.
  27. ^ a b Barta 1994, p. 297.
  28. ^ Felezeu 2009, p. 37.
  29. ^ a b Keul 2009, p. 154.
  30. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 55, 289.
  31. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 56–57.
  32. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 60.
  33. ^ Keul 2009, p. 156.
  34. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 69–70.
  35. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 289.
  36. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 49, 289.
  37. ^ Keul 2009, pp. 156–157.
  38. ^ a b c Nagy 1988, p. 70.
  39. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 60, 71–72.
  40. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 73.
  41. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 74.
  42. ^ Keul 2009, p. 159.
  43. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 75.
  44. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 80–81.
  45. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 81, 83, 94.
  46. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 83.
  47. ^ a b Péter 1994, p. 304.
  48. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 82.
  49. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 82–83.
  50. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 92.
  51. ^ Keul 2009, pp. 159–160.
  52. ^ a b c Nagy 1988, p. 98.
  53. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 65–66.
  54. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 87.
  55. ^ a b c Nagy 1988, p. 88.
  56. ^ a b c Péter 1994, p. 305.
  57. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 89, 289.
  58. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 89.
  59. ^ a b Keul 2009, p. 160.
  60. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 101.
  61. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 90.
  62. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 103.
  63. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 104.
  64. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 105.
  65. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 105, 121.
  66. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 126.
  67. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 127.
  68. ^ a b c Péter 1994, p. 306.
  69. ^ Jakó 2009, p. 124.
  70. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 135.
  71. ^ a b c d e Keul 2009, p. 161.
  72. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 145.
  73. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 140.
  74. ^ a b c d e Péter 1994, p. 307.
  75. ^ a b c Nagy 1988, p. 290.
  76. ^ Barta 1994, p. 307.
  77. ^ Andea 2009, p. 115.
  78. ^ a b c Péter 1994, p. 308.
  79. ^ a b c Nagy 1988, pp. 152–153.
  80. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 154.
  81. ^ a b c d e Péter 1994, p. 309.
  82. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 153.
  83. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 152.
  84. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 291.
  85. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 118.
  86. ^ a b c Nagy 1988, p. 168.
  87. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 168–169.
  88. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 172.
  89. ^ a b Nagy 1988, pp. 176–177.
  90. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 176.
  91. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 174.
  92. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 174, 177–178.
  93. ^ Keul 2009, p. 165.
  94. ^ Andea 2009, p. 116.
  95. ^ a b Felezeu 2009, p. 34.
  96. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 181.
  97. ^ Jakó 2009, pp. 126–127.
  98. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 182.
  99. ^ a b c Péter 1994, p. 310.
  100. ^ Felezeu 2009, p. 35.
  101. ^ a b c Nagy 1988, p. 183.
  102. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 187.
  103. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 189, 215.
  104. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 190–191.
  105. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 194, 290–291.
  106. ^ Jakó 2009, p. 127.
  107. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 201.
  108. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 197.
  109. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 198.
  110. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 199.
  111. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 200.
  112. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 203.
  113. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 205.
  114. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 207.
  115. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 208.
  116. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 209.
  117. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 210.
  118. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 211.
  119. ^ a b c Nagy 1988, p. 223.
  120. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 215.
  121. ^ a b c Péter 1994, p. 311.
  122. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 292.
  123. ^ Barta 1994, p. 311.
  124. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 219–221.
  125. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 221.
  126. ^ Péter 1994, pp. 311–313.
  127. ^ a b c Péter 1994, p. 313.
  128. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 224.
  129. ^ Péter 1994, p. 312.
  130. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 225.
  131. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 259.
  132. ^ a b c Szabó 2012, p. 205.
  133. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 259, 261.
  134. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 261.
  135. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 226.
  136. ^ a b c d e Barta 1994, p. 313.
  137. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 274, 276.
  138. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 276.
  139. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 279.
  140. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 281.
  141. ^ a b c d Nagy 1988, p. 282.
  142. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 282–283.
  143. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 284.
  144. ^ Péter 1994, pp. 307–308.
  145. ^ a b c Nagy 1988, p. 5.
  146. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 6.
  147. ^ Horn 2002, pp. 13–14, 244–245.
  148. ^ Markó 2000, pp. 232, 282, 289.
  149. ^ a b Nagy 1988, p. 66.
  150. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 217.
  151. ^ Nagy 1988, p. 61.
  152. ^ Nagy 1988, pp. 61–62.

Sources edit

  • Andea, Susana (2009). "Political Evolution in the 17th Century-From Stephen Bocskai to Michael Apafi". In Pop, Ioan-Aurel; Nägler, Thomas; Magyari, András (eds.). The History of Transylvania, Vo. II (From 1541 to 1711). Romanian Academy, Center for Transylvanian Studies. pp. 113–131. ISBN 978-973-7784-04-9.
  • Barta, Gábor (1994). "The Emergence of the Principality and its First Crises (1526–1606)". In Köpeczi, Béla; Barta, Gábor; Bóna, István; Makkai, László; Szász, Zoltán; Borus, Judit (eds.). History of Transylvania. Akadémiai Kiadó. pp. 247–300. ISBN 963-05-6703-2.
  • Dörner, Anton (2009). "Power structures". In Pop, Ioan-Aurel; Nägler, Thomas; Magyari, András (eds.). The History of Transylvania, Vo. II (From 1541 to 1711). Romanian Academy, Center for Transylvanian Studies. pp. 133–178. ISBN 978-973-7784-04-9.
