Official English documents of the Batthyány family
Origin of the family
According to the traditions, the family’s origins trace back to the clan of Örs (one of the seven chieftains of Árpád). The family’s first lands were located on the northern shore of Lake Balaton, the family also got its original surname from the village of Kővágóörs. The land of Battyán in Fejér County became property of the family in 1398, in the time of (Kis) György I of Kővágóörs, the first ancestor with continuously traceable descent. From then on, the new land was the eponym of the family. The rise of the family started with him, the captain general of Esztergom. Dying in 1520, Boldizsár Batthyány I was the family’s first figure of national importance. Castellan of Kőszeg, lord-lieutenant of Vas County, master of treasury, ban of Jajce and Bosnia. He received the family’s famous crest, with the image of a pelican feeding its young of its own flesh on it. His son was Boldizsár Batthyány II whose brother, Ferenc Batthyány I is the first in the line of family members with a more detailed biography.
As the stronghold of Christianity – drawn to the imperial city and the monarchy
The Ottoman Empire’s conquest inspired by the Islamic religion in the 16th century determines the history of the family, as well as of the whole nation. After losing its lands in the southern part of the Kingdom of Hungary and receiving estates in Vas County in the 1520s, the family moved to the Western border of the country. For two centuries, the family’s principal responsibility was the protection of the kingdoms remaining areas against the Turks. At this time, the ethnic composition of the Batthyány estates also changed. The inhabitants of Western Transdanubia, and so of the Batthyány estates too, started leaving already after the Ottoman campaign in 1529, ending with the unsuccessful siege of Vienna and the campaign of 1532, stopped at Kőszeg. A large number of Croatians migrated fleeing from the Turkish, thus increasing again the declining population. This is how the triple (Hungarian, German, Croatian) ethnic composition of Vas County and especially of the Batthyány lands has developed. From the Ottoman Empire’s perspective the Batthyány lands were extremely close to the imperial city of Vienna, thus they were of particular strategic importance. That is why the family could be an extremely important support of the Habsburg Monarchy. Especially Boldizsár Batthyány III and Ádám Batthyány I were great enemies of the Ottomans. However, during the time of the more fragile central power in the 16-17th century, the Batthyánys, as they were powerful magnates, caused much inconvenience to the emperor-king residing in Vienna. The family relationships of the Batthyánys developed in accordance with the evolving conditions. The family established relationships not only with the traditional, Transdanubian, largely Croatian aristocratic families of the Kingdom of Hungary (for instance the Zrínyi or the Illésházy family), but also with the Austrian, Czech and Italian aristocracy of the Habsburg Monarchy.
Culture, Reformation, Catholic faith
After the Ottoman conquest, especially after the capture of Buda in 1541, the country was left without a royal court. Thus, the magnates’ courts had a special role, as they became the socio-cultural centre of contemporary life. The Batthyánys established their famous court in Németújvár. Life in the court had a positive influence not only on narrower life frames, but the learned and educated aristocrats (for instance Boldizsár Batthyány III) spread news of Hungary throughout Europe with their correspondences and travels, as well as they shared the experiences, examples of the foreign countries. In the life of the court, besides the men who often had to fight on the battlefields, women also played an important role. Of course, they did their share not only in the conversations about pleasant or vital issues, but also of the duties of a housewife (preparing medicine, making soap, repairing bags, etc.). The world, as always – even if not always at the same pace – has undergone changes at this time as well, both in technical and spiritual fields. The biggest change of the era was the Reformation. In the 16th century, the Batthyány family also converted to Protestantism. Initially, it is difficult to decide whether a member of the family followed the Lutheran or the Calvinist movement of the Reformation. The most convinced Protestant family member was Éva Lobkovicz Poppel who followed the Lutheran or evangelical movement. The battle between the Protestant denominations and the Catholic revival – in this case, it was rather an intellectual struggle – had been determined in favour of the latter by the arrival of the Society of Jesus, that is the Jesuits. Ádám Batthyány I was born a Calvinist, but converted to Catholicism because of the archbishop of Esztergom, Péter Pázmány. Thus, he introduced the family into the circle of the Catholic aristocratic families of Transdanubia. The family’s two main branches start with his sons, as the “Prince” (or the elder) branch originates from Kristóf, while the “Count” (or younger) branch from Pál.
Rebuilding a country – the Baroque era
The Batthyánys contributed actively not only to the defence of the remaining homeland, but also to the expulsion of the Turks, although amid major shocks. In 1683, Kristóf Batthyány II joined the Turkish-Kuruc army that marched against Vienna. Nevertheless, his son Ádám Batthyány II rose to eminence during the battles for recapturing the country. Hence, it was not a coincidence that he chose his wife from the family of Theodor Strattmann who had played a key role in the military affairs of the Habsburg monarchy. As much as the advance of the Turks had defined the previous era, the national and family history of the 18th century was equally determined by the fact that after the expulsion of the Turks, practically the whole country had to be reconstructed. During the days that eventually enabled the future development and crossroads, and were of key importance from the nation’s point of view, the Batthyánys were the country’s outstanding figures. Lajos Ernő Batthyány bore the country’s most important titles, as he encouraged the cooperation between the dynasty and the nation both as chancellor and palatine. His brother Károly József Batthyány protected the borders of the monarchy that ensured the peaceful development, both on the Turkish and the western battlegrounds. After the expulsion of the Turks, the Batthyánys developed their lands, which were also increased with large-scale purchases, with such diligence that characterised them well. They constructed Baroque churches and palaces that served as examples, and to this day still define the country’s image. The palatine created the country’s archives, and the progress was steady in the management of the estates. The relation with the dynasty, adapting the European examples did not oppose patriotism in the case of the Batthyány family in the 18th century. As the archbishop of Esztergom, József Batthyány supported the Catholic Church and the Kingdom of Hungary against the extreme tendencies represented by Joseph II. He also expressed his support in collecting the relics of Hungarian history with great care.
The family’s “Prince” branch – general Károly József was awarded with the title of Prince for teaching the crown princes, the future Joseph II and Leopold II – received the fideicommissum from the Strattmann family. Fideicommissum is an institution of Spanish origin. Its foundation was bound to royal permission, the estates included are given reduction from indebtedness, and most importantly it can only be inherited by one person – by the oldest male member of the family (in this case along with the Prince title and the Strattmann surname) – thus it protected the majority of the family’s property from fragmentation. Fideicommissum was exposed to several attacks in later periods; however, the modern historical researches have shown its positive role as model farm, as intermediary of the technological innovations, and also as the basis of the socio-cultural patronage of the owners. The family’s “Count” branch divided into three separate sub branches during the 18th century, namely the Pinkafő, Éleskő, and Zsigmond sub branches.
Accelerating times – new conflicts
The events of the 18th century laid the foundation for the further development of the country’s history. The Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic Wars shook Hungary, as well as the whole of Europe. However, a more important factor in the country’s development were the technological and economic changes. The tools of mass communication that have emerged, in particular the newspapers, daily papers, as well as the technological innovations, such as the steam engine and the trains evolved from it were indicating not only the development, but also its conflicts. That is how nationalism became the guiding idea of the 19th century. The different national aspirations lead to the great conflict that made the Habsburg monarchy fall apart in 1848 (there were revolutions in Vienna and Prague, while Italy and Hungary experienced war of independence and civil war). At this rather critical time, the members of the Batthyány family took different sides. While Prince Fülöp Batthyány insisted on supporting the monarchy as before, Kázmér Batthyány believed that even after a break with the dynasty, the country’s progression and maintaining the Hungarian hegemony in the Carpathian basin can be ensured at the same time., The political view of Lajos Batthyány, the country’s first Prime Minister, was between these two, and he fell victim to the punishments after the revolution had failed. The fact that Lajos Batthyány was considered a rebel as a member of a family that supported the Habsburg monarchy until then probably played a big role in his severe verdict.
The 20th century and the present
Great crises and working, happy, conflictual days of the national, nation-state life defined the history of the family. During the time of dualism, the family’s politician of national importance was Tivadar Batthyány (1859-1931). With the death of Ödön Batthyány-Strattmann in 1914, the family’s original main branch died out, thus László Batthyány-Strattmann, the sainted eye doctor of Pinkafő who was beatified in 2003, inherited the title of Prince, the fideicommissum and the name related to it. László Batthyány-Strattmann was key figure, as besides his exceptional life, the family today consists of his descendants. The tragedy of the Great War also affected the Batthyánys. Tamás Batthyány (1875-1915) sacrificed his life for the country on the front, and because of the Treaty of Trianon, the family’s earliest lands, including the family nest Németújvár were detached of Hungary. During the Second World War, and at the latest after the Revolution of 1956, all the members of the family had left for the West. The family members that have dispersed in the course of the emigration – most of them lived in South America and Austria – formed a solidary family. The collapse of the socialist countries held together by the Soviet Union and the end of communism in Hungary in 1989 created the chance for a fresh start. Today the Batthyánys again have the opportunity to carry on the centuries-old legacy in the service of their country, and in accordance with the family’s traditions.
