The son of Stephen VIII Báthory and a member of the Báthory family. He was married to Queen Anna Jagiellon and worked closely with Chancellor Jan Zamoyski. During his reign, he focused on consolidating power, defeating rivals like Maximilian II, the Holy Roman Emperor, and quelling rebellions, including the Danzig rebellion. He had a successful reign, especially in military matters. His most significant accomplishment was his victorious campaign against Russia in Livonia, where he defended the Commonwealth's borders and secured a favorable peace treaty called the Peace of Jam Zapolski.
Early life
Personal coat of arms
Stephen Báthory was born on 27 September 1533, in Szilágysomlyó, Hungary.[1] His father was Stephen VIII Báthory, and mother was Catherine Telegdi.[1] He had two brothers and three sisters.[1]
Around 1549–1550, he was studied in Italy.[1] He later joined the army of the Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and fought against the Turks. He was captured by the Turks after 1553, and when Ferdinand I refused to pay his ransom, he switched sides, supporting John II Sigismund Zápolya in his quest for power in Eastern Hungary Kingdom.[1] Báthory took on various roles as a feudal lord, military commander, and diplomat during this time. At one point, he was put under house arrest in Vienna for two years, causing him to fall out of favor at Zápolya's court.[2] However, he still held influence and was considered a potential successor to Zápolya.[2]
After Zápolya died in 1571, Báthory became the Voivode of Transylvania through an election by the Transylvanian peoples.[2] He had to deal with opposition from Gáspár Bekes, who had support from the Habsburgs. In 1573, Báthory successfully defeated Bekes in a civil war and forced him out of Transylvania.[2] He then worked to navigate a balance between the Ottomans and the Holy Roman Empire to make Transylvania stronger.[3]
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stefan Batory.
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