  • Felezeu, Călin (2009). "The International Political Background (1541–1699); The Legal Status of the Principality of Transylvania in Its Relations with the Ottoman Porte". In Pop, Ioan-Aurel; Nägler, Thomas; Magyari, András (eds.). The History of Transylvania, Vo. II (From 1541 to 1711). Romanian Academy, Center for Transylvanian Studies. pp. 15–73. ISBN 978-973-7784-04-9.
  • Horn, Ildikó (2002). Báthory András [Andrew Báthory] (in Hungarian). Új Mandátum. ISBN 963-9336-51-3.
  • Jakó, Klára (2009). "Báthory Gábor és a román vajdaságok [Gabriel Báthory and the Romanian Principalities]". In Papp, Klára; Jeney-Tóth, Annamária; Ulrich, Attila (eds.). Báthory Gábor és kora [Gabriel Báthory and His Times]. Debreceni Egyetem Történeti Intézete; Erdély-történeti Alapítvány. pp. 123–132. ISBN 978-963-473-272-3.
  • Keul, István (2009). Early Modern Religious Communities in East-Central Europe: Ethnic Diversity, Denominational Plurality, and Corporative Politics in the Principality of Transylvania (1526–1691). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-17652-2.
  • Markó, László (2000). A magyar állam főméltóságai Szent Istvántól napjainkig: Életrajzi Lexikon [Great Officers of State in Hungary from King Saint Stephen to Our Days: A Biographical Encyclopedia] (in Hungarian). Magyar Könyvklub. ISBN 963-547-085-1.
  • Nagy, László (1988). Tündérkert fejedelme: Báthory Gábor [Prince of the Pixies' Garden: Gabriel Gáthory]. Zrínyi Kiadó. ISBN 963-326-947-4.
  • Péter, Katalin (1994). "The Golden Age of the Principality (1606–1660)". In Köpeczi, Béla; Barta, Gábor; Bóna, István; Makkai, László; Szász, Zoltán; Borus, Judit (eds.). History of Transylvania. Akadémiai Kiadó. pp. 301–358. ISBN 963-05-6703-2.
  • Szabó, Péter Károly (2012). "Báthory Gábor". In Gujdár, Noémi; Szatmáry, Nóra (eds.). Magyar királyok nagykönyve: Uralkodóink, kormányzóink és az erdélyi fejedelmek életének és tetteinek képes története [Encyclopedia of the Kings of Hungary: An Illustrated History of the Life and Deeds of Our Monarchs, Regents and the Princes of Transylvania] (in Hungarian). Reader's Digest. pp. 204–205. ISBN 978-963-289-214-6.

External links edit

  • Heraldique Europeenne: Transylvania, including the coats-of-arms of Gabriel Báthory, Prince of Transylvania
  • Marek, Miroslav. "A genealogy of the Somlyó branch of the Báthory family". Genealogy.EU.
  • Péter, Katalin. "Gábor Báthory leads the Hajdús". mek.oszk.hu.
Gabriel Báthory
Born: 15 August 1589 Died: 27 October 1613
Regnal titles
Preceded by Prince of Transylvania
1608–1613 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Voivode of Wallachia
1611 		Succeeded by

January 01, 1970
gabriel, báthory, hungarian, báthory, gábor, august, 1589, october, 1613, prince, transylvania, from, 1608, 1613, born, roman, catholic, branch, báthory, family, closely, related, four, rulers, principality, transylvania, vassal, state, ottoman, empire, which,. Gabriel Bathory Hungarian Bathory Gabor 15 August 1589 27 October 1613 was Prince of Transylvania from 1608 to 1613 Born to the Roman Catholic branch of the Bathory family he was closely related to four rulers of the Principality of Transylvania a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire which had developed in the eastern territories of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary His father Stephen Bathory held estates in the principality but never ruled it Being a minor when his father died in 1601 Gabriel became the ward of the childless Stephen Bathory from the Protestant branch of the family who converted him to Calvinism After inheriting most of his guardian s estates in 1605 Gabriel became one of the wealthiest landowners in Transylvania and Royal Hungary a realm of the Habsburg Empire which included the northern and western parts of medieval Hungary Gabriel BathoryPrince of TransylvaniaReign1608 1613PredecessorSigismund RakocziSuccessorGabriel BethlenBorn 1589 08 15 15 August 1589Varad Principality of TransylvaniaDied27 October 1613 1613 10 27 aged 24 Varad Principality of TransylvaniaBurialNyirbatorSpouseAnna Horvath PalocsaiFatherStephen BathoryMotherZsuzsanna BebekReligionCalvinism Gabriel made an alliance with the Hajdus irregular troops stationing along the borders of Transylvania and Royal Hungary and laid claim to Transylvania against the elderly prince Sigismund Rakoczi in February 1608 Rakoczi abdicated and the Diet of Transylvania elected Gabriel prince without resistance Both the Sublime Porte and the Habsburg ruler Matthias II acknowledged Gabriel s election He ignored the privileges of the Transylvanian Saxons and captured their wealthiest town Szeben now Sibiu in Romania provoking an uprising in 1610 His attempts to expand his authority over the Ottoman vassal Wallachia and his negotiations with Matthias II outraged the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I The Sultan decided to replace Gabriel with an exiled Transylvanian nobleman Gabriel Bethlen and sent troops to invade the principality in August 1613 Transylvania was unable to resist and the Diet dethroned Gabriel He was murdered by Hajdu assassins Contents 1 Early