Epilogue
Getting to know the history of the Batthyány family may also be worth because it explores important aspects of the entire history of Hungary. Although the study of history is less appreciated than it should be, thanks to its development over the past two centuries, today the scientific works utilizing the work of generations of researchers, but lacking the obligatory positive or negative bias, prejudice of the earlier times are the basis of obtaining information. The history of the 18th century was known until recently rather from the works of the Austrian historiography. Despite being a cause for national pride, this shows the clear one-sidedness of the inherited approach. There are more and more reliable and informative websites of high standards on the Internet, not even necessarily created by professional historians. The informations may be complemented by works that are not necessarily about the history of the Batthyány family, but about one (or more) period connected to the family’s history in several ways. For instance documents of the period that offer us a glimpse into the inner world of a historical person, such as Széchenyi’s diary (István Széchenyi: Napló, Budapest, 1982.). Of the works about the country’s history it is worth mentioning the book series History of Hungary that was published from 1976. Originally, it was planned to have ten parts, but eventually only eight parts, each of them consisting of two volumes came out. The latest series of this kind was the History of Hungary, consisting of 24 volumes and published in 2009-2010. Another special work is The History of the Hungarian Nation, written by a Roman Catholic priest, Antal Pezenhoffer (1893-1973). After being B-listed in 1949 (after the Second World War many public servant were dismissed, the so-called B-lists contained the names of these persons), he worked as a librarian in the Cathedral Library of Esztergom that was further developed by archbishop József Batthány. The 13-volume work was considered the greatest samizdat (illegal publications in the Eastern Bloc) of the Communist dictatorship in Hungary. Antal Pezenhoffer analysed the country’s past 500 years, the period in which the Batthyány family had played a key role. It was deliberately not written with the impartiality of a scientific work; hence, it is important to read it with criticism. However, its special value is that it was written by knowing and using almost all significant Hungarian historical works of the earlier times. There are many data, interesting additions in this work that were forgotten, or appeared only in scientific works of the recent years. Provocative, however written with great knowledge and reasoning power, Pezenhoffer’s work may be a fascinating reading for those who are interested in Hungary’s history. The literature related to the history of the Batthyány family is also listed separately by topic, in thematic categories.
Németújvár (Güssing) – Németújvár became family property in 1524 when Louis II of Hungary gave it to Ferenc Batthyány I. Németújvár was the Batthyány family’s main place of residence in the 16th and 17th century. It may be considered as the central estate of the family; moreover, the Batthyánys’ title “de Németújvár” comes from here. It is situated in the historical Vas County, in today’s Austria. A medieval castle, the Draskovich castle, a Franciscan monastery and church can be found here. The family vault of the Batthyánys is underneath the church, while the Franciscans have the family’s 3500 historical books in the library of the monastery. The municipality has been the residence of many members of the Batthyány family, among others of Ferenc I who established the family court, and Boldizsár III in the 16th century, of Kristóf II and Éva Lobkovicz Poppel, Ádám II in the 17th century, of Palatine Lajos Batthyány and Archbishop József in the 18th century. From the 19th century on, it was the home of numerous members of the family’s “Count” branch.
A tourist-friendly site: http://kirandulastippek.hu/orseg/gussing-var
Rohonc (Rechnitz) – Ferenc Batthyány I who had established the family’s estates, received Rohonc in 1527 from Ferdinand I. It is situated in the historical Vas County, in today’s Austria. The country town of Rohonc was an important manor in the 16th and 17th centuries. Ádám Batthyány I built the castle and the valuable family archives had been stored there, until their transport to Körmend in 1769. From the second half of the 17th century, similarly to Szalónak, the family’s “Prince” and “Count” branches shared the manor until 1746, when the “Prince” branch received the entire estate. The castle was destroyed in 1945. Rohonc had its heyday in the 18th century, after the constructions of Eleonóra Strattmann. It was the beloved residence of the family’s pride Palatine Lajos Batthyány and his son József, Archbishop of Esztergom.
Szalónak (Schlaining) – Ferdinand I gave the manor of Szalónak, situated in today’s Austria, to Ferenc Batthyány I in 1527, together with Rohonc. Szalónak had a castle already in the Middle Ages. Similarly to Borostyánkő, it was the property pledge of the Austrian crown from the 15th century until 1647-48. After the death of Ádám Batthyány I, his sons, the forefather of the “Prince”/elder branch Kristóf Batthyány II and Pál Batthyány, forefather of the younger/”Count” branch divided the manor in 1662. Their grandchildren, Palatine Lajos Batthyány and Zsigmond Batthyány signed an exchange contract in 1748, under which the “Prince” branch received the land. However, the descendants of Zsigmond Batthyány attacked this arrangement with a huge family lawsuit. It was successful, as in the course of the 19th century Lajos Batthyány, a descendant of Zsigmond owned the manor as well. After the failure of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49, the part of the estate that belonged to him was confiscated, while the family sold the other half in 1915. Szalónak was part Tivadar Batthyány’s mining complex. The municipality was famous for its notable Jewish population living in the city since the 17th century. They were under the special protection of the Batthyány family.
Körmend – Körmend, situated in the historical Vas County, was granted to Ferenc Batthyány II in 1606. After the expulsion of the Turks, it became the administrative center of the “Prince” branch’s estates with the significant growth of the Batthyány lands in the western part of Hungary. Eleonóra Strattmann (1712-1717) made the fortress into a castle. Part of the fideicommissum created by palatine Lajos Batthyány in 1746. Lajos Batthyány built a riding hall on a Viennese pattern. Besides the still existing weapon collection, the Batthyány family’s library and the both legally and historically extremely important archives were stored in Körmend. In the Second World War, the library was destroyed during the military movement of the Soviets. As a result, both the library and the archives were moved to Budapest. It was the most important residence of the heirs of the “Prince” title, including the palatine, Fülöp Batthyány-Strattmann, and Blessed László Batthyány-Strattmann.
Kisbér – Palatine Lajos Batthyány purchased it in 1757-59 with royal approval. It is situated in the historical Komárom County. Tivadar Batthyány built its castle in 1770. He established a fabric factory in Kisbér, and the flock of 5000 sheep of the neighbouring manor ensured the production. During the time of Kázmér Batthyány the estate already had significant horse breeding activities. Kisbér was confiscated due to the count’s participation in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49, and the Hungarian Royal Stud-farm of Kisbér was established here in 1853. From then on until the Second World War it was the centre of the Hungarian horse breeding. It is likely that Kincsem, the successful racehorse in the Age of Dualism, was also from Kisbér.
Borostyánkő (Bernstein) – Ádám Batthyány I purchased the manor of Borostyánkő, situated in today’s Austria, from Kristóf Königsperg in 1644 for 325 thousand Forints. An interesting fact is that from 1445, when Frederick III took the land by force, until 1647 when they reannexed it to the Kingdom of Hungary, Borostyánkő was part of Austria. After the death of Ádám Batthyány I, his two sons, Kristóf Batthyány II and Pál divided Borostyánkő as well, similarly to the other estates. In 1669, the ancestor of the younger, “Count” branch, Pál gave his part of the estate to Kristóf II in exchange for the estate in Szentgrót, thus Borostyánkő fell into the hands of the “Prince” branch. From 1685 to 1700 Boldizsar Batthyány, brother of Kristóf Batthyány II and Ádám Batthyány II, the son of Kristóf were the owners of the manor together. Between 1700 and 1703, Ádám II was the only owner. Between 1703 and 1734, Eleonóra Batthyány-Strattmann, from 1734 to 1765 palatine Lajos Batthyány, between 1765 and 1811 Tivadar Batthyány, between 1811 and 1828 Antal József Batthyány, while from 1828 and 1865 Gusztáv Batthyány was the owner of the estate. Already Ádám Batthyány I had added to the castle which was the preferred residence of Eleonóra Batthyány-Strattmann. Mining was present in the area of the manor, with Tivadar Batthyány being its most outstanding figure. He processed the extracted raw materials in his large-scale sulfur and vitriol factory. Gusztáv Batthyány sold the estate in 1865 to Edward Egan (1816-1880) who had moved to Hungary from Ireland.
Pinkafő (Pinkafeld) – Situated in today’s Austria, the family got Pinkafő when Ádám Batthyány purchased the estate in Borostyánkő in 1644. After the split of the Borostyánkő manor in 1669, Pál Batthyány and the “Count” line received the part in Pinkafő. The estate was further divided between Pál’s grandchildren in the 18th century, and among them, Imre Batthyány I (1707-1774) got hold of Pinkafő. He became the founder of the Pinkafő sub branch of the “Count” line. Blessed László Batthyány-Strattmann (1870-1931), coming from the family’s Pinkafő sub branch, inherited the title of Prince and was the ancestor of the living family members. Ádám Batthyány I built the castle in 1658. From the 18th century on, the majority of the population lived off industry and handicraft. The charitable sister of Count István Széchenyi and wife of Miklós Batthyány, Countess Franciska Széchenyi (1783-1861) lived in this town.
