Gabriel Báthori
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Báthory (15 August 1589 – 27 October 1613) was Prince of Transylvania from 1608 to his death in 1613.
(today Oradea, Romania) as the son of Stephen Báthory (1553-1601), from Somlyo branch of the Hungarian Báthory
family, and his first wife Susanna Bebek of Pelsocz (d. 1595). His uncles were Balthasar Báthory and Cardinal Andrew Báthory, who had both briefly reigned over Transylvania
.
had just assumed the government of Transylvania. At the end of his turbulent reign, which saw him retire four times, Transylvania in 1601 came under direct Habsburg rule, represented by the cruel military governor Giorgio Basta
.
When the military commander Stephen Bocskay
raised the flag of rebellion against the Habsburgs, Gabriel sided with him. Bocskay drove Basta out of Transylvania and, in 1605, was elected Prince by a diet. Bocskay was recognized as Prince by the Habsburg in the Treaty of Vienna
of 1606, but died in the same year.
(who had already accepted this designation), while electing Báthory would have meant accepting his dynastic claims and a return to hereditary rule. While the two candidates rallied their supporter outside of the country, the estates looked to Sigismund Rákóczi
, who had served the late Prince as governor, as a third option, as he was a man of administrative ability but without support outside of the estates.
The estates had planned to await Bocskay's burial before they would proceed with the election, but a letter by the Archduke Matthias
sped up events: Matthias told them to wait until King Rudolf had instituted the necessary requirements according to the Treaty of Vienna. As the treaty did not contain any such requirements, the estates hurried and on 9 February 1607 elected Sigismund Rákóczi.
Though this unilateral act enraged both Habsburgs and Ottomans, neither power was willing to engage in military action. The Ottomans accepted the new Prince, while the Habsburgs by negotiation tried to persuade him to voluntary resign. Rákóczi and the majority of Transylvanian politicians at first rejected any such attempts, but then were forced into entering into negotiations by the rising pressure of an imminent rebellion of the Hajduks
who had fought with Bocskay and demanded their pay.
This volatile situation was exploited by Gabriel Báthory. The Hajduks had considered electing Drugeth as King, but the former candidate refused to meet with them. Gabriel however, under the pretence of negotiating the defense of the country, on 5 February 1608 signed a pact with the Haiducs: their commanders pledged to fight with him to whatever end, while he promised to promote Calvinism, make their general Andre Nagy his minister and their preacher a counsellor, and to provide the Hajduks with lands in the region of Oradea, Ecsed and Kállo. The Transylvanian government did not dare to oppose the Hajduk force and on 7 March Rákóczi resigned in favour of Báthory.
n principalities, intending to use the spoils to easily pay off his Hajduk mercenaries. He conferred with the Kronstadt
judge Michael Weiss, an expert on Romanian affairs, about ousting Radu Şerban from Wallachia
. Then, he sent messengers to Elzbieta Csomortany de Losoncz, widow of Ieremia Movilă of Moldavia
and regent for her young son Constantine, with the proposal to form an alliance against Wallachia. The princely council of Transylvania however opposed the Prince's policy, and in a meeting in May 1608 authorized only the signing of alliances with the Romanian principalities. The Voivodes of Wallachia and Moldavia pledged allegiance to Gabriel in May and July, respectively.
, who at that time had set out to wrest the government from his brother Emperor Rudolf
. In regard to Transylvania, Matthias confirmed the privileges the Hajduks had obtained by Stephen Bocskay and absorbed 6,000 of them into his service, leaving only 3,000 to Gabriel. After Matthias had pressured Rudolf into resigning Hungary, Austria proper and Moravia to him, he entered into negotiations with Gabriel about the Hajduks as well as the status of Transylvania. On 20 August 1608 the two reached and agreement:
At the same time, Gabriel also obtained the Ottomans
' recognition of his rule through the mediation of Gabriel Bethlen
, one of the leaders of the pro-Turkish party.
families of Transylvania, partly from those who had risen under the rule of his family and those who had joined the fight of Stephen Bocskay. During the Long War
, some had been partisans of the Ottomans, others had fought for the Habsburgs and still others had sided with Michael of Wallachia. Most of his advisors shared the Prince's Reformed
religion, but some nobles were Catholic
s. The Prince did not nothing to mediate these differences, but actually heightened them.