life 1 1 Childhood 1 2 In guardianship 1 3 Rise to power 2 Reign 2 1 Consolidation 2 2 Assassination attempt 2 3 Conflicts 2 4 Fall 3 Family 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksEarly life editChildhood edit nbsp Ruins of the Bathorys castle at Szilagysomlyo now Șimleu Silvaniei in Romania Bathory was born in Varad now Oradea in Romania before dawn on 15 August 1589 1 2 His father Stephen Bathory was a cousin of Prince of Transylvania Sigismund Bathory 3 Stephen was captain of Varad when Gabriel was born 1 Gabriel s mother was his father s first wife Zsuzsanna Bebek 4 Although she had already given birth to four children none survived infancy 1 Sigismund Bathory dismissed Gabriel s father from Varad in the summer of 1592 and Gabriel s family then moved to the Bathorys ancient castle in Szilagysomlyo now Șimleu Silvaniei in Romania 5 The Principality of Transylvania emerged after the disintegration of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary in the 1540s 6 The principality included the eastern and northeastern regions of the medieval kingdom 6 and its princes paid a yearly tribute to the Ottoman sultans 7 The princes were elected by the Diet but they were to seek the Ottoman sultans confirmation to rule the principality 8 The Habsburg kings of Royal Hungary regarded the principality as a part of their realm and the first rulers of the principality acknowledged the Habsburgs claim in secret treaties in the 1570s 9 10 The Diet of Transylvania consisted primarily of the representatives of the Three Nations that is the Hungarian noblemen the Saxon burghers and the Szekelys 11 12 Sigismund Bathory who was a devout Catholic 13 wanted to join the Holy League of Pope Clement VIII against the Ottoman Empire but most Transylvanian noblemen opposed his plan 14 Stephen Bathory s brother Balthasar was an opposition leader 14 Balthasar was captured and murdered at Sigismund s order in late August 1594 14 Gabriel s father fled from Transylvania to Poland leaving his family behind in Szilagysomlyo 15 the five year old Gabriel was imprisoned with his mother and newborn sister Anna 5 Stephen and Balthasar s brother Cardinal Andrew Bathory who lived in Poland persuaded Pope Clement VIII to intervene on their behalf 16 Gabriel his mother and sister were freed at the pope s request and were allowed to join Stephen in Poland 16 His mother became seriously ill and died near the end of 1595 17 18 The Ottomans routed the armies of the Holy League in a series of battles after 1595 19 Sigismund Bathory abdicated in favor of Gabriel s uncle Andrew in early 1599 in the hope that Andrew could regain the Ottoman sultans favor with Polish mediation 20 21 Gabriel s father accompanied Andrew back to Transylvania and his family followed him 20 Michael the Brave Prince of Wallachia who had joined the Holy League invaded Transylvania and defeated Andrew with the assistance of Szekely troops 22 After Szekely commoners murdered Andrew Michael the Brave took possession of Transylvania 22 Gabriel s father fled to Kovar now Remetea Chioarului in Romania and swore fealty to the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph who was also king of Hungary before his death on 21 February 1601 23 Bathorys in Transylvania Stephen1477 1534 Voivode of Transylvaniar 1530 1534 AndrewChristopher1530 1581 Voivode of Transylvaniar 1576 1581Stephen1533 1586 Voivode Prince of Transylvaniar 1571 1576 1586 Stephen1553 1601Balthasar1560 1594Andrew1562 1563 1599 Prince of Transylvaniar 1599Sigismund1573 1613 Voivode Prince of Transylvaniar 1581 1586 1599 1601 1602 Gabriel1589 1613 Prince of Transylvaniar 1608 1613 In guardianship edit The orphaned Gabriel and Anna were placed in the guardianship of their father s childless cousin Stephen Bathory and lost most of their father s estates Szilagysomlyo was seized by the royal treasury and their scattered estates in Szatmar Szabolcs and Kraszna Counties were seized by a distant cousin Peter Szaniszlofi 24 Scholar Janos Czegledi educated Gabriel in Nagyecsed and the wealthy Stephen Bathory converted Gabriel from Catholicism to Calvinism 25 Gabriel pledged that he would expel Catholics Lutherans and Unitarians from his estates 26 The young Gabriel s strength was legendary and he was said to break horseshoes with his bare hands 2 Rudolf s troops occupied Transylvania in 1603 and his officials started to confiscate the estates of noblemen through legal proceedings on false charges of treason 27 One of the wealthiest landowners Stephen Bocskai was accused of maintaining secret correspondence with Transylvanian exiles in 1604 27 To avoid imprisonment he rose up in open rebellion with the backing of the Hajdu irregular troops stationed along the borders of Transylvania and Royal Hungary 28 29 Although Stephen Bathory did not openly support Bocskai he sent Gabriel to Bocskai s court in Kassa 30 29 Sixteen year old Gabriel participated in a battle against the royal army near Sarospatak in early February 1605 three years later poet Janos Rimay accused him of fleeing the battlefield 31 Rimay also said that Gabriel spent his days mainly drinking wine and