Tarcsafürdő (Bad Tatzmanndorf) – Lajos Batthyány purchased it in 1752. It is situated in the historical Vas County, in today’s Austria. It was famous already in the 1600s for its medicinal waters also transported to Vienna and the municipality’s bath had a private doctor. During the 18th century Tivadar Batthyány and his son, Antal József Batthyány (1762-1828) built the bath and they made the town a real tourist destination. At this time several scientific publications were written about the medicinal water of Tarcsafürdő. The bathing place had its heyday in the middle of the 19th century. During the Second World War it was seriously damaged. With the construction of the spa center in the 1990s, the municipality has a bath again. The innovative Count Tivadar Batthyány had a guest here, François Baron de Tott (1733-1793). The globetrotter with special fate has performed his mysterious scientific experiments in a building – that no longer exists – known as the Hexenhaus (Witches-house) by the locals.
Bicske – The family got Bicske in 1607, when Ferenc Batthyány II married Éva Lobkovicz Poppel. The town is situated in the historical Fejér County. The palatine had already laid the foundations of the Bicske castle, but eventually Archbishop József Batthyány and János Hild, father of the famous József Hild built it. The observatory built in 1847 can be connected with natural scientist Károly Nagy (1797-1868), estate manager of Kázmér Batthyány. Resident of the castle was the painter Gyula Batthyány (1887-1959) from the Pinkafő subbranch. The great-grandson of Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány established an art colony there.
Trautmannsdorf – The Batthyány family had important estates outside the Kingdom of Hungary as well, primarily in Austria. An example is Trautmannsdorf in Lower Austria. Palatine Lajos Batthyány got it in 1756. Prince Károly Batthyány who was trusted with the education of the crown princes (József II and Leopold II, kings of Hungary later) had an outstanding library in the castle of Trautmannsdorf. The municipality acquired an important role again in the family’s history during the 20th century, when it served as home for the family members who had left for Austria during or after the Second World War, Prince László Batthyány-Strattmann VI (1904-1966) and the widow of Prince László Pascal Batthyány-Strattmann (1938-2015). The castle was sold in 1988 and 2004, today the family owns a mansion in the municipality.
Harkány – Eleonóra Strattmann obtained the Siklós manor, which included the municipality of Harkány, situated in the historical Baranya County. She got it from the family of General Aeneas de Caprara. The general was rewarded for his services after the liberation of Hungary from the Turkish. According to the tradition, a serf called János Pogány discovered the healing power of the waters at Harkány in 1823, when his leg healed when the nearby marshes were drained. In 1828, a thermal bath was established on the proposal from the European-minded Antal József Batthyány (1762-1828), a then property owner in the municipality, father of Kázmér Batthyány. The property was confiscated, although it was returned later to the family. In 1860, it was sold to the Benyovszky family. Hungary’s first thermal water well was constructed here, thanks to Vilmos Zsigmondy’s drilling. Zsigmondy also played a key role in the establishment of the Széchenyi Thermal Bath in Budapest, in 1866. First among Hungary’s spas, the thermal bath in Harkány became the target of the sick nationwide during the 1920s, in one of the most difficult periods in the history of the country.
Siklós – First General Aeneas de Caprara received Siklós, situated in the historical Baranya county, for his services in the liberation wars against the Turkish. In 1726, half of the property was granted to Eleonóra Strattmann who eventually purchased the whole property from Countess Caprara in 1736. Its castle is from the Middle Ages. Kázmér Batthyány had been the owner as well. In 1845, he hosted the participants of the 6th Congress of the Hungarian Physicians and Naturalists in his castle in Siklós, where besides grilling ox and tapping barrels he had also pleased the scientists with an imitated volcanic eruption on the Szársomlyó Hill. Because of his activities in 1848-49, the manor in Siklós was confiscated. After several attempts of Kázmér, his brother Gusztáv managed to retrieve the property for the family in the 1860s. In 1873, Lajos Benyovszky purchased the estate. An interesting fact is that Siklós had again connections with the Batthyány family just before the Second World War. The widow of Móric Benyovszky, Lujza Batthyány (1897-1981) sold the castle of Siklós to the Hungarian Army in 1944.
Vienna – The Batthyánys owned several properties in the western part of the historical Kingdom of Hungary. The family had close ties to the city of Vienna, due both to the hardships of the Turkish conquest and to the family’s loyalty and relation to the Habsburg dynasty. The first family member who lived in Vienna for a longer time was Ádám Batthyány I, in the first half of the 17th century. Ádám Batthyány II and especially his wife, Eleonóra Strattmann who had also consructed the Batthyány Palace at Herrengasse established the permanent stay of the Batthyány family in Vienna. Several members of the “Prince” and “Count” branch have lived for a longer time in Vienna, but among them Prince Károly Batthyány, Tivadar Batthyány, Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány, Prince Fülöp Batthyány-Strattmann, and Prince László Pascal Batthyány-Strattmann (1938-2015) are worth highlighting.
Bratislava – It became important for the Batthyány family as the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary after the expulsion of the Turks. In the 18th century Bratislava was not only the political, but also the ecclesiastical centre of the country, thus the city was the main residence of József Batthyány, archbishop of Esztergom as well. He built the Archbishop’s Palace (1777-1781) in Bratislava, and had a house there too. The city of Bratislava has served as an important residence not only for the archbishop, but also for Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány from the Zsigmond sub branch and his father, József Sándor Batthyány (1777-1812) as well.
Budapest – In 1743, Palatine Lajos Batthyány purchased two houses of medieval origins in the Buda Castle District, from which he built a palace. The pedestrians in the Castle District may still see the Batthyány family’s crest made of stone above the gate of the building No. 3 on Dísz square. In the following, the owners of the palace were the Batthyány-Strattmann princes. From the 19th century, it functioned as a tenement, and was last modernized by Prince Blessed László Batthyány-Strattmann in 1925. A notorious crime was also committed in this building, as judge royal György Mailáth (1818-1883) had been robbed there. On the other, Pest side of Budapest, another palace with connection to the Batthyány family is standing. The palace is on the Grand Boulevard (Nagykörút) of Budapest. Géza Batthyány (1838-1900) from the “Count” branch of Pinkafő built the palace, and it was modelled on the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. The City Park also has a connection with the Batthyány family, as in 1799 its area was rented by archbishop József Batthyány who had plans for the park’s design, quite similar to the present-day design. For a short time, the City Park was called Batthyány Forest. Furthermore, the land on which the National Museum stands was purchased from a Batthyány, namely Antal József (1762-1828) in 1813. For the Batthyánys, Budapest became the centre as similarly important as today first in the 19th century in the history of the family. It was the home of Kázmér Batthyány, Prince Fülöp Batthyány-Strattmann, the trailblazer of sailing, Prince Ödön Batthyány-Strattmann (1859-1931), as well as of two leading politicians of the age of dualism Tivadar Batthyány (1859-1931), minister of the king, and Lajos István Batthyány (1860-1951), governor of Fiume.
Content
Magnates, bishops, princes
Ferenc Batthyány I (1497-1566)
Boldizsár Batthyány III (1537/43-1590)
Ferenc Batthyány II (1573-1625)
Ádám Batthyány I (1610-1659)
Kristóf Batthyány II (1632/37-1687)
Ádám Batthyány II (1662-1703)
Palatine Lajos Batthyány (1696-1765)
Prince Károly József Batthyány (1697-1772)
Archbishop József Batthyány (1727-1799)
Tódor Batthyány (1729-1812)
Bishop Ignác Batthyány (1741–1798)
Prince Gusztáv Batthyány-Strattmann (1803-1883)
Kázmér Batthyány (1807-1854)
Lajos Batthyány (1807-1849)
Prince Fülöp Batthyány-Strattmann (1781-1870)
Prince Blessed László Batthyány-Strattmann (1870-1931)
Women
Erzsébet Svetkovics, wife of Ferencz Batthyány (1538-1575)
Dorica [Dorottya] Zrínyi (1550-1620)
Éva Lobkovicz Poppel of Batthyány (1585-1640)
Auróra Formentini (1609–1653)
Erzsébet Batthyány (1619-1674)
Eleonóra Batthyány-Strattmann (1672-1741)
Filippine Eszterházy (1734-1811)
Auguszta Keglevich, wife of Antal Szapáry (1808-1879)
Antónia Zichy, wife of Lajos Batthyány (1816-1888)
The history of the Batthyány family is the history of a family with unique past and rich traditions. However, as in all families, there were no two similar characters. Looking at the history of the family, the most diverse, often seemingly contradictory lives capture our attention. The overview of the Batthyány family provides a unique experience. If we have a closer look we may as well notice that not only those in the limelight - generals, politicians - had an impact on the history of the family, the smaller homeland, the nation. The lives spent with quiet labour, in the background - women, farmers, priests - add an even more special value to the contemporaries or the posterity.
