Stephen Báthory, Prince of Transylvania and King of Poland, was an innovative statesman for his time. He was born on September 27, 1533 in the town of Szilágysomlyó, Transylvania, in what is now Romania. He was the son of the governor of Transylvania, under the auspices of the Habsburg king.
Fight for Transylvania
Báthory began to serve John Sigismund Zápolya, the Voivod or prince of Transylvania in 1556 and rose to the position of commander and chief of the army. He gained notoriety with his skills as a diplomat and his loyalty to Zápolya despite threats by the Habsburgs.
On the passing of Zápolya, Stephen was elected prince by the Hungarians in May 1571. The late prince had made provisions for Gaspar Bekes, who was supported by the Habsburgs, to be his successor; but Stephen fought against Bekes and prevailed. He succeeded in keeping native rule for Transylvania and remained prince for five years.
Piast King or Get Vienna Out
In 1572 Poland, or the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was left without a ruler after King Sigismund II died. The king’s sister, Ann the Jagiellonian, was the sole heir. She attempted to maintain control of the crown by proposing Henry of Valois as king. But Henry preferred the French crown and left Poland and Ann to succeed his brother.
In 1575, the Polish parliament was persuaded by Rome to elect Habsburg emperor Maximilian II as king of Poland. This created uproar among the Polish nobility, who demanded a Piast or Polish king and were prepared to start a civil war if their demands were not met. It was decided that Ann would become King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania and marry Stephen Báthory.
Ann was elected king on December 13, 1575 and on May 1, 1576 in Krakow she was married to Stephen and her titles extended to him. In appreciation, Stephen established the Alma Academia et Universitas Vilnensis Societatis Iesu. This was the third university in Poland and would become what is today Vilnius University.
Ambitious King
On becoming king, Stephen embarked on an ambitious campaign to unite Poland, Muscovy and Transylvania. In 1577 he led the Siege of Danzig to suppress rebellious forces and procured 200,000 of the local currency in gold. The city later proved helpful during Stephen’s wars against foreign powers. In 1579 he attacked Ivan the Terrible and ended the Livonian War by forcing the cession of Polotsk and Livonia (present day Estonia and Latvia) to Poland. The Truce of Jam Zapolski was signed in 1582.
He used strong alliances in an attempt to maintain peace with neighboring countries. Through skillful maneuvering he kept the Ottomans from intervening in Poland and devised a defensive alliance with Habsburg emperor Rudolf II. Stephen also reorganized the army and formed the piechota wybraniecka, a semi-professional division of peasants trained for the infantry.
Stephen, with the help of his chancellor, Jan Zamoyski who was also a skilled diplomat and politician, won the support of large portions of the Polish nobility. They enforced better means of taxation and formed legal tribunals to improve the Polish judicial system. Although a Roman Catholic, he seemed tolerant of different religions.
He died suddenly on December 12, 1586 near Grodno in what is now Hrodno, Belarus. It is said that his was the first autopsy to take place in Eastern Europe. He was succeeded as King by his brother Christopher but the Swedish king, Sigismund III Vasa, challenged him for the throne and became the next king of Poland. Nevertheless, Stephen Báthory remains one of the most admired figures in Polish history.
Sources:
- "Stephen Bathory." NNDB nndb.com
- Davies, Norman. Europe. Oxford University Press, 1996.
Iemima Ploscariu - As a recent college graduate of Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, Iemima's writing experience consists of work done for ...