allegedly had an affair with his aunt Kata Iffju who was over thirty years old at the time 32 Rise to power edit Bocskai was elected prince of Transylvania on 21 February 1605 and prince of Hungary on 20 April of that year 33 His realm included most of Transylvania proper Partium and Upper Hungary 34 Stephen Bathory died on 25 July 1605 35 He had willed most of his estates to Gabriel who became one of the wealthiest noblemen in Bocskai s realm 36 Bocskai hinted that he regarded Gabriel as his successor ordering Balint Drugeth commander in chief of his army in Upper Hungary to hold Gabriel Bathory in the highest esteem among the Hungarian lords if he did not return from his meeting with Ottoman Grand Vizier Lala Mehmed Pasha 37 in November 1605 38 Young noblemen including Gabriel s future enemy Gabriel Bethlen and military officials also supported Gabriel 38 Years later Gaspar Bojti Veres wrote that Gabriel hosted feasts to win popularity with Bocskai s courtiers and commanders 38 Gabriel s relatives Mihaly Kathay Bocskai s chancellor and Janos Imreffy Kata Iffju s husband were his principal supporters 39 His position weakened after Bocskai who was taken ill suddenly had Kathay imprisoned for treason in early September 1606 40 Kathay s opponents Simon Pechi and Janos Rimay persuaded the dying and often unconscious Bocskai to name Balint Drugeth his successor in his last will 41 nbsp The Bathorys fortress at Nagyecsed in 1688 Bocskai died in Kassa on 29 December 1606 42 A mob accused Kathay of poisoning Bocskai and lynched him on 12 January 1607 43 Gabriel had demanded the Principality of Transylvania in a 2 January 1607 letter to the grand vizier Kuyucu Murad Pasha 43 Bocskai s deputy the elderly Sigismund Rakoczi continued to administer the principality with the consent of the Diet of Transylvania 44 Gabriel sent Bethlen to Szekely captain Janos Petki to secure his support but Bethlen was imprisoned at Rakoczi s order on 26 January 45 Rakoczi also dismissed Varad captain Denes Banffy the fiance of Gabriel s sister Anna 46 The delegates of the Three Nations of Transylvania wanted to demonstrate their right to freely elect the prince 47 The Diet first passed a decree prohibiting a minor from being elected prince preventing Gabriel s election 48 It ignored Bocskai s last will electing Rakoczi prince on 12 February 47 Gabriel mustered troops saying that he only wanted to protect Transylvania 49 He demanded the cancellation of the Transylvanian decrees ordering the confiscation of his father and uncles estates in 1595 50 Gabriel approached Rudolph I s councillors after the Diet expelled the Jesuits from Transylvania offering to defend the Catholic Church in the principality if he ascended the throne and saying that he was ready to reconvert to Catholicism 51 52 Rudolph made him governor of Transylvania in June but the appointment had no real effect on Gabriel s position 52 Gabriel married Bocskai s kinswoman Anna Horvath Palocsai about two months later 53 After being unpaid for months the Hajdus rose up in the autumn of 1607 54 They offered their support to Drugeth who refused to lead them 54 Gabriel also treated them with disdain and promised to protect Transylvania against them at the end of October 55 He soon mustered his troops and marched to Upper Hungary 55 He again approached the royal court asking Rudolph to make him voivode of Transylvania 52 After the representatives of the Hajdus and the noblemen of Upper Hungary made a fifty day truce in Inancs at the end of the year Gabriel began negotiations with the Hajdus 55 They concluded a treaty on 8 February 1608 56 57 Gabriel pledged to grant villages to the Hajdus in Partium and they promised to support him in seizing Transylvania 58 59 He also promised to expel heretics and idolaters Unitarians and Catholics from the royal council 58 59 According to the contemporary Ferenc Nagy Szabo s memoirs the Ottoman grand vizier soon decided to support Gabriel 60 Gabriel sent Imreffy to Rakoczi offering to help Rakoczi seize two important domains in Upper Hungary if Rakoczi abdicated 61 He informed Rudolph s commissioner Zsigmond Forgach on 13 February 1608 that Rakoczi had already agreed to leave Transylvania 62 Although the Hajdus took control of the northwestern region of Partium Gabriel forbade them to invade Transylvania proper 63 Janos Petki announced Rakoczi s abdication at the Diet in Kolozsvar now Cluj Napoca in Romania on 5 March of that year 63 Reign editConsolidation edit nbsp Michael Weiss mayor of Brasso now Brașov in Romania The Diet elected Gabriel prince on 7 March 1608 and sent delegates to him in Nagyecsed 56 Although his election was technically free he controlled the strongest army in the principality making resistance impossible 56 He pledged to respect the laws of the principality especially the privileges of the Three Nations before accepting his election on 14 March 64 Gabriel was ceremoniously installed in Kolozsvar on 31 March and the Diet granted him the domains of Fogaras now Făgăraș in Romania and Kovar as hereditary estates 65 He began settling the Hajdus in Partium and granted Boszormeny to