Gabriel alienated many followers by his capriciously granting of gifts that were of unclear relation to merits of the receivers, thereby creating more enmity than loyalty. At the same time, his reputation as a drunkard and a womanizer and rumours about his lovers brought the wives of his advisors and favourites into disrepute.
He also alienated the burghers
. Instead of supporting their interests in commerce and trade and later reap the revenue through taxes, he burdened the cities with his costly banquets.
led by Chancellor István Kendi and the captain general of the Székely
, Boldizsár Kornis. Though contemporary rumours had it that the conflict between Gabriel and Kornis arose when the Prince lusted for his captain's wife, the reasons for the following events were in fact political.
In March 1610, when Gabriel travelled through the country, the conspirators decided to kill the Prince, as he was staying in Kendi's house. However, the assassin, who had already entered Gabriel's chamber, repented at the last moment and revealed the entire plot. Gabriel immediately arrested Kornis, while Kendi managed to flee. As the circle of conspirators was only small, Gabriel did not contemplate whether his rule could have caused resentment and was content with deterring any opponents by the public execution of Kornis. Gabriel did not try to purge of the sympathizers of Kornis, many of whom actually rose in the ranks.
Gabriel appointed Janos Imrefi, an old favourite of his, as the new chancellor and gave the command over the Székely to Gabriel Bethlen.
and indeed the entire country by relocating his court to Hermannstadt
. Gabriel argued that Alba Iulia
was in ruins and thus unsuitable as a residence, but his move violated the privileges of the Saxons, which were freed from having to lodge the Prince.
Despite the outrage about Hermannstadt and despite widespread opposition against the war, Gabriel began invaded Wallachia on 26 December 1610. Voivod Radu Şerban had been warned and fled the country and Gabriel unopposed marched on Tirgoviste, where he was proclaimed Voivod of Wallachia. He then sent a delegation to Constantinople
- which he had not consulted before - and justified his invasion as an attempt to save Wallachia for the Ottoman Empire. He also outlined a grand plan that we would to conquer Poland, the patrimony of his royal great-uncle, and would rule it as the loyal vassal of the Sultan.
Gabriel's hope that such prospects would render the Ottomans accepting to his move were disappointed, when the Ottoman government ordered him to return to Transylvania and appointed Radu Mihnea
as Voivod of Wallachia. Gabriel had no choice but to retreat after two months. To keep up appearance, he left Gabriel Bethlen with a small troop behind, ordering him to welcome the new Voivod to Tirgoviste and sign a formal agreement with him that would legitimize the transfer of power. After having done so, Bethlen returned to Transylvania in April.
- where the Movileşti
fled into exile
- and Wallachia but also set their sights on Transylvania again.
During Gabriel's campaign, two Pasha
s stationed in Hungary had invaded Transylvania and overrun the settlements of the Hajduks, causing them to rush back from Wallachia. They flooded Transylvania and the neighbouring districts of Royal Hungary, thus destroying the labour of their settlement. Gabriel, unable to pay them, send them to Kronstadt, as he planned to occupy this rich Saxon city. After an attempt by Andrew Nagy to take the city failed - possibly because he was bribed into retreating, Gabriel in June himself marched to Kronstadt. He requested admission, but the city refused and threatened to drive him away by force.
The city conspired with Radu Şerban, who had reestablished himself in Wallachia and now marched into Transylvania to support Kronstadt. In early July, Gabriel met Radu in battle and lost many men, but he himself could escape to Hermannstadt. There he was besieged by Sigismund Forgách, captain of Kaschau and other magnates from Upper Hungary
. The besieged Prince called for Turkish help and in September the Pashas again invaded Transylvania, forcing Forgach and Şerban to retreat, clearly establishing their claim to Transylvania.