Magnates, bishops, dukes
Ferenc Batthyány I (1497-1566)
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Ferenc Batthyány I is the first member in the family’s history with a more detailed biography. He married Katalin Svetkovics. He was the Croatian viceroy (ban), however, the family moved from the Croatian and the Southern Transdanubian regions to the Western border of the country during his life. He participated in suppressing the Dózsa Rebellion, a peasant revolt. He fought in the battle of Mohács, and was appointed the commander of the Hungarian army’s right wing. After the defeat at Mohács, he supported János Szapolyai for a short time, but in 1527, he pledged loyalty to King Ferdinand I, and received Rohonc and Szalónak. He obtained Németújvár - from where the family got its noble forename before the Battle of Mohács - in 1524. His biggest military achievement against the Ottoman Empire was the liberation of the Sárvár Castle in 1532. From the first half of the 16th century, his court in Németújvár became a distinguished social and cultural centre of Western Hungary. Boldizsár Batthyány, the son of Ferenc’s nephew Kristóf Batthyány, and his wife, Dorica Zrínyi grew up there as well. Ferenc was still a member of the Catholic Church, the family only joined the Reformation after him. When Miksa was crowned Hungarian king in 1563, he carried the Holy Crown of Hungary on the coronation. He died without any descendants, in contrast to his determination expressed in a letter he had sent to his wife, on the eve of the battle of Mohács. His nephew and his nephew’s son carried on Ferenc I’s public and cultural heritage.
literature:
Géza, Pálffy: A Batthyány család a törökellenes határvédelemben a XVI-XVII században, Hadtörténelmi közlemények, 122. (2009), 2. 321-356.
http://epa.oszk.hu/00000/00018/00059/pdf/EPA00018_hadtortenelmi_2009_02_321-356.pdf
1526 - Egy füst alatt..., mohacsi-csata.hu, 2014. szeptember 28.
http://mohacsi-csata.hu/content/1526-egy-f%C3%BCst-alatt
Boldizsár Batthyány III (1537/43-1590)
picture:
https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batthy%C3%A1ny_Boldizs%C3%A1r
Boldizsár Batthyány III is one of the most notable figures of the family’s history. His parents were Kristóf Batthyány (?-1570) and Erzsébet Svetkovics. He returned as one of the nation’s most accomplished magnates from his study trip in France and the Low Countries, speaking eight languages. His parents were Protestants, and after spending two years in France (1560-1562) where he enountered the civil wars between the Roman Catholics and the Huguenots, his commitment to Protestantism became even stronger. However, considering the stages of Reformation in Hungary at that time, it is not clear whether he was a follower of the Lutheran or the Calvinist movement. In 1566, he married Dorica Zrínyi (1550-1620), the daughter of the hero of the Siege of Szigetvár. He belonged to the closest circle of the Imperial-Royal Court in Vienna, as Emperor Miksa II wanted Boldizsár to accompany him to the imperial assembly at the time of his wedding. He was the steward at the coronation of Miksa to King of Hungary in 1563, while in 1575, when Rudolf was crowned King of Bohemia in Prague, he served as the master of stewards. He took an active part in the fights against the Ottoman Empire. The biggest triumph of his military career was at the battle at Gábornok in 1580, where Skanderbeg and three other Ottoman commanders died.
The centre of his activities was the court in Németújvár, established by his uncle and patron, Ferenc Batthyány I (1497-1566). The court functioned as a Protestant study centre as well, where Boldizsár Batthyány had a library of one thousand books, an outstanding collection for that era. The subjects of the books show interest in alchemy. Alchemy was not only the research and experimenting of scientific nature that is now covered by modern chemistry and physics, but also served as the basis for a special worldview. Boldizsár’s books suggest that he was a follower of the Paracelsian alchemy, reckoned as modern in the 16th century and popular primarily among Protestants. Boldizsár not only accumulated the knowledge gathered from the books and scientist connections, but he also experimented in his own laboratory. His interest in alchemy was related to his interest in healing arts. At that time, healing arts was also inseparable from botany, due to the great role herbs had played in it. Boldizsár was in contact with one of the period’s most remarkable scientists and botanist, the Flemish Carolus Clusius (1526-1609). He had an intense correspondence with the scientist and welcomed him in Németújvár. Thanks to him, different plants of the New World, such as potato, tomato and pepper got into the country for the first time. During his stay, the scientist wrote a book about the Transdanubian fungal species and published it in 1601. His work is one of the most important historical documents regarding our language, as the species mentioned in it include the Hungarian names as well. The fact that the Batthyány family (in comparison to the Hungarian aristocracy) owned mines on the lands in the Western part of Hungary and later in Austria may have contributed to Boldizsár’s interest in alchemy. Boldizsár had iron ore and copper mines in Vas County. He showed great interest in methods with which ore deposits or even natural resources can be found (for instance the divining rod), and also in the processes that modify, affect the nature of metals.
literature:
István Monok: A Batthyány család németújvári udvara és könyvtári műveltsége, In: Kék vér, fekete tinta. Arisztokrata könyvgyűjtemények, 1500-1700., Szerk.: István Monok, Budapest, 2005. 87-104.
http://real.mtak.hu/18776/1/Monok_Kek_ver_Batthyany_2005.pdf
Dóra, Bobory: Batthyány Boldizsár titkos tudománya - Alkímia, botanika és könyvgyűjtés a tizenhatodik századi Magyarországon, Budapest, 2018.
Ferenc Batthyány II (1573-1625)
picture:
http://npg.hu/portreadatbazis-e-muzeum/item/1287
There are women who are rather famous because of their husbands, but in the case of Ferenc Batthyány II it is just the opposite, as his wife, Éva Lobkovicz Poppel (1585-1640), is a more well-known character of our history than him. Ferenc II was the child of Boldizsár Batthyány and Dorica Zrínyi. He was raised as a Protestant and unlike his father, it is certain that he was a representative of the Calvin branch of the Reformation. His religious perception is clear, since he stood up for the Protestant interests with supporting Gábor Bethlen during his Transdanubian campaign in 1620 and continued the fight after the Peace of Nikolsburg in 1621 too. The magnate was a serious blackmail potential for Vienna, and later he managed to returne to the court of Ferdinand II only with the help of Péter Pázmány. After he participated in the peace negotiations in Zsitvatorok, he received the city of Körmend as a gift in 1606. He loved music and was a famous dancer. Before tying the knot in 1607, he courted Éva Poppel with the poems of Bálint Balassi. On his funeral twenty Hungarian, seventeen German and five Croatian preachers gave speeches, both Calvinists and Lutherans. Despite his wife also being a dedicated Protestant, their son, Ádám Batthyány I (1610-1659) led the Batthyány family into the circle of the Western Hungarian, catholic and loyal aristocracy.
literature:
Zoltán, Nagy Dr.: A Batthyányak nemzetsége Vas vármegyében – 15 nemzedék jeles személyiségei – 1452-1966, „Batthyány II Ferenc hivatalból gróf és báró”, Testis temporis – az idők tanúja 19., Körmend, 2007. 10-11.
http://www.kormendplaza.hu/kepek/doc/batthyanynezetseg1_24.pdf
Ádám Batthyány I (1610-1659)
picture:
http://archivum.piar.hu/batthyany/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Count_%C3%81d%C3%A1m_Batthy%C3%A1ny.jpg
His parents were Ferenc Batthyány II and Éva Lobkovicz Poppel, and he was a defining member of the family’s history. The most important decision of his life was, when under the spiritual guidance of Péter Pázmány, he converted to Catholicism at the age of twenty. Ferdinand II gave him the title of Count in 1630, from then he served as chamberlain at the court in Vienna. He acted against the desire of his strong-willed mother not only in the question of religion: he married Aurora Formentini (1609-1653) for love in 1632. She came from an impoverished family of Italian origin. From 1633, he lived in the castle of Németújvár and was in charge of the Transdanubian region’s defence against the Ottoman army, being Captain General of Kanizsa and Transdanubia at the same time. He wrote a diary about the battles fought against György Rákóczi I, Prince of Transylvania, who tried to invade Royal Hungary in 1644. His grandfather’s, Boldizsár III’s passion for collecting books lived on in Ádám. Interestingly the books considered harmful or heretic from a Catholic perspective and left behind by Protestant preachers, warned to leave by Ádám himself, survived in his library in Németújvár. The books survived primarily because of the Franciscans who settled down on the estate. His favourite readings were the prayer books in Hungarian. He developed his estates with great energy. Ádám I granted Körmend the so-called ‘Haiduk privilege’ in 1650, furthermore, he ordered the reconstruction of the town’s castle between 1654 and 1657. The family’s Prince of Németújvár, or otherwise the elder branch started with his older son, Kristóf II (1632-1687). The Count of Németújvár, or the younger branch starts with his younger son, Pál (1639-1674).
literature:
András,Koltai: Batthyány Ádám és könyvtára, A Kárpát-medence koraújkori könyvtárai IV, Budapest-Szeged, 2002.
http://real.mtak.hu/23944/1/Monok_Koltai_KKK_04.pdf
Koltai 2012 András,Koltai: Batthyány Ádám. Egy magyar főúr és udvara a XVII század közepén, Győr, 2012.