those forced to leave Nagykallo others received parcels in Bihar County 66 About 30 000 Hajdu soldiers received parcels of land from Gabriel during his reign 67 To assert his suzerainty over Wallachia and Moldavia he decided to dethrone Prince Radu Șerban of Wallachia however the royal council and Michael Weiss mayor of the important Transylvanian Saxon town of Brasso now Brașov in Romania dissuaded him 68 69 Radu Șerban voluntarily swore fealty to Gabriel in the presence of his envoys on 31 May 68 On 18 July thirteen year old Prince of Moldavia Constantin I Movilă also acknowledged Gabriel s suzerainty and promised to pay a yearly tribute of 8 000 florins 68 That month Gabriel visited Brasso 70 His feasts infuriated the burghers who called him a drunkard or a greedy new Sardanapalus in defamatory poems 71 72 Gabriel s promiscuity was notorious he reportedly seduced young women and promoted noblemen who were willing to offer him their wives 73 He sent Bethlen to Istanbul and Imreffy to Kassa to secure his recognition by the Sublime Porte and the royal court 74 After a brief negotiation Imreffy and representatives of Rudolph s brother Matthias who had persuaded Rudolph to abdicate in his favor signed two treaties on 20 August 75 74 The first treaty summarized the privileges of the Hajdus in Royal Hungary and the Principality of Transylvania 76 The second recognized Gabriel as lawful ruler of Transylvania but forbade him to secede from the Holy Crown of Hungary 74 Bethlen returned from Istanbul in late November with the sultan s delegates who brought the ahidname confirming Gabriel s election 74 The sultan exempted Transylvania from paying the customary tribute for three years 77 Romanian Orthodox priests approached Gabriel for support against noblemen who treated them like serfs 71 At their request he freed them from taxation and service demands by the landowners in June 1609 71 Gabriel also granted them the right to freely move about the principality 71 75 At his initiative in October the Diet abolished all grants which had exempted some noble estates from taxation 75 Assassination attempt edit While Gabriel was sleeping at Istvan Kendi s home in Szek now Sic in Romania during the night of 10 11 March 1610 a man entered his bedroom 71 78 Although the intruder had wanted to stab Gabriel he changed his mind and confessed that Kendi and other mostly Catholic noblemen had hired him 78 79 Kendi soon fled to Royal Hungary but his accomplices were captured 78 The Diet sentenced the conspirators to death on 24 March and their estates were confiscated 80 Gabriel made Imreffy chancellor and Bethlen captain of the Szekelys 81 The motivation for the conspiracy is unclear 79 According to the contemporary Tamas Borsos the conspirators wanted to murder Gabriel because his undisciplined Hajdu troops had destroyed many villages 79 Calvinist pastor Mate Szepsi Laczko said that the Catholic noblemen wanted to get rid of the Protestant prince 82 Others claimed that Boldizsar Kornis captain of the Szekelys joined the plot because Gabriel had tried to seduce his young wife 83 Gabriel met Palatine of Hungary Gyorgy Thurzo in Kiralydaroc now Craidorolț in Romania in June but they could not reach an agreement 84 He said during the negotiations that he was a sovereign but the palatine was merely a lord s serf 85 After returning to Transylvania Gabriel planned to reunite Royal Hungary and Transylvania under his rule with Ottoman support 86 Although he ordered the princes of Moldavia and Wallachia to send reinforcements and the Saxons to pay a tax of 100 000 florins the prince of Moldavia did not send troops and the Saxons paid only 10 000 florins 86 Imreffy again went to Royal Hungary to negotiate with Thurzo in Kassa 86 By 15 August they reached a compromise which resolved most of the contentious issues 87 However Matthias II did not ratify the agreement because it stated that Transylvania was not required to provide military assistance to Royal Hungary against the Ottomans 88 Conflicts edit nbsp Szeben during the 17th century Gabriel went to Szeben now Sibiu in Romania the wealthiest Saxon town on 10 December 89 Although only 50 soldiers accompanied him into the town his army was stationed on the outskirts 90 Gabriel stopped at the gate of the town the following day pretending that he only wanted to study it while the gate was open his army unexpectedly marched in and captured the town without resistance 89 He said that he wanted to secure his entry into Szeben because the Saxons could refuse monarchs entry into their towns 91 According to the contemporaneous Diego de Estrada Gabriel wanted to transfer his capital to Szeben from Gyulafehervar now Alba Iulia in Romania which had been destroyed during the Long Turkish War 91 The Diet declared Szeben capital of the principality on 17 December limiting its privileges authorizing noblemen to acquire real estate and Calvinist priests to preach in the town s Lutheran churches 92 93 Gabriel launched a military campaign against Wallachia on 26 December 81 94 Radu Serban fled the country enabling Gabriel to take possession of Targoviște without