Gabriel sent András Ghiczy as a messenger to Constantinople to thank the Sultan for the support, but on the way Ghiczy joined the Prince's opposition at Kronstadt and travelled on as a messenger of the Three Nations
to ask the Sultan to depose the despotic Prince. Though decisions were hard to obtain in Constantinople after the recent death of the Vizier
Murad Pasha
, the Ottomans promised military aid to the opposition and decided to appoint Ghiczy instead of Gabriel, for which he pledged to restore the castles of Lippa and Jenő to the Turks and to play outstanding taxes, leaving his brother as a surety. He returned in June 1612, emboldening the opposition.
At the same time, Gabriel assembled the diet and proposed to switch allegiance from the Ottomans to Royal Hungary. The estates rejected this seesaw
policy, especially since the new Vizier Nassuh Pasha
was a sworn enemy of peace with Hungary. However, on 15 October Gabriel defeated the opposition in open battle and strengthened by this victory, again assembled the diet in November and now succeeded with his proposals: the diets authorized negotiations with both Habsburgs and Ottomans by choosing delegates and banished the leaders of the opposition.
Negotiations in Vienna and Preßburg were concluded in April 1613 by an agreement according to which Gabriel rejected any notion of an Ottoman supremacy over Transylvania, while negotiations in Constantinople did not even begin, thanks to Gabriel Bethlen.
was among the opponents banished by the November diet. Ever since he had obtained the Sultan's confirmation of Báthory's rule, he had risen in the Prince's favour. However, his popularity also caused suspicion and when Báthory broke with the Turks, the pro-Turkish Bethlen had become expendable. The Prince falsely accused him of conspiring with the Saxons and reportedly tried to kill him. In September 1612, Bethlen with fifty followers left Transylvania, not only to protect himself but also to forestall the accession of Ghiczy, whom he thought unqualified. After conferring with the Turkish commanders in Hungary and Belgrad, Bethlen met the Sultan and the new Vizier in Adrianople and in April obtained the designation as Prince of Transylvania.
In August, Bethlen and an army commanded by Skender Pasha started out from Constantinople. Joined by Radu Mihnea of Wallachia
, Crimean Tatars
and another army from Hungary, they reached Transylvania in October. Skender Pasha assembled the diet and gave the estates five days to elect Bethlen as the new Prince. No one dared to refuse his commands and on 23 October 1613 Gabriel Bethlen was elected. The diet also sent a carefully worded letter to Gabriel Báthory, in which they listed their grievances, including his fleeing before the Turks and his intention to pit Transylvania against the Ottoman's superior military force.
It is unclear whether Gabriel received this letter before he was assassinated
on 27 October at Oradea by two Hajduks, who reportedly had been bribed
by Ghiczy.
After this, the Ottoman armies retreated, not without pillaging the country and taking captives.
Family
Gabriel was born at Nagyvárad, in HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(today Oradea, Romania) as the son of Stephen Báthory (1553-1601), from Somlyo branch of the Hungarian Báthory
Báthory
The Báthory were a Hungarian noble family of the Gutkeled clan. The family rose to significant influence in Central Europe during the late Middle Ages, holding high military, administrative and ecclesiastical positions in the Kingdom of Hungary...
family, and his first wife Susanna Bebek of Pelsocz (d. 1595). His uncles were Balthasar Báthory and Cardinal Andrew Báthory, who had both briefly reigned over Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
.
Early life
When Gabriel was born, his grand cousin SigismundSigismund Báthory
Sigismund Báthory was Prince of Transylvania.-Biography:Hailing from the Báthory family's Somlyó branch, he was the son of Christopher Báthory, Voivod of Transylvania, and nephew of Stephen Báthory, King of Poland...
had just assumed the government of Transylvania. At the end of his turbulent reign, which saw him retire four times, Transylvania in 1601 came under direct Habsburg rule, represented by the cruel military governor Giorgio Basta
Giorgio Basta
Giorgio Basta, Count of Huszt was an Italian general of Arbëreshë descent, employed by the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II to command Habsburg forces in the Long War of 1591-1606 and later to administer Transylvania as an Imperial vassal to restore Catholicism as a predominant religion in...
.