Péter, Ötvös: A németújvári ferences kolostor könyvtára, Vigilia, 1990. 745-748.
http://epa.oszk.hu/02900/02970/00602/pdf/EPA02970_vigilia_1990_10_745-748.pdf
Kristóf Batthyány II (1632/37-1687):
picture:
https://www.hung-art.hu/frames.html?/magyar/zmisc/pnevnelk/festmeny/batthyan.html
His parents were Ádám Batthyány I and Auróra Formentini. In his twenties, he travelled across Europe in 1657-58 (he visited Italy, Switzerland and the Holy Roman Empire). We know about the journey in detail, thanks to the diary his servant has written. Peregrination was quite typical among the magnates of the era – just remember Boldizsár Batthyány III’s journey to France. It was a pilgrimage, an educational tour, a diplomatic mission all at once, during which the youth got to know the customs of other countries’ nobility and learn them. After his return, he fought in the famous Ottoman war of 1663-64 as the Captain General of Transdanubia. From 1666, he was master of the cupbearers, as well as imperia, royal chamberlain. In 1683, Kristóf Batthyány II surrendered and joined the troops of Imre Thököly that departed for the siege of Vienna with Ottoman alliance. Kristóf II was not an exception, as along the troops’ route, almost the whole of intimidated Transdanubia joined Thököly’s forces. After the liberation of the imperial city, King Leopold I welcomed him almost immediately back, however he had to renounce his position as Captain General in 1685. Kristóf also participated in the liberation of Buda in 1686 with which another major period started in the history of the country and of the Batthyány family as well. He married Mária Palocsai (1644-1686), and had a son called Ádám Batthyány II (1662-1703). The so-called ‘Prince’ or elder branch of the Batthyány family starts with Kristóf II.
literature:
Batthyány Kristóf európai utazása 1657-1658, Peregrinatio Hungarorum 2., Szelestei Nagy László, Szeged, 1988.
http://misc.bibl.u-szeged.hu/29097/1/ph_002.pdf
Géza, Pálffy: A Batthyány család és a dunántúli határvédelem a XVI-XVII században, In: Batthyány I Ádám és köre, Piliscsaba, (41-66)
http://www.academia.edu/7927383/A_Batthy%C3%A1ny_csal%C3%A1d_%C3%A9s_a_dun%C3%A1nt%C3%BAli_hat%C3%A1rv%C3%A9delem_a_XVI_XVII_sz%C3%A1zadban_The_Batthy%C3%A1ny_Family_and_Border_Defence_in_Transdanuba_in_the_16_17th_Centuries_._In_Batthy%C3%A1ny_I_%C3%81d%C3%A1m_%C3%A9s_k%C3%B6re._Szerk._J._%C3%9Ajv%C3%A1ry_Zsuzsanna._Piliscsaba_2013._p._41_66
Ádám Batthyány II (1662-1703)
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Child of Kristóf Batthyány II and Mária Palocsai. Together with his father, he participated in the military operations of the Turks. In 1684 Leopold I pardoned his father and Ádám II received the position of Captain General. He became an outstanding general of the war that led to the expulsion of the Turks. He fought in the most important battles, as he was there in the siege of Buda in 1686, and played a role in recapturing Székesfehérvár and Kanizsa. The Turkish weaponry guarded in the castle of Körmend is possibly there because of Ádám II. From 1693, he was viceroy of Croatia, commander of an army of 12 thousand soldiers. He wrote a strategic work in 1690; however, it remained in manuscript format. From 1700 onwards until his death, he was both the chief justice of the country and the chief bailiff of Vas County. After the war of the Spanish succession had started, he led the troops in Italy. He died unexpectedly in Vienna in 1703; the circumstances of his death are unknown. He was in an intimate relationship with Ferenc Rákóczi, who had been in Vienna several times. Towards the end of the 1690s, the future prince became unreliable in the eye of the court, hence the friendship of Ádám II meant a lot to him. In 1698, Rákóczi stayed in Ádám’s castle in Rohonc for a long time. Ádám II married Eleonóra Strattman (1672-1741) in 1962, who had an exceptional impact on the history of the family. A curiosity is that while the beau ideal of young Rákóczi had been Eleonóra Strattmann, Ádám II courted Julianna, Rákóczi’s sister before his marriage to Eleonóra. The couple had two sons, Lajos Ernő and Károly József, and both of them had a special career.
literature:
Zoltán, Nagy Dr.: A Batthyányak nemzetsége Vas vármegyében – 15 nemzedék jeles személyiségei – 1452-1966, „Batthyány II Ádám gróf”, Testis temporis – az idők tanúja 19., Körmend, 2007. 15-16.
http://www.kormendplaza.hu/kepek/doc/batthyanynezetseg1_24.pdf
Géza, Pálffy: A Batthyány család és a dunántúli határvédelem a XVI-XVII században, In: Batthyány I Ádám és köre, Piliscsaba, (41-66)
Mónika, Zsámbéky: A Batthyány hercegek ősanyja, Strattmann Eleonóra: egy regényes életút vázlata, Vasi Szemle, 60 (2006), 6., 713-722.
http://www.vasiszemle.hu/2006/06/zsambeky.htm
Palatine Lajos Batthyány (1696-1765)
#/media/File:Batthy%C3%A1ny_Lajos_n%C3%A1dor.jpg){kind=link}
Lajos Ernő Batthyány was the son of Ádám Batthyány II and Eleonóra Strattmann, and brother of general Károly (1697-1772). He married Terézia Kinsky (1700-1775), member of a Czech aristocratic family in 1717, and they had four sons. He died relatively early, but was heir to an enormous fortune thanks to his father, who played an active role in the Ottoman wars and increased the family property with the goods obtained during the recapture of the country, and thanks to his mother as well, who acquired further properties. The reputation of the Batthyány family, Lajos’ talent and the influence of his mother, Eleonóra Strattmann predestined him to leading national positions. Over his outstanding political career, he was chamberlain, inner counsellor, master of the cupbearers, chief bailiff of Vas County, administrator of Zala County, furthermore he became knight of the Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece, and received the order of Saint Stephen as well. However, being palatine from 1751 until his death was the peak of his career. In almost his entire career, he supported the Habsburg monarchy, especially Empress Maria Theresa. As the chancellor of the Tabula Septemviralis (1732-1746), he played a key role in organising the episode of the 1741 Hungarian National Assembly in Bratislava that is known as the “vitam et sanguinem” offering. Moreover, he was also an important figure of the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763).
Lajos Batthyány increased his property with further purchases from the Crown, and acquiring lands primarily in the Transdanubia region through exchange contracts within the family. In 1746, he created a fideicommissum from the majority of the family lands. Together with the Strattmann fideicommissum we can talk about the Batthyány-Strattmann fideicommissum. He commissioned the construction of many buildings (predominantly in Körmend), and he was a great patron, as he supported the publication of several books. He wanted to rationalise the yield of his Transdanubian properties. However, this idea faced strong opposition especially on his lands in Kanizsa and Vas County, but also in Körmend, where his main land was. It eventually led to small-scale peasants’ revolts in 1765-66. The palatine had a disagreement with the Queen as well, on the issue of the duties of serfs. Among others, the peasant uprisings on the Batthyány lands led to the publishing of the 1767 feudal regulation that wished to settle the issue nation-wide. The short article of the Pallas Encyclopedia describes Lajos Batthyány’s death as follows: “As he was a man of loyalty and contributed towards his country’s interests in every possible aspect, the whole country respected and loved him. The unbreakable loyalty in his heart towards the throne is proved by the fact that when his loyalty was questioned, he died from sorrow.” Lajos Batthyány was the last palatine in Hungarian history who was not a member of the Habsburg dynasty. Hence, he is commonly referred to as the last “national palatine”.
literature:
Batthyány Lajos nádor, Móricz Péter (szerk.), Körmend, 2017.
Péter, Móricz: Batthyány Lajos nádor halotti beszédeinek Vas megyei vonatkozásai, In: Savaria, A Vas Megyei Múzeumok Értesítője, 34/1, Szombathely, 2011, 321-334.
http://muzeumkormend.hu/sites/default/files/publikacio/pdf/2017-01-01/halottIpdf
A Pallas Nagy Lexikona, II, Arafele-Békalen, „Batthyány Lajos”, Budapest, 739.
https://adtplus.arcanum.hu/hu/view/PallasLexikon_02/?pg=744&layout=s
Zoltán, Kaposi: A herceg Batthyány-Strattmann hitbizományi uradalmak területi és gazdasági változásai (1746-1945), Uradalmak térben és időben – Baranyai történelmi közlemények 5. 2013. 109-146.
https://library.hungaricana.hu/hu/view/BARM_tk_5/?pg=110&layout=s
Gert Polster: Die ältere Linie der Familiengeschichte im 18. Jahrhundert. Teil 2: Die Generation am Zenit des Hauses als Grundlage für die folgende Generationen. Der Palatin Ludwig Ernst Graf Batthyány, Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter 62, (2000), Heft 1, 35-38.
https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter_62_4_0017-0042.pdf
Prince Károly József Batthyány (1697-1772)
Károly Batthyány is a neglected figure of the earlier military history, despite playing a role as important as János Hunyadi, András Hadik, or Arthur Görgey. The little brother of Palatine Lajos Batthyány, son of Ádám Batthyány II and Eleonóra Strattmann, chose a military career, following the family tradition. While his brother supported the monarchy in the heartland, Károly did the same on the battlefield. He fought in several wars; but his most important role was in the war of the Austrian Succession (1741-1748) which was critical from the dynasty’s perspective. From 1743, he served as commander-in-chief at the crucial Bavarian battlefield, where he led military operations effectively, even in difficult strategic positions. The victory at the battle of Pfaffenhofen in 1745 was decisive regarding the war. His actions fuelled the unlikely rumours, according to which the Batthyány sons, Károly and Lajos were both the children of the legendary general, Prince Eugene of Savoya, who was famously good friends with Eleonóra Strattmann. A special episode of his career was serving as majordomo for the future József II between 1749 and 1763. The most important part of his duties was the education of the young, only 8-year-old archduke, and for a while the education of his two brothers (including the future King Leopold II). The role of Károly Batthyány was uncertain in earlier historical literature, but thanks to the recent researches, it is now clear that his position was highly appreciated and important, as no Hungarian had such a remarkable position at the imperial and royal court in Vienna before or after Károly. The decisive factor in receiving the position of the crown prince’s ayo (Spanish term, meaning tutor) was his outstanding military experience.