resistance 81 95 Gabriel styled himself prince of Wallachia in a 26 January 1611 charter 96 According to Radu Popescu s chronicle his troops brought pillage destruction and death to the countryside 97 Gabriel sent his envoys to Istanbul asking Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I to confirm his rule in Wallachia 96 He outlined a plan for the conquest of Poland 81 He also demanded compensation for the salaries of his Hajdus from the Ottomans who began to call him Deli Kiral Mad King because of his actions 95 The Ottoman governors of Buda and Temesvar now Timișoara in Romania invaded the Hajdu villages in Partium forcing them to hurry back and defend their homes 98 99 Ahmed I granted Wallachia to Radu Mihnea and ordered Gabriel to return to Transylvania in March 100 101 Although the sultan s decision outraged Gabriel he had no choice but to accept it 101 Radu Serban ousted Radu Mihnea from Wallachia at the head of an army of Cossack and Moldavian mercenaries 101 The Diet ordered the mobilization of the Transylvanian army authorizing Gabriel to collect an extraordinary tax in April 102 However Michael Weiss who had regarded Gabriel as a new Nero incited the burghers of Brasso to rise up against the monarch 103 Gabriel dispatched Hajdu captain Andras Nagy to lay siege to Brasso but Weiss bribed Nagy to lift the siege 104 Radu Serban invaded Burzenland now Țara Barsei in Romania unexpectedly and routed Gabriel s army near Brasso on 8 July 1611 105 Gabriel barely escaped from the battlefield to Szeben 106 107 Matthias II considered Gabriel s attack against Wallachia as treachery because he regarded Transylvania and the two Romanian principalities as realms of the Hungarian Crown 108 Zsigmond Forgach commander in chief of Upper Hungary invaded Transylvania in late June 109 99 Although Nagy and the Hajdus under his command supported Forgach most Protestant noblemen refused to join the invasion 110 Most Transylvanians regarded the invasion as an unlawful action and only the Saxons were willing to support Forgach 111 He and Radu Serban besieged Szeben but could not capture it 112 Gabriel sent envoys to Istanbul seeking assistance from the Sublime Porte 113 Nagy and his Hajdu troops deserted Forgach and routed the reinforcements sent to him from Upper Hungary in mid September 114 After learning of the arrival of Ottoman troops to support Gabriel Radu Serban withdrew from Szeben this forced Forgach to lift the siege 115 99 The Transylvanian army routed the retreating royal troops capturing hundreds of soldiers 115 Gabriel led his army from Szeben to Varad but the Ottoman troops did not accompany him 116 Delegates of the counties and towns of Upper Hungary persuaded Thurzo to begin negotiations with Gabriel and their envoys signed an agreement in Tokaj in December 117 Gabriel pledged to send delegates to the Diet of Hungary and not allow serfs to join the Hajdus 118 However the princes of the Holy Roman Empire persuaded Matthias II not to ratify the treaty until Gabriel reached an agreement with the Saxons 119 Meanwhile Gabriel sent Hajdu captain Andras Geczi to Istanbul to express his gratitude for Ottoman support 120 121 Geczi made an agreement with Michael Weiss in Brasso however and asked for Gabriel s removal on behalf of the Three Nations of Transylvania in Istanbul in November 122 123 The Imperial Council of the Ottoman Empire accepted the proposal and decided to replace Gabriel with Geczi 121 After the burghers of Brasso refused to surrender Gabriel invaded Burzenland and captured seven Saxon fortresses in late March and early April 1612 124 The Diet of Transylvania urged the Saxons of Brasso to surrender in May but the Three Nations delegates did not punish the noblemen who had fled to the town 125 Gabriel proposed a month later at the Diet that the principality should renounce the sultan s suzerainty but his proposal was refused 121 Geczi sent letters to Andras Nagy who promised to murder Gabriel but Nagy s letter was captured 119 Gabriel killed Nagy or had him executed in August according to various sources 119 Gabriel Bethlen the leading figure of the pro Ottoman policy fled to Ottoman territory on 12 September and visited the Ottoman governors of Temesvar Buda and Kanizsa 126 With their help he contacted the grand vizier Nasuh Pasha 127 Weiss who wanted to install Geczi as prince in Gyulafehervar left Brasso at the head of an undisciplined army on 8 October 1612 128 Gabriel attacked Weiss and his troops annihilating them six days later 128 129 Weiss was beheaded on the battlefield and Geczi withdrew to Brasso 130 The Diet sentenced the absent Geczi and Bethlen to death granting amnesty to those who had surrendered 130 Fall edit nbsp Varad now Oradea in Romania in 1617 The Diet authorized Gabriel to begin negotiations with Matthias II and their envoys signed an alliance in Pressburg now Bratislava in Slovakia on 24 December 1612 131 Matthias sent his delegates to Transylvania to urge the Saxons to surrender to Gabriel 131 The treaty outraged Ahmed I who decided to replace Gabriel with Bethlen in March 127 132 Matthias and Gabriel s envoys concluded a new