When the military commander Stephen Bocskay
Stephen Bocskay
Stephen Bocskai or István Bocskai Stephen Bocskai or István Bocskai Stephen Bocskai or István Bocskai (or Bocskay, (1 January 1557 – 29 December 1606) was a HungarianCalvinist nobleman, Prince of Transylvania (1605–06), who defended Hungarian interests when Hungary was divided into Ottoman...
raised the flag of rebellion against the Habsburgs, Gabriel sided with him. Bocskay drove Basta out of Transylvania and, in 1605, was elected Prince by a diet. Bocskay was recognized as Prince by the Habsburg in the Treaty of Vienna
Treaty of Vienna (1606)
The Treaty of Vienna was signed on June 23, 1606 between Stephen Bocskay, a Hungarian noble, and Archduke Matthias. Based on the terms of the treaty, all constitutional and religious rights and privileges were granted to the Hungarians in both Transylvania and Royal Hungary...
of 1606, but died in the same year.
Rise to power
Gabriel, a member of the former princely family and an able soldier, was a natural candidate for the succession, but Bocskay had named Bálint Homonnai Drugeth as his successor, a young man of noble birth and military ability. The Transylvanian estates, claiming the right to freely chose the Prince, rejected both candidates, as electing Drugeth would have meant yielding to the late Bocskay (who had named Homonnai) and to the OttomansOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(who had already accepted this designation), while electing Báthory would have meant accepting his dynastic claims and a return to hereditary rule. While the two candidates rallied their supporter outside of the country, the estates looked to Sigismund Rákóczi
Sigismund Rákóczi
Sigismund Rákóczi was born into the noble Hungarian Rákóczi family. He briefly reigned as Prince of Transylvania from 1607 to 1608.Rákóczi was born into the lower nobility but, by various means - including a profitable marriage - managed to rise into the ranks of the aristocracy.When Stephen...
, who had served the late Prince as governor, as a third option, as he was a man of administrative ability but without support outside of the estates.
The estates had planned to await Bocskay's burial before they would proceed with the election, but a letter by the Archduke Matthias
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor
Matthias of Austria was Holy Roman Emperor from 1612, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1608 and King of Bohemia from 1611...
sped up events: Matthias told them to wait until King Rudolf had instituted the necessary requirements according to the Treaty of Vienna. As the treaty did not contain any such requirements, the estates hurried and on 9 February 1607 elected Sigismund Rákóczi.
Though this unilateral act enraged both Habsburgs and Ottomans, neither power was willing to engage in military action. The Ottomans accepted the new Prince, while the Habsburgs by negotiation tried to persuade him to voluntary resign. Rákóczi and the majority of Transylvanian politicians at first rejected any such attempts, but then were forced into entering into negotiations by the rising pressure of an imminent rebellion of the Hajduks
Hajduk (soldiers)
The Hajduk were Hungarian irregular or mercenary soldiers in the 16th and 17th centuries, and a liveried bodyguard of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 17th and 18th centuries. In Serbia and the Banat region in the 18th century, hajduk referred to an infantry soldier, though the term is now...
who had fought with Bocskay and demanded their pay.
This volatile situation was exploited by Gabriel Báthory. The Hajduks had considered electing Drugeth as King, but the former candidate refused to meet with them. Gabriel however, under the pretence of negotiating the defense of the country, on 5 February 1608 signed a pact with the Haiducs: their commanders pledged to fight with him to whatever end, while he promised to promote Calvinism, make their general Andre Nagy his minister and their preacher a counsellor, and to provide the Hajduks with lands in the region of Oradea, Ecsed and Kállo. The Transylvanian government did not dare to oppose the Hajduk force and on 7 March Rákóczi resigned in favour of Báthory.
The Romanian principalities
Having come to power, Gabriel immediately prepared war to extend his rule to the RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n principalities, intending to use the spoils to easily pay off his Hajduk mercenaries. He conferred with the Kronstadt
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
judge Michael Weiss, an expert on Romanian affairs, about ousting Radu Şerban from Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
. Then, he sent messengers to Elzbieta Csomortany de Losoncz, widow of Ieremia Movilă of Moldavia
Ieremia Movila
Ieremia Movilă was a Hospodar of Moldavia between August 1595 and May 1600, and again between September 1600 and July 10, 1606.-Rule:...
and regent for her young son Constantine, with the proposal to form an alliance against Wallachia. The princely council of Transylvania however opposed the Prince's policy, and in a meeting in May 1608 authorized only the signing of alliances with the Romanian principalities. The Voivodes of Wallachia and Moldavia pledged allegiance to Gabriel in May and July, respectively.
