Báthory István, King of Poland and Prince of Transylvania (1533-1586)
The Báthory family
Báthory (or Báthori) István (Stefan) was born on 27 September 1533 in Szilágysomlyó. He came from the famous Gutkeled branch of the Báthory family of Somlya. They were the Roman Catholic line of the family. His father was Voivode Báthory István of Transylvania, and his mother was Telegdy Katalin. Báthory István was their youngest son. András, his brother later became the captain of Szatmár castle. His descendants were important figures in Transylvanian political life.
His father died a year later of István’s birth so the boy was brought up with the help of Archbishop Várday Pál of Esztergom. The Archbishop later introduced him to King Habsburg Ferdinand I. Then, the young man served in the king’s court as a page. He spoke German, Polish, and Latin very well. He studied in Italian universities and acquired his Renaissance education there.
He also learned the highest political and martial skills there. (Please, note that in my articles I intentionally use the Oriental name order for Hungarians where family names come first.)
He was the uncle of Lady Báthory Erzsébet (1560-1614) who was innocently accused of terrible crimes by her enemies. According to the latest research of acknowledged historians like Nagy László, she was a victim of a conceptual lawsuit because of her wealth, religion, and political ties. As I am writing about her uncle, I take the opportunity here to raise awareness of this misconception about her. You can read more about Báthory Erzsébet here:
https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/essays/lady-bathory-erzsebet-1560-1614/
How Báthory learned to hate the Habsburgs
After completing his education, he returned to Hungary between 1551 and 1555 where he took the side of King János Zsigmond (son of King Szapolyai János) and fought against the Habsburgs. It is thought that he left Ferdinand because the Habsburg king had not supported his claim for the inheritance of the Drágffy family.
He was the leader of the Transylvanian noblemen who greeted Queen Isabella, the mother of King János Zsigmond when she returned to Transylvania from Poland in 1556. We find him in Szatmár castle in 1558 where he was in command of the garrison.
He succeeded in repelling the attack of Chief Captain Telekessy Imre of Upper Hungary. The next year, Queen Isabella sent him and Captain Némethy Ferenc of Tokaj castle to take Kisvárda castle but they had to lift the siege when the Habsburg king’s reinforcement arrived, led by Telekessy.
Then, Báthory István was appointed as the Chief Captain of Várad castle (Oradea) which had a strategic role in the region. It was the highest military rank in Transylvania. Here is more about Várad Castle:
https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/transylvania/nagyvarad/
When Balassa Menyhárt, the Chief Captain of the Trans-Tisza Region belonging to János Zsigmond switched sides and joined the Habsburgs in 1561, Báthory stayed loyal to King János Zsigmond.
Unfortunately, Balassa and Zay Ferenc defeated him and the troops of Némethy at Hadad in 1562. You can read more about this particular battle on my page in more detail, and find out how heroically Báthory was fighting despite his injuries:
https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/1541-1699/4-march-1562-the-battle-of-hadad/
Báthory became a member of the king’s inner circle so János Zsigmond sent him to Vienna to Ferdinand. He was able to make a cease-fire for two years between the rulers, and even the peace came within arm’s reach. However, János Zsigmond broke this treaty soon because he sent Báthory on 3 November 1564 to take Szatmár castle.
At this time, Báthory was already the chief castellan of Várad castle. The next year, King Ferdinand’s army, led by General Lazarus von Schwendi made a counter-attack and took Szatmár and Tokaj castles.
After this, King János Zsigmond had to start negotiations and sent Báthory and Nisowski Szaniszló to meet General Schwendi. They made the Treaty of Szatmár whereas King János Zsigmond abdicated his royal title but was allowed to keep his lands. Also, Ferdinand offered him the hand of his daughter, Princess Johanna.
Then, Báthory was again János Zsigmond’s envoy to the Court of Vienna in 1565. He was presenting the terms of peace sent by his king. As it turned out, King János Zsigmond changed his mind and declined his peace offer by asking for the help of the Ottomans. King Maximilian got very angry because of this and had Báthory arrested. He kept him in captivity in Vienna for two years.
As a result of this, Báthory came to hate Maximilian to the extent that he refused to use the German language for the rest of his life. He could get home only in 1567 and he decided to stay at his domains. If you would like to learn more about the eagle nest of the Báthory family, read the history of Nyírbátor on my page:
https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/transylvania/nyirbator/
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Hungarian History 1366-1699 to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.