treaty on 12 April and Matthias acknowledged Gabriel s hereditary right to rule Transylvania 133 In a secret agreement Gabriel promised to support Matthias even against the Ottomans 134 He granted a royal pardon to the Saxons and their allies including Geczi who was made commander of Gabriel s guard 135 Gabriel Bethlen left Istanbul in August accompanied by Skender the Pasha of Kanizsa 136 Radu Mihnea invaded Transylvania from Wallachia in early September 136 Canibek Giray Khan of the Crimean Tatars invaded the principality three weeks later 136 By early October Ottoman troops arrived to support Bethlen 127 Gabriel fled from Transylvania proper and withdrew to Varad to seek assistance from Royal Hungary against Bethlen and his allies 137 Zsigmond Forgach sent an army of 2 000 troops commanded by Miklos Abafy to Varad 138 Skender Pasha convoked the delegates of the Three Nations to a Diet at Gyulafehervar 136 The Diet dethroned Gabriel on 21 October urging him in a letter of farewell to accept the decision 139 and elected Bethlen prince two days later 136 According to the contemporaneous historian Mate Szepsi Lacko Andras Geczi and Miklos Abaffy soon hatched a plot to murder Gabriel in Varad 140 They entered his room on 26 October 1613 and persuaded him to give them his sword but did not attack the strong prince because he still had a dagger 140 The following day Abaffy told Gabriel that the troops from Royal Hungary wanted to see him 141 After visiting Abaffy s army Gabriel returned to Varad in a carriage 141 Horsemen suddenly attacked the carriage forcing it to turn into a narrow street 141 Gabriel jumped out of the carriage but was soon shot 141 He tried to resist at a willow tree near the Pece Stream but dozens of Hajdus attacked and killed him 142 Hajdu infantry captain Balazs Nagy brought Gabriel s body first to Nagyecsed and then to Nyirbator 143 His body lay unburied in the crypt of the church in Nyirbator and he was ceremoniously buried at Bethlen s order only in 1628 132 143 Transylvania went through a chaotic period during Gabriel s rule 132 Historian Katalin Peter states that Gabriel was not the man to tolerate inaction for long and ruled with extravagance and capricious irresponsibility 74 Gabriel according to Peter was unable to keep a balance among the different groups of the Transylvanian nobility which gave rise to new tensions between Calvinists and Catholics natives and newcomers pro Habsburg and pro Ottoman politicians 144 Neither could he realize that the Ottoman Empire had recovered after the Long Turkish War by the time he ascended the throne and his expansionist ambitions were not tolerated by the Sultan 81 Historian Laszlo Nagy s evaluation of Bathory s rule is different 145 He says that Bathory s bad fame can be traced back to the works of historians who worked in the court of Gabriel Bethlen who made conscious efforts to denigrate his predecessor 145 Nagy also emphasizes that 17th century popular literary works show that many commoners was mourning Bathory s death 146 The 20th century Hungarian novelist Zsigmond Moricz characterizes Gabriel Bathory as a true fairy prince adding that fairies are unfit for this world 145 Family editAncestors of Gabriel Bathory 4 147 148 16 Miklos Bathory8 Stephen Bathory4 Andras Bathory9 Catherine TelegdiStephen Bathory20 Matyas Majlath10 Stephen Majlath5 Margit Majlath21 Ferenc Nadasdy11 Katalin Nadasdy1 Gabriel Bathory6 Gyorgy BebekZsuzsanna Bebek7 Zsofia Patocsy Gabriel s wife Anna was the daughter of Gyorgy Horvath Palocsai and Krisztina Sulyok 149 According to Nagy Szabo she was a big fat woman and Gabriel did possibly not love her too much 149 Michael Weiss said that Gabriel s separation from his wife was a reason for the Saxons rebellion because it contradicted divine law 150 Bethlen accused Gabriel of an incestuous affair with his sister Anna first mentioning the rumour in Istanbul in 1613 in an attempt to depose him 151 The accusation was repeated during a secret lawsuit against Anna whom Bethlen accused of witchcraft in 1614 152 References edit a b c Nagy 1988 p 11 a b Szabo 2012 p 204 Nagy 1988 pp 12 14 a b Nagy 1988 p 13 a b Nagy 1988 p 14 a b Keul 2009 pp 40 41 Barta 1994 p 261 Dorner 2009 pp 138 139 Felezeu 2009 pp 25 26 Barta 1994 pp 259 260 Dorner 2009 pp 154 155 Barta 1994 p 265 Barta 1994 p 294 a b c Keul 2009 p 139 Nagy 1988 p 24 a b Horn 2002 p 187 Horn 2002 p 188 Nagy 1988 p 27 Barta 1994 p 295 a b Nagy 1988 p 25 Barta 1994 pp 295 296 a b Keul 2009 p 142 Nagy 1988 p 26 Nagy 1988 pp 26 45 46 Nagy 1988 pp 37 42 Nagy 1988 p 37 a b Barta 1994 p 297 Felezeu 2009 p 37 a b Keul 2009 p 154 Nagy 1988 pp 55 289 Nagy 1988 pp 56 57 Nagy 1988 p 60 Keul 2009 p 156 Nagy 1988 pp 69 70 Nagy 1988 p 289 Nagy 1988 pp 49 289 Keul 2009 pp 156 157 a b c Nagy 1988 p 70 Nagy 1988 pp 60 71 72 Nagy 1988 p 73 Nagy 1988 p 74 Keul 2009 p 159 a b Nagy 1988 p 75 Nagy 1988 pp 80 81 Nagy 1988 pp 81 83 94 Nagy 1988 p 83 a b Peter 1994 p 304 Nagy 1988 p 82 Nagy 1988 pp 82 83 Nagy 1988 p 92 Keul 2009 pp 159 160 a b c Nagy 1988 p 98 Nagy 1988 pp 65 66 a b Nagy 1988 p 87 a b c Nagy 1988 p 88 a b c Peter 1994 p 305 Nagy 1988 