To get a clear picture of Emperor József’s memories of his former educator, it is worth to quote the words of Antal Pezenhoffer, who provides interesting details about their relationship: “Batthyány used the sword, but had nothing to do with books; therefore it is clear that he could not have a religiously destructive impact on his pupil. On the contrary, the problem was that the crown prince, compared to his “enlightened” teachers, was overly uneducated, therefore, the contrast between him and his teachers increased the respect he felt towards the modern sciences and progress. The old student had a derogatory remark about Batthyány later. He stated that the only thing he had learnt from him was a harsh curse word.” Although in the libraries of his residence in Vienna and his castle in Trautmannsdorf he had more than 3000 books, Károly Batthyány was socialised primarily on the battlefield, not in an intellectual environment. Taking this into account, the criticism of József might be based on reality. However József, who relied on his talent too much (although not without reason) hardly ever had positive comments about those who had authority above him during his life and shared with him their experiences, hence he became obliged to them. At this point Pezenhoffer’s words are again worth to read: “But Batthyány left his mark on the future emperor, and not in a wrong way. Thanks to the fact that he grew up in military simplicity and austerity, he became a strong, trained man, who could endure fatigue and hardships, and remained a soldierly, simple person during his whole life. This is not an achievement to belittle.” In 1764 he was awarded with the title of „Prince”, officially because his work in the education of the crown prince József. The imperial tutor and master of ceremonies had an outstanding career, but in contrast, his family life was tragic. All three of his wives, in order Borbála Waldstein, Franciska Strattmann (niece of Eleonóra Strattmann) and Countess Antónia Batthyány died young, and of his children (with Franciska he had 10) not even the girls survived until adulthood. After Franciska’s death and having no sons, the palatine, Károly’s brother received the Strattmann inheritance and fideicommissum. He was already using the name Batthyány-Strattmann since 1755. By Károly’s will, the palatine’s descendants also inherited the title of „Prince”.
literature:
Zsolt, Kökényesi: Katona vagy udvari ember? Batthyány Károly helye a bécsi udvari arisztokrácia sorában, In: Batthyány Lajos nádor, Móricz Péter (szerk.), Körmend, 2017.
http://www.academia.edu/35385269/Katona_vagy_udvari_ember_Batthy%C3%A1ny_K%C3%A1roly_helye_a_b%C3%A9csi_udvari_arisztokr%C3%A1cia_sor%C3%A1ban._In_Batthy%C3%A1ny_Lajos_n%C3%A1dor._Szerkesztette_M%C3%B3ricz_P%C3%A9ter._K%C3%B6rmend_2017_163-183
Antal, Pezenhoffer: A magyar nemzet történelme, VIII 2004. 307.
http://mek.oszk.hu/04200/04245/pdf/08.pdf
Gert Polster: Die ältere Linie der Familiengeschichte im 18. Jahrhundert. Teil 2: Die Generation am Zenit des Hauses als Grundlage für die folgende Generationen. Fürst Carl Batthyány, Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter 62, (2000), Heft 1, 35-38.
https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter_62_4_0017-0042.pdf
Mátyás, Kéthelyi: Die militärischen Aktionen in Bayern von Károly József Graf Batthyány während des österreichischen Erbfolgekrieges, In: Die Familie Batthyany: Ein österreichisch-ungarisches Magnatengeschlecht vom Ende des Mittelalters bis zur Gegenwart, Band 1., Wissenschaftliche Arbeiten aus dem Burgenland, Band 139., Eisenstadt, 2014. 165-176.
Archbishop József Batthyány (1727-1799)
picture:
https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batthy%C3%A1ny_J%C3%B3zsef_(%C3%A9rsek)#/media/File:Batthy%C3%A1ny_J%C3%B3zsef_hercegpr%C3%ADm%C3%A1s.jpg
Second son of Lajos Batthyány and Terézia Kinsky (1700-1775), and the favourite of the palatine. He was interested in both human and natural sciences; he showed his talent in oratory quite early. After finishing his studies in canon and secular law, he decided to become a priest. In 1759, he became Transylvania’s bishop, in 1760, he was elected archbishop of Kalocsa, and from 1776 until his death, he served as the archbishop of Esztergom (however, he lived in Bratislava due to the circumstances of the period). This means that the Batthyánys filled two of the most important positions in the Hungarian public life (palatine and archbishop of Esztergom), uniquely in the century. During the time of being an archbishop, the Catholic Church had to face notable crises both abroad and in Hungary - the French Revolution, the anticlerical measures of József II, or the Martinovics Conspiracy. As a Church politician, Archbishop József represented the autonomy of both the Church and the Kingdom of Hungary at the same time, opposing the endeavours of József II. In his actions his “clericalism”, his loyalty towards Rome chimed in with his patriotism. He was among the firsts to promote consciously the Hungarian language, and he collected national literature. In 1782, during Pope Pius VI’s historically significant visit in Vienna, he was the main mediator between the pope and the emperor.
In the Pallas Encylopedia, Henrik Marcali writes the following about the culture and art enthusiast archbishop, quoting the expressive description of Prince Albert, royal governor: “Under the strange, not to say comical appearance there was a true mind, a sincere and elaborate spirit and since that was connected with great, natural eloquence, his words carried great weight, all the more because he knew the country thoroughly.” In another work (Magyarország története II József korában, 292.), the great historian provides a witty presentation about the man who was named the Hungarian Dionysius Areopagita, after the churchman who had disserted about angels. “Great ancestry, outstanding virtue and special education that has always distinguished the churchmen who were also part of the public affairs, and enhanced their prestige as well. When József II came to the throne, József Batthyány, the son of Palatine Lajos Batthyány was the country’s primate and he, as the archbishop of Kalocsa, devoted all of his private income for religious purposes. An author, who also wrote about the chronique scandaleuse of the complete Catholic prelacy, cannot claim worse about him than that he was a chess enthusiast.”
literature:
Vajk, Bánhidy: Batthyány József egyházfői tevékenysége (1776-1799). (Az érseki székhely Esztergomba való visszatelepítésének gondolata), in: Esztergom Évlapjai, Esztergom, 2009. 91-98.
https://library.hungaricana.hu/hu/view/EsztergomKonyvek_106/?pg=92&layout=s
Gert Polster: Die ältere Linie der Familiengeschichte im 18. Jahrhundert. Teil 4: Kardinal József Graf Batthyäny, Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter 63, (2001) Heft 4, 11-32.
http://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter_63_1_0011-0068.pdf
A Pallas Nagy Lexikona, II, Arafele-Békalen, „Batthyány Lajos”, Budapest, 738.
https://adtplus.arcanum.hu/hu/view/PallasLexikon_02/?pg=743&layout=s
Tódor (Tivadar) Batthyány (1729-1812)
picture:
https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batthy%C3%A1ny_T%C3%B3dor#/media/File:Batthy%C3%A1ny_T%C3%B3dor.jpg
Third son of Palatine Lajos Batthyány and Theresa Kinsky (1700-1775). In contrast to his brother, Archbishop József Batthyány, Tódor was clearly more prosaic and practical minded. The enterprises on his properties (mining, metal industry and textile industry) determined his activities. He took control of the land in Németújvár and the iron mining there already when his father was still alive. He married Filippine Eszterházy (1734-1811), who was his lifelong partner and supported him in his enterprises as well. In the eyes of posterity, his main work was his experiments to find a way for the ships to swim against the stream. However, behind his efforts, we have to recognize his aforementioned enterprises. As the result of the era’s circumstances, the agricultural products cultivated on his lands were carried to the market on waterway. The fact that Tódor showed a preference for France when trying to sell his products from mining and manufacturing makes his ambitious ideas clear. The count urged the development of the country’s infrastructure in relation to the waterway trade. He supported the regulation of the Danube and other rivers of the country in order to make their navigability optimal. In the 1770s, he assisted the construction of a navigable channel on the River Kulpa in Croatia on behalf of the court. His entrepreneurial mentality showed when he established a company in order to cover the expenses of his expensive, but eventually successful tests. The symbolic icing on the cake was the patent he got in 1793 for his innovative way of ship construction. The unique looking ships that cruised without any visible equipment and appeared at Vienna and Bratislava in the 1790s were in the focus of attention.