Consolidation
Without a war, Gabriel was hard pressed to fulfill his obligations to the Hajduks and now himself had to fear a rebellion. However, he found support in Archduke MatthiasMatthias, Holy Roman Emperor
Matthias of Austria was Holy Roman Emperor from 1612, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1608 and King of Bohemia from 1611...
, who at that time had set out to wrest the government from his brother Emperor Rudolf
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Hungary and Croatia , King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria...
. In regard to Transylvania, Matthias confirmed the privileges the Hajduks had obtained by Stephen Bocskay and absorbed 6,000 of them into his service, leaving only 3,000 to Gabriel. After Matthias had pressured Rudolf into resigning Hungary, Austria proper and Moravia to him, he entered into negotiations with Gabriel about the Hajduks as well as the status of Transylvania. On 20 August 1608 the two reached and agreement:
- The Hajduks should be free subjects in the service of Hungary and Transylvania, similar to the SzékelySzékelyThe Székelys or Székely , sometimes also referred to as Szeklers , are a subgroup of the Hungarian people living mostly in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, Romania...
- The Habsburgs accepted Gabriel as Prince of Transylvania.
- Gabriel promised not to cede Transylvania from the Kingdom of Hungary
At the same time, Gabriel also obtained the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
' recognition of his rule through the mediation of Gabriel Bethlen
Gabriel Bethlen
Gabriel Bethlen was a prince of Transylvania , duke of Opole and leader of an anti-Habsburg insurrection in the Habsburg Royal Hungary. His last armed intervention in 1626 was part of the Thirty Years' War...
, one of the leaders of the pro-Turkish party.
Nature of Gabriel's rule
As Prince, Gabriel Báthory surrounded himself with a heterogeneous circle of advisers, which partly came from the old nobleAristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
families of Transylvania, partly from those who had risen under the rule of his family and those who had joined the fight of Stephen Bocskay. During the Long War
Long War (Ottoman wars)
The Long War took place from 1591 or 1593 to 1604 or 1606 and was one of the numerous military conflicts between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire that developed after the Battle of Mohács.- History :The major participants of this war were the Habsburg Monarchy ,...
, some had been partisans of the Ottomans, others had fought for the Habsburgs and still others had sided with Michael of Wallachia. Most of his advisors shared the Prince's Reformed
Reformed churches
The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations characterized by Calvinist doctrines. They are descended from the Swiss Reformation inaugurated by Huldrych Zwingli but developed more coherently by Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger and especially John Calvin...
religion, but some nobles were Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s. The Prince did not nothing to mediate these differences, but actually heightened them.
Gabriel alienated many followers by his capriciously granting of gifts that were of unclear relation to merits of the receivers, thereby creating more enmity than loyalty. At the same time, his reputation as a drunkard and a womanizer and rumours about his lovers brought the wives of his advisors and favourites into disrepute.
He also alienated the burghers
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
. Instead of supporting their interests in commerce and trade and later reap the revenue through taxes, he burdened the cities with his costly banquets.
Assassination attempt
In 1609 Gabriel again began with preparations for a campaign against Wallachia, disregarding the opposition in the diet. The war was postponed by a conspiracyConspiracy (political)
In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
led by Chancellor István Kendi and the captain general of the Székely
Székely
The Székelys or Székely , sometimes also referred to as Szeklers , are a subgroup of the Hungarian people living mostly in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, Romania...
, Boldizsár Kornis. Though contemporary rumours had it that the conflict between Gabriel and Kornis arose when the Prince lusted for his captain's wife, the reasons for the following events were in fact political.
In March 1610, when Gabriel travelled through the country, the conspirators decided to kill the Prince, as he was staying in Kendi's house. However, the assassin, who had already entered Gabriel's chamber, repented at the last moment and revealed the entire plot. Gabriel immediately arrested Kornis, while Kendi managed to flee. As the circle of conspirators was only small, Gabriel did not contemplate whether his rule could have caused resentment and was content with deterring any opponents by the public execution of Kornis. Gabriel did not try to purge of the sympathizers of Kornis, many of whom actually rose in the ranks.
Gabriel appointed Janos Imrefi, an old favourite of his, as the new chancellor and gave the command over the Székely to Gabriel Bethlen.
Invasion of Wallachia
After the failed plot, Gabriel resumed his military preparations. At that time he provoked the outrage of the Transylvanian SaxonsTransylvanian Saxons
The Transylvanian Saxons are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania from the 12th century onwards.The colonization of Transylvania by Germans was begun by King Géza II of Hungary . For decades, the main task of the German settlers was to defend the southeastern border of the...
and indeed the entire country by relocating his court to Hermannstadt
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
. Gabriel argued that Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 66,747, located on the Mureş River. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1541 and 1690 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania...
was in ruins and thus unsuitable as a residence, but his move violated the privileges of the Saxons, which were freed from having to lodge the Prince.
Despite the outrage about Hermannstadt and despite widespread opposition against the war, Gabriel began invaded Wallachia on 26 December 1610. Voivod Radu Şerban had been warned and fled the country and Gabriel unopposed marched on Tirgoviste, where he was proclaimed Voivod of Wallachia. He then sent a delegation to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
- which he had not consulted before - and justified his invasion as an attempt to save Wallachia for the Ottoman Empire. He also outlined a grand plan that we would to conquer Poland, the patrimony of his royal great-uncle, and would rule it as the loyal vassal of the Sultan.
Gabriel's hope that such prospects would render the Ottomans accepting to his move were disappointed, when the Ottoman government ordered him to return to Transylvania and appointed Radu Mihnea
Radu Mihnea
Radu Mihnea was Voivode of Wallachia between September 1601 and March 1602, and again between March and May 1611, September 1611 and August 1616, August 1620 and August 1623, and Voivode of Moldavia in 1616-1619, 1623-1626...
as Voivod of Wallachia. Gabriel had no choice but to retreat after two months. To keep up appearance, he left Gabriel Bethlen with a small troop behind, ordering him to welcome the new Voivod to Tirgoviste and sign a formal agreement with him that would legitimize the transfer of power. After having done so, Bethlen returned to Transylvania in April.
Internal warfare
The Ottomans not only reinforced their supremacy over MoldaviaMoldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
- where the Movileşti
Movilesti
The Movileşti were a family of boyars in the principality of Moldavia, which became related through marriage with the Muşatin family - the traditional House of Moldavian Princes....
fled into exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
- and Wallachia but also set their sights on Transylvania again.
During Gabriel's campaign, two Pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
s stationed in Hungary had invaded Transylvania and overrun the settlements of the Hajduks, causing them to rush back from Wallachia. They flooded Transylvania and the neighbouring districts of Royal Hungary, thus destroying the labour of their settlement. Gabriel, unable to pay them, send them to Kronstadt, as he planned to occupy this rich Saxon city. After an attempt by Andrew Nagy to take the city failed - possibly because he was bribed into retreating, Gabriel in June himself marched to Kronstadt. He requested admission, but the city refused and threatened to drive him away by force.
The city conspired with Radu Şerban, who had reestablished himself in Wallachia and now marched into Transylvania to support Kronstadt. In early July, Gabriel met Radu in battle and lost many men, but he himself could escape to Hermannstadt. There he was besieged by Sigismund Forgách, captain of Kaschau and other magnates from Upper Hungary
Upper Hungary
Upper Hungary is the usual English translation for the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia...
. The besieged Prince called for Turkish help and in September the Pashas again invaded Transylvania, forcing Forgach and Şerban to retreat, clearly establishing their claim to Transylvania.
Gabriel sent András Ghiczy as a messenger to Constantinople to thank the Sultan for the support, but on the way Ghiczy joined the Prince's opposition at Kronstadt and travelled on as a messenger of the Three Nations
Unio Trium Nationum
Unio Trium Nationum Unio Trium Nationum Unio Trium Nationum (Latin for "Union of the Three Nations" was a pact of mutual aid formed in 1438 by three Estates of Transylvania: the (largely Hungarian) nobility, the Saxon (i.e. German) burghers, and the free Szeklers...
to ask the Sultan to depose the despotic Prince. Though decisions were hard to obtain in Constantinople after the recent death of the Vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
Murad Pasha
Kuyucu Murad Pasha
Kuyucu Murat Pasha was a Croatian who became Ottoman grand vizier during the reign of Ahmed I between December 9, 1606 and August 5, 1611...