pp 89 289 a b Nagy 1988 p 89 a b Keul 2009 p 160 Nagy 1988 p 101 Nagy 1988 p 90 Nagy 1988 p 103 a b Nagy 1988 p 104 Nagy 1988 p 105 Nagy 1988 pp 105 121 Nagy 1988 p 126 Nagy 1988 p 127 a b c Peter 1994 p 306 Jako 2009 p 124 Nagy 1988 p 135 a b c d e Keul 2009 p 161 Nagy 1988 p 145 Nagy 1988 p 140 a b c d e Peter 1994 p 307 a b c Nagy 1988 p 290 Barta 1994 p 307 Andea 2009 p 115 a b c Peter 1994 p 308 a b c Nagy 1988 pp 152 153 Nagy 1988 p 154 a b c d e Peter 1994 p 309 Nagy 1988 p 153 Nagy 1988 p 152 Nagy 1988 p 291 Nagy 1988 p 118 a b c Nagy 1988 p 168 Nagy 1988 pp 168 169 Nagy 1988 p 172 a b Nagy 1988 pp 176 177 Nagy 1988 p 176 a b Nagy 1988 p 174 Nagy 1988 pp 174 177 178 Keul 2009 p 165 Andea 2009 p 116 a b Felezeu 2009 p 34 a b Nagy 1988 p 181 Jako 2009 pp 126 127 Nagy 1988 p 182 a b c Peter 1994 p 310 Felezeu 2009 p 35 a b c Nagy 1988 p 183 Nagy 1988 p 187 Nagy 1988 pp 189 215 Nagy 1988 pp 190 191 Nagy 1988 pp 194 290 291 Jako 2009 p 127 Nagy 1988 p 201 Nagy 1988 p 197 Nagy 1988 p 198 Nagy 1988 p 199 Nagy 1988 p 200 Nagy 1988 p 203 Nagy 1988 p 205 Nagy 1988 p 207 a b Nagy 1988 p 208 Nagy 1988 p 209 Nagy 1988 p 210 Nagy 1988 p 211 a b c Nagy 1988 p 223 Nagy 1988 p 215 a b c Peter 1994 p 311 Nagy 1988 p 292 Barta 1994 p 311 Nagy 1988 pp 219 221 Nagy 1988 p 221 Peter 1994 pp 311 313 a b c Peter 1994 p 313 a b Nagy 1988 p 224 Peter 1994 p 312 a b Nagy 1988 p 225 a b Nagy 1988 p 259 a b c Szabo 2012 p 205 Nagy 1988 pp 259 261 Nagy 1988 p 261 Nagy 1988 p 226 a b c d e Barta 1994 p 313 Nagy 1988 pp 274 276 Nagy 1988 p 276 Nagy 1988 p 279 a b Nagy 1988 p 281 a b c d Nagy 1988 p 282 Nagy 1988 pp 282 283 a b Nagy 1988 p 284 Peter 1994 pp 307 308 a b c Nagy 1988 p 5 Nagy 1988 p 6 Horn 2002 pp 13 14 244 245 Marko 2000 pp 232 282 289 a b Nagy 1988 p 66 Nagy 1988 p 217 Nagy 1988 p 61 Nagy 1988 pp 61 62 Sources editAndea Susana 2009 Political Evolution in the 17th Century From Stephen Bocskai to Michael Apafi In Pop Ioan Aurel Nagler Thomas Magyari Andras eds The History of Transylvania Vo II From 1541 to 1711 Romanian Academy Center for Transylvanian Studies pp 113 131 ISBN 978 973 7784 04 9 Barta Gabor 1994 The Emergence of the Principality and its First Crises 1526 1606 In Kopeczi Bela Barta Gabor Bona Istvan Makkai Laszlo Szasz Zoltan Borus Judit eds History of Transylvania Akademiai Kiado pp 247 300 ISBN 963 05 6703 2 Dorner Anton 2009 Power structures In Pop Ioan Aurel Nagler Thomas Magyari Andras eds The History of Transylvania Vo II From 1541 to 1711 Romanian Academy Center for Transylvanian Studies pp 133 178 ISBN 978 973 7784 04 9 Felezeu Călin 2009 The International Political Background 1541 1699 The Legal Status of the Principality of Transylvania in Its Relations with the Ottoman Porte In Pop Ioan Aurel Nagler Thomas Magyari Andras eds The History of Transylvania Vo II From 1541 to 1711 Romanian Academy Center for Transylvanian Studies pp 15 73 ISBN 978 973 7784 04 9 Horn Ildiko 2002 Bathory Andras Andrew Bathory in Hungarian Uj Mandatum ISBN 963 9336 51 3 Jako Klara 2009 Bathory Gabor es a roman vajdasagok Gabriel Bathory and the Romanian Principalities In Papp Klara Jeney Toth Annamaria Ulrich Attila eds Bathory Gabor es kora Gabriel Bathory and His Times Debreceni Egyetem Torteneti Intezete Erdely torteneti Alapitvany pp 123 132 ISBN 978 963 473 272 3 Keul Istvan 2009 Early Modern Religious Communities in East Central Europe Ethnic Diversity Denominational Plurality and Corporative Politics in the Principality of Transylvania 1526 1691 Brill ISBN 978 90 04 17652 2 Marko Laszlo 2000 A magyar allam fomeltosagai Szent Istvantol napjainkig Eletrajzi Lexikon Great Officers of State in Hungary from King Saint Stephen to Our Days A Biographical Encyclopedia in Hungarian Magyar Konyvklub ISBN 963 547 085 1 Nagy Laszlo 1988 Tunderkert fejedelme Bathory Gabor Prince of the Pixies Garden Gabriel Gathory Zrinyi Kiado ISBN 963 326 947 4 Peter Katalin 1994 The Golden Age of the Principality 1606 1660 In Kopeczi Bela Barta Gabor Bona Istvan Makkai Laszlo Szasz Zoltan Borus Judit eds History of Transylvania Akademiai Kiado pp 301 358 ISBN 963 05 6703 2 Szabo Peter Karoly 2012 Bathory Gabor In Gujdar Noemi Szatmary Nora eds Magyar kiralyok nagykonyve Uralkodoink kormanyzoink es az erdelyi fejedelmek eletenek es tetteinek kepes tortenete Encyclopedia of the Kings of Hungary An Illustrated History of the Life and Deeds of Our Monarchs Regents and the Princes of Transylvania in Hungarian Reader s Digest pp 204 205 ISBN 978 963 289 214 6 External links editHeraldique Europeenne Transylvania including the coats of arms of Gabriel Bathory Prince of Transylvania Marek Miroslav A genealogy of the Somlyo branch of the Bathory family Genealogy EU Peter Katalin Gabor Bathory leads the Hajdus mek oszk hu Gabriel BathoryHouse of BathoryBorn 15 August 1589 Died 27 October 1613 Regnal titles Preceded bySigismund Rakoczi Prince of Transylvania1608 1613 Succeeded byGabriel Bethlen Preceded byRadu Serban Voivode of Wallachia1611 Succeeded byRadu Mihnea Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gabriel Bathory amp oldid 1187692903, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.