In his enterprises and objectives, a certain obsession characterized Tódor Batthyány. With great enthusiasm, he collected more than a thousand books on technical, technological and industrial topics. In Hungary uniquely, his book collection focused on practical knowledge. His collection made up the majority of the book donation of Gusztáv Batthyány, the grandson of Tódor. The books were moved to the future library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from Rohonc in 1838-39. Although it may seem that his enterprises occupied all of Tódor’s time, we know about his political views as well. A work written in German after József II’s death, during the time of the 1790-1791 diet, shows the Hungarian nobles in a bad light but dissolves an assumption. Tódor Batthyány was not afraid of conflicts in politics and neither in his personal life. The count had great disputes (feuds involving lands) with his brother, archbishop József too. It is unknown why exactly was he displeased with his son, Antal József Batthyány (1762-1828) nicknamed Tonerl, but he did not even mention Antal’s name in his testament. Nevertheless, he inherited his father’s lands, although burdened with heavy debt. At this point, we can talk about the disruption of the relationship between the generations. We know little about the personality of Antal József, as he spent most of his life in Milan and Vienna. The grandchildren of Tódor barely knew who their grandfather was.
literature:
Géza, Szőcs: Batthyány Tódor Album, Irodalmijelen.hu, 2015.
https://www.irodalmijelen.hu/2015-aug-17-1625/batthyany-todor-album
Walter, Endrei: Batthyány Tódor műszaki könyvtára, Magyar Könyvszemle, 107 (1991), 141-145.
http://epa.oszk.hu/00000/00021/00345/pdf/mk_1991_1-2_132-145.pdf
Gert Polster: Theodor Graf Batthyány (1729-1812), In: Die Familie Batthyany: Ein österreichisch-ungarisches Magnatengeschlecht vom Ende des Mittelalters bis zur Gegenwart, Band 1., Wissenschaftliche Arbeiten aus dem Burgenland, Band 139., Eisenstadt, 2014. 203-222.
Polster, Gert: Die ältere Linie der Familiengeschichte im 18. Jahrhundert. Teil 5: Theodor Graf Batthyäny, Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter, 63 (2001), Heft 4, 33-54.
http://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter_63_1_0011-0068.pdf
about his work concerning ship construction and his patent:
József, Bíró: Batthyány Tódor hajóépítő és hajózási kísérletei, In: A Közlekedési Múzeum Évkönyve I 1896-1971, 1971. 239-264.
https://library.hungaricana.hu/hu/view/ORSZ_KOZL_Evkonyv_1896_1971/?pg=240&layout=s
Batthyány Tódor grófnak, a Cs. és kir. Szabadalmazott Hajózási és Hajóépítő Társulat elnökének hajóépítési szabadalma (1793), Endrei Walter és Tardy Lajos kísérőtanulmányával, In: Alpárné Szála Erzsébet, Alpár Geyza, Gazda István: Hat korai magyar szabadalom (1782–1796), A Magyar Tudománytörténeti Intézet Tudományos Közleményei 97., Budapest, 25-33.
http://real.mtak.hu/56282/1/szabadalmak.pdf
Bishop Ignác Batthyány (1741–1798)
picture:
https://turul.info/napok/batthyanyIgnác
http://muzeumbarat.hu/eletr.php?elod_id=39
https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batthy%C3%A1ny_Ign%C3%A1c#/media/File:Batthy%C3%A1ny_Ign%C3%A1c.jpg
Ignác Batthyány is an important representative of the Princes of the Church of the 18th century, who established the further development of the Hungarian civilization and culture. Ignác comes from the family’s ‘Count’ branch, more precisely from the Pinkafő sub branch that eventually inherited the title of „Prince” with László Batthyány-Strattmann (1870-1931). His parents were Imre Batthyány (1707-1774) and Anna Sauer von Krosiagh zu Ankerstein (1720-1764). Ignác became a priest, and served as the bishop of Transylvania from 1780 to 1799, following his relative from the family’s ‘Prince’ branch József Batthyány, who was the bishop for a short time in 1759-60. As the bishop, Ignác engaged in several pastoral, church organiser and patronising activities that had a lasting effect. He played a role in the investigation of the heavenly events related to the Virgin Mary statue in Csíksomlyó, and he was involved in the pastoral care of the Csango people. His best-known work is the library he established at the bishop’s seat in Gyulafehérvár (Alba Iulia). With thousands of books, the beautiful library hall stands to this day. Several special codices, books, and manuscripts are part of the library stock, for example the Hungarian text from the 1300s, known as the “lines of Gyulafehérvár”. The bishop was quite interested in his country’s past; he wrote significant books as a historian too. His main work was the Leges ecclesiasticae regni Hungariae (Ecclesiastical law of the Kingdom of Hungary) published in 1785, and he wrote the first scientific overview of Bishop Gerard’s life work as well.
literature:
Zsigmond, Jakó: Batthyány Ignác, a tudós és a tudományszervező, Erdélyi Múzeum, 53. (1991), 1-4. 76-99.
http://epa.oszk.hu/00900/00979/00003/pdf/076-099.pdf
Edit, Madas: Sermonianum – gyulafehérvári sorok, Magyar nyelvemlékek
http://nyelvemlekek.oszk.hu/ism/sermonarium_%E2%80%93_gyulafehervari_sorok
Prince Gusztáv Batthyány-Strattmann (1803-1883)
picture:
http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Guszt%C3%A1v_Batthy%C3%A1ny
Gusztáv Batthyány was the archetype of true bon vivants in the aristocracy. He was the son of Antal József Batthyány (1762-1828) and Cecília Roggendorf. He spent the majority of his childhood in Vienna and Milan, with his brother Kázmér (1807-1852) who later played a great role in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. From the 1830s on, Gusztáv spent most of his time in London and England, but occasionally he visited Hungary and lived here for longer periods until 1849. In 1838, he donated his grandfather’s, Tódor Batthyány’s library in Rohonc, with around 30 thousand books, to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Otherwise, he had never engaged in public issues. However, he had a clear political view. In his diary, Széchenyi wrote that along with Kázmér, Gusztáv disputed the political philosophy of Metternich and they participated in the press debate that unfolded within the circles of the emigrants. Although we know little about his personality, it is clear that in contrast to his brother, Gusztáv Batthyány was conservative and loyal to the court. According to a legend, he fought in the Hungarian Revolution and as punishment, he was enlisted as soldier in the imperial army, but this turned out to be false. The count primarily lived off his lands’ income and his main activity was horse racing. He talked about horse racing with Széchenyi who was also a sportsman and for a while his swimming partner. Széchenyi’s remark in his diary from the 16th of July, 1848 portrays Gusztáv well: “He applauds “15th March”...because it amuses him greatly.” At the time, Széchenyi became more and more troubled, but this remark shows us Gusztáv’s irresponsibility, cynicism towards the radicalism of the revolution, or even the stoic wisdom he showed concerning the political changes. After the war of independence, he managed his Hungarian estates from abroad, but he also handled the issue of his brother’s confiscated estates. In England, he owned a famous racing stable, his horses won several derbies. He became a member of the prestigious Jockey Club in 1859. He inherited the title of „Prince” after the death of Fülöp Batthyány (1781-1870). His son, Ödön Batthyány-Strattmann (1826-1914) was also a well-known sportsman, a sailing champion. After him, the blessed eye doctor inherited the title of „Prince”.
literature:
Anna, Rákossy: Batthyány Gusztáv, a hitbizomány birtokosa 1870 és 1883 között, in: A Batthyányak évszázadaI Tudományos konferencia Körmenden 2005. október 27-29. II A Batthyány család évszázadai - Gróf Batthyány Ádámtól Batthyány-Strattmann László hercegig., Szerk.: Nagy Zoltán (szerk.), Körmend, 2006. 181-186.
https://library.hungaricana.hu/hu/view/MEGY_VASM_Sk_03_2005/?pg=182&layout=s
Kázmér Batthyány (1807-1854)
picture:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Batthy%C3%A1ny_K%C3%A1zm%C3%A9r_Franz_Eybl_1846.jpg
Son of Antal József Batthyány (1762-1828) and Cecília Roggendorf, grandchild of Tódor Batthyány, and brother of Gusztáv Batthyány (1803-1883). Together with Lajos Batthyány who was a distant relative from the family’s other branch, he played a great role in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49. His mother died when the children were quite young. He spent some time in Hungary, but mostly he grew up in Vienna and Milan. Only after reaching the legal age of adulthood in the 1830s did he move to Hungary, when he and his brother divided the estates in 1837. In connection with Hungary, the quite unexperienced and, according to himself, rather an art lover Kázmér relied on Károly Nagy (1797-1868), a natural scientist who had experience in intellectual and estate issues as well. The astronomer, mathematician and member of the Hungarian Learned Society (contemporary name of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) was responsible for shaping the young count’s ideological and political views. The first public manifestation of his patronage was when Kázmér financed the publishing of Károly Nagy’s Hungarian informative books. After his brother’s, Gusztáv’s donation and having received encouragement from Károly Nagy, he offered his library in Kisbér to the Learned Society. Kázmér learned Hungarian from Nagy, although when he appeared on the political stage of Hungary on the diet of 1839-40, his Hungarian was barely understandable, according to the secret police’s report. As for Kázmér Batthyány’s political career, the commemorative speech held at the funeral of Károly Nagy was not unfounded. According to this speech the republican scientist, who also embraced ultrademocratic and communist-like doctrines, was quasi the alter ego of the count.
Although Kázmér was from the family’s wealthier and more famous part, he could not obtain such influence during his political career in the 1840s as his relative, Lajos Batthyány. He represented the aggressive opposition regarding the issues of Church politics, constitution and economy. From 1844, he was the president of the National Protective Association; however, the association had to stop its work in 1846 after it turned out that its badges were made in Vienna. In 1847, after leaving his faith, he married Augusta Keglevich (1808-1879) who had been the wife of Antal Szapáry but divorced him abroad. The social scandal induced by this event increased the disagreement with its personal nature between the two main parties of the political life, the conservatives and the liberals. During the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence, Kázmér became chief bailiff of Baranya, and from September 1848, he led the campaign on the Serbian frontline as commissary. After the dethronement, he served as foreign minister in the Szemere Government. When the war ended, he managed to leave the country. According to the remembrance of Bertalan Szemere who accompanied him, when the boat reached the frontier he asked Kázmér Batthyány what to do with the Holy Crown and his response was to break it into pieces or throw it into the Danube. He suffered from the emigration, since he started to disagree with other members of the emigration. It is known that he was interested in getting amnesty. He died almost unnoticed in Paris, in 1854.
Miklós, Füzes: Batthyány Kázmér, Magyar história (27), Budapest, 1990. 214. https://library.hungaricana.hu/hu/view/BARM_skiv_3/?pg=0&layout=s
János, Veliky: Batthyány Kázmér a Védegylet élén, in: Gróf Batthyány Kázmér (1807-1854) emlékezete, Baranyai történelmi közlemények 1., A Baranya Megyei Levéltár Évkönyve, Szerk. Ódor Imre – Rozs András, Pécs, 2006. 29-38.
Orsolya, Völgyesi: Batthyány Kázmér az 1839/40-es és az 1843/44-es országgyűlésen, in: Gróf Batthyány Kázmér (1807-1854) emlékezete, Baranyai történelmi közlemények 1., A Baranya Megyei Levéltár Évkönyve, Szerk. Ódor Imre – Rozs András, Pécs, 2006. 9-29.
József, Bakos: Nagy Károly 1797-1868 reformkori természettudós élete és munkássága, Budapest, 1994.
Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány (1807-1849)
picture:
https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batthy%C3%A1ny_Lajos_(minisztereln%C3%B6k)#/media/File:Barabas-batthyany.jpg
Count Lajos Batthyány is the best-known member of the Batthyány family. It is interesting that he was not from the family’s more distinguished part that had the prince title and also the more significant members, but from the part that started with Ádám Batthyány I’s (1610-1659) second son, Pál (1639-1674), and is called the ‘Count’ (or younger) branch. Within the younger branch, he was from the subbranch of Zsigmond. His parents were József Sándor Batthyány (1777-1812) and Borbála Skerlech (1779-1834), descendant of the Skerlecz family of Lomnic. His father died when Lajos was only five, and conflicts characterised the relationship with his mother, the frivol widow. Lajos Batthyány was an intelligent, but defiant and ornery young man. He attended the Law Academy in Zagreb and had a short-lived military career. After the litigation with his mother, he started to manage his lands at the age of 24. He married Antónia Zichy (1816-1888) in 1834. Antonia supported her husband’s politics with her public appearances and gave birth to their three children. Lajos Batthyány became more involved in politics after the 1839-40 diet. As the descendant of an aristocratic family loyal to the throne throughout its history, he represented the opposition.
While Széchenyi became an outstanding figure of the Hungarian political scene because of his moral authority and Kossuth thanks to his rhetorical skills and publicism, Lajos Batthyány could have the leading role in the opposition due to his appearances’ impressive superiority, the special prominence surrounding his unreachable personality. Of course, the fact that he was of aristocratic descent mattered a lot, but he was not as wealthy or of noble origin as Kázmér Batthyány. He became Hungary’s first Prime Minister on 17 March 1848. He resigned on 2 October, when it became clear that an open armed conflict began between the monarchy and the government. Although during the 1840s he opposed the governmental policy, after he was captured in Pest in January 1849, he emphasised the legitimacy of his actions and his loyalty to the dynasty. Many factors led to his death sentence, but him joining the militia as a retired imperial, royal officer; failing to reach an agreement with the Austrian administration that was already in state of war in Italy; money emission that was originally the right of the monarch; military recruitment without permission and his alleged role in the Vienna Uprising in October were the main reasons (the last one was especially grave as Latour, the Imperial Minister of War was lynched during the uprising, however it was not a verified charge). It is important to understand that Lajos Batthyány did not intend to separate Hungary from the Habsburg Monarchy. The death sentence was carried out on 6 October 1849, in the backyard of the New Building, where today a sanctuary lamp commemorates him.
literature:
Árpád, Károlyi: Németujvári gróf Batthyány Lajos első magyar miniszterelnök főbenjáró pöre I A pör története, Budapest, 1932. https://adtplus.arcanum.hu/hu/view/Books_06_184849SzabadsagharcKossuthEmigracio_0445_Batthyany_Lajos_elso_magyar_miniszterelnok_fobe_1_1014/?pg=0&layout=s
Árpád, Károlyi: Németujvári gróf Batthyány Lajos első magyar miniszterelnök főbenjáró pöre II Pöriratok és államiratok, Budapest, 1932.
https://adtplus.arcanum.hu/hu/view/Books_06_184849SzabadsagharcKossuthEmigracio_0446_Batthyany_Lajos_elso_magyar_miniszterelnok_fobe_2_1014/?pg=0&layout=s
András,Molnár: Batthyány Lajos gróf és ősei, Vasi Szemle, 61 (2007), 4., 387-393.
http://www.vasiszemle.hu/2007/04/molnar.htm
Ács 1987 Tibor, Ács: Az ifjú Batthyány, Életünk 25., (1987), 3. 270-279.
https://library.hungaricana.hu/hu/view/Eletunk_1987/?pg=286&layout=s
Prince Fülöp Batthyány-Strattmann (1781-1870)
He was the great-grandchild of Lajos Batthyány, the last national palatine, and inherited the prince title from his father II. Lajos József Batthyány (1753-1806), via his grandfather, Ádám Vencel Batthyány (1722-1787). His mother was Márta Erzsébet Pergen (1755-1815). A Jesuit father, József Fuxhoffer played the greatest role in his education. He was Vas County’s chief bailiff and the captain-general of the Vas County insurgents. He fought in the famous battle of Győr in 1809. He was a significant patron of the Hungarian culture and what is perhaps even more important; he was a great overlord who improved the lives of his tenants with adept administration and deliberate social measures. He constructed one of the most beautiful Roman Catholic churches of Transdanubia in Enying (1838-1840), provided pension, medical care and schooling. Furthermore, he carried out land reparcelling and offered various supports. However, there are barely any memorials or streets bearing the name of the “gentle prince” who built the country with quiet work, without publicity and clichés. Only a few know about Fülöp Batthyány’s 50 thousand Forints donation – which practically amounts to Stephen Széchenyi’s 60 thousand Forints offering – he gave in 1826, a year after the establishment of the Hungarian Learned Society (according to Széchenyi’s diary, he encouraged Fülöp to give the donation). He gradually changed the language of his farm administration on the lands from German to Hungarian. In 1812 he donated a 14th century artefact found in the park of Körmend Castle to the Hungarian National Museum, and he also offered the National Museum the collection of László Farkas and Antal Petrédy he had bought (the collection consisted mostly of the Roman remains found during the 1819-20 excavation at Szombathely). He supported the Ludovica Academy with 12 thousand Forints. Hungary’s officer cadets training institute was established in 1808 and named after the wife of Ferenc I, King of Hungary. After the 1830 diet, he finished playing a role in the national public life. During the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49, the loyal prince stayed in Vienna, clearly supporting the dynasty and Franz Joseph I. The count lived practically as a hermit, he did not get married. The historical interest of recent times started to give Prince Fülöp the attention he truly deserves.
literature:
László, Benczik H.: A szelíd herceg emlékezete, Népszava, 2015. júl 4.
https://nepszava.hu/cikk/1062292-a-szelid-herceg-emlekezete
Endre, Domaniczky: Az elfelejtett magyar mecénás, herceg Batthyány Fülöp (1781-1870), In: A Batthyányak évszázadaI Tudományos konferencia Körmenden 2005. október 27-29. II A Batthyány család évszázadai - Gróf Batthyány Ádámtól Batthyány-Strattmann László hercegig., Nagy Zoltán (szerk.), Körmend, 2006. 163-172.
https://library.hungaricana.hu/hu/view/MEGY_VASM_Sk_03_2005/?pg=164&layout=s
Éva, Kandicsné Kovács: Batthyány Fülöp, a mecénás főúr, In: A Batthyányak évszázadaI Tudományos konferencia Körmenden 2005. október 27-29. II A Batthyány család évszázadai - Gróf Batthyány Ádámtól Batthyány-Strattmann László hercegig., Nagy Zoltán (szerk.), Körmend, 2006. 157-162.
https://library.hungaricana.hu/hu/view/MEGY_VASM_Sk_03_2005/?pg=158&layout=s
Prince Blessed László Batthyány-Strattmann (1870-1931)
picture:
https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batthy%C3%A1ny-Strattmann_L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3#/media/File:Batthy%C3%A1ny-Strattmann_L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3.JPG
“I love my profession, the patients taught me to love God more and more, and I love God in the patients, and the patients help me more than I help them! (...) I can give them so much love, as