, the Ottomans promised military aid to the opposition and decided to appoint Ghiczy instead of Gabriel, for which he pledged to restore the castles of Lippa and Jenő to the Turks and to play outstanding taxes, leaving his brother as a surety. He returned in June 1612, emboldening the opposition.
At the same time, Gabriel assembled the diet and proposed to switch allegiance from the Ottomans to Royal Hungary. The estates rejected this seesaw
Seesaw
A seesaw is a long, narrow board pivoted in the middle so that, as one end goes up, the other goes down.-Mechanics:Mechanically a seesaw is a lever and fulcrum....
policy, especially since the new Vizier Nassuh Pasha
Gümülcineli Damat Nasuh Paşa
Nasuh Pasha was an Ottoman statesman of Albanian origin. He was Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 5 August, 1611 until 17 October, 1614. He was from Gümülcine .- References :...
was a sworn enemy of peace with Hungary. However, on 15 October Gabriel defeated the opposition in open battle and strengthened by this victory, again assembled the diet in November and now succeeded with his proposals: the diets authorized negotiations with both Habsburgs and Ottomans by choosing delegates and banished the leaders of the opposition.
Negotiations in Vienna and Preßburg were concluded in April 1613 by an agreement according to which Gabriel rejected any notion of an Ottoman supremacy over Transylvania, while negotiations in Constantinople did not even begin, thanks to Gabriel Bethlen.
Bethlen's flight and accession
Gabriel BethlenGabriel Bethlen
Gabriel Bethlen was a prince of Transylvania , duke of Opole and leader of an anti-Habsburg insurrection in the Habsburg Royal Hungary. His last armed intervention in 1626 was part of the Thirty Years' War...
was among the opponents banished by the November diet. Ever since he had obtained the Sultan's confirmation of Báthory's rule, he had risen in the Prince's favour. However, his popularity also caused suspicion and when Báthory broke with the Turks, the pro-Turkish Bethlen had become expendable. The Prince falsely accused him of conspiring with the Saxons and reportedly tried to kill him. In September 1612, Bethlen with fifty followers left Transylvania, not only to protect himself but also to forestall the accession of Ghiczy, whom he thought unqualified. After conferring with the Turkish commanders in Hungary and Belgrad, Bethlen met the Sultan and the new Vizier in Adrianople and in April obtained the designation as Prince of Transylvania.
In August, Bethlen and an army commanded by Skender Pasha started out from Constantinople. Joined by Radu Mihnea of Wallachia
Radu Mihnea
Radu Mihnea was Voivode of Wallachia between September 1601 and March 1602, and again between March and May 1611, September 1611 and August 1616, August 1620 and August 1623, and Voivode of Moldavia in 1616-1619, 1623-1626...
, Crimean Tatars
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
and another army from Hungary, they reached Transylvania in October. Skender Pasha assembled the diet and gave the estates five days to elect Bethlen as the new Prince. No one dared to refuse his commands and on 23 October 1613 Gabriel Bethlen was elected. The diet also sent a carefully worded letter to Gabriel Báthory, in which they listed their grievances, including his fleeing before the Turks and his intention to pit Transylvania against the Ottoman's superior military force.
It is unclear whether Gabriel received this letter before he was assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
on 27 October at Oradea by two Hajduks, who reportedly had been bribed
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
by Ghiczy.
After this, the Ottoman armies retreated, not without pillaging the country and taking captives.
Personal life
Some time before 1608, he married Anna Horváth of Palocsa, who bore him no children.External links
- Béla Köpeczi (ed.): Kurze Geschichte Siebenbürgens, VI. Die Blütezeit des Fürstentums (1606–1660)
- Heraldique Europeenne: Transylvania, including the coats-of-arms of Gabriel Báthory, Prince of Transylvania
- A genealogy of the Somlyó branch of the Báthory family