BOCSKAY, ISTVÁN. - Prince of Transylvania, b. in 1557, d. in 1606, probably poisoned by the chancellor Michele Kátay. Educated in Vienna and Prague, he soon became the most influential adviser of his cousin Sigismondo Báthory, prince of Transylvania. Driven from that country by the pro-Turkish party, he withdrew to his estates. The violence committed by the imperial governor of Kassa, Belgioioso, brought him out of his isolation, and in 1604 he succeeded in driving the emperor’s troops out of Upper Hungary. The following year, with the support of the Turks, he was elected prince of Transylvania. The Peace of Vienna, concluded on 23 June 1606 with Emperor Rodolfo II, ensured religious freedom to the nobles and free cities of Hungary; Transylvania, moreover, enlarged by certain counties situated on the left bank of the Tisza, was recognized as an independent state.
BOCSKAY, ISTVÁN
BIBL.: A. Károli, B. szerepe a történetben (The role of B. in history), Budapest 1898; G. Lenz, Der Aufstand B. u. der Wiener Friede, Debrecen 1917; N. Asztalos-A. Pethö, Storia dell'Ungheria, Milan 1937, pp. 250-54.
Cite this article
“BOCSKAY, ISTVÁN.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. II (1949), p. 1005. Azione Romana digital edition, https://azioneromana.com/article/bocskay-istvan.