Tamas I Nadasdy
Encyclopedia
Baron Tamás Nádasdy de Nádasd et Fogarasföld (I), called the Great Palatine (1498–1562), Hungarian
statesman
, was the son of Ferenc I Nádasdy and was educated at Graz
, Bologna
and Rome
.
In 1521 he accompanied Thomas Cajetan
(whom the pope
had sent to Hungary to preach a crusade against the Turks
) to Buda
as his interpreter. In 1525 he became a member of the council of state and was sent by King Louis II
to the diet of Speyer
to ask for help in the imminent Turkish war. During his absence the Mohács
catastrophe took place, and Nádasdy only returned to Hungary in time to escort the queen-widow from Komárom
to Pozsony
. He was sent to offer the Hungarian crown to the archduke Ferdinand, and on his coronation (3 November 1527) was made commandant of Buda. In 1528 with the help of Count György Cseszneky
, commander of Tata
Nádasdy occupied Győr
for Ferdinand. On the capture of Buda by Suleiman the Magnificent
, Nádasdy went over to King John I. In 1530 he successfully defended Buda against the imperial troops. In 1533 his jealousy of the dominant influence of Lodovico Gritti
caused him to desert John for Ferdinand, to whom he afterwards remained faithful. In 1535 he married Orsolya Kanizsai, the last member and heiress of the powerful and wealthy Kanizsai family. He was endowed with enormous estates by the emperor, and from 1537 onwards became Ferdinand's secret but most influential counsellor. Subsequently, as Ban
of Croatia-Slavonia, he valiantly defended that border province against the Turks.
He did his utmost to promote education
, and the school which he founded at Újsziget, where he also set up a printing press
, received a warm eulogy from Philip Melanchthon. In 1540 Nádasdy was appointed iudex curie regie; in 1547 he presided over the Diet of Nagyszombat, and finally, in 1559, was elected palatine by the diet of Pozsony (now Bratislava
, Slovakia
). In his declining years he aided the heroic Miklós Zrinyi
against the Ottomans.
Hungary
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...
statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
, was the son of Ferenc I Nádasdy and was educated at Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
In 1521 he accompanied Thomas Cajetan
Thomas Cajetan
Thomas Cajetan , also known as Gaetanus, commonly Tommaso de Vio , was an Italian cardinal. He is perhaps best known among Protestants for his opposition to the teachings of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation while he was the Pope's Legate in Wittenberg, and perhaps best known among...
(whom the pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
had sent to Hungary to preach a crusade against the Turks
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...
) to Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
as his interpreter. In 1525 he became a member of the council of state and was sent by King Louis II
Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia
Louis II was King of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia from 1516 to 1526.- Early life :Louis was the son of Ladislaus II Jagiellon and his third wife, Anne de Foix....
to the diet of Speyer
First Diet of Speyer
The Diet of Speyer or the Diet of Spires was a diet of the Holy Roman Empire in 1526 in the Imperial City of Speyer . The diet's ambiguous edict resulted in a temporary suspension of the Edict of Worms and aided the expansion of Protestantism...
to ask for help in the imminent Turkish war. During his absence the Mohács
Mohács
Mohács is a town in Baranya county, Hungary on the right bank of the Danube.-History:Two famous battles took place there:# Battle of Mohács, 1526# Battle of Mohács, 1687...
catastrophe took place, and Nádasdy only returned to Hungary in time to escort the queen-widow from Komárom
Komárom
Komárom is a city in Hungary on the right bank of the Danube in Komárom-Esztergom county.The city of Komárom was formerly a separate suburban village called...
to Pozsony
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
. He was sent to offer the Hungarian crown to the archduke Ferdinand, and on his coronation (3 November 1527) was made commandant of Buda. In 1528 with the help of Count György Cseszneky
György Cseszneky
Count György Cseszneky de Milvány et Csesznek was a Hungarian aristocrat in 16th century. Member of the Cseszneky family.In 1526 when the disastrous battle with the Turks happened and Louis II died in the battlefield, György Cseszneky was the chatelain of the Castles Tata and Komárom...
, commander of Tata
Tata, Hungary
Tata is a town in north-western Hungary, Komárom-Esztergom county, northwest from county seat Tatabánya.-Location:Tata is located in the valley between the Gerecse and Vértes Mountains, some from the Budapest, the capital. By the virtue of its location, the city is a railway and road junction...
Nádasdy occupied Győr
Gyor
-Climate:-Main sights:The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Rába and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr’s bishops can be easily recognised by its incomplete tower. Győr’s oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the...
for Ferdinand. On the capture of Buda by Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
, Nádasdy went over to King John I. In 1530 he successfully defended Buda against the imperial troops. In 1533 his jealousy of the dominant influence of Lodovico Gritti
Lodovico Gritti
Lodovico Gritti Aluise Aloysi Luigi Louis Gritti, Ludovico or, as the Venetians called him, Alvise Gritti, and the Hungarians Lajos Gritti. He was influential in the Hungarian Kingdom under the reign of King John I of Hungary. He was also a minister of the Turkish sultan, and regent of Hungary...
caused him to desert John for Ferdinand, to whom he afterwards remained faithful. In 1535 he married Orsolya Kanizsai, the last member and heiress of the powerful and wealthy Kanizsai family. He was endowed with enormous estates by the emperor, and from 1537 onwards became Ferdinand's secret but most influential counsellor. Subsequently, as Ban
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
of Croatia-Slavonia, he valiantly defended that border province against the Turks.
He did his utmost to promote education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, and the school which he founded at Újsziget, where he also set up a printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
, received a warm eulogy from Philip Melanchthon. In 1540 Nádasdy was appointed iudex curie regie; in 1547 he presided over the Diet of Nagyszombat, and finally, in 1559, was elected palatine by the diet of Pozsony (now Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
). In his declining years he aided the heroic Miklós Zrinyi
Nikola Šubic Zrinski
Nikola Šubić Zrinski , was a Croatian nobleman and general in service of Habsburg Monarchy, ban of Croatia from 1542 to 1556, and member of the Zrinski noble family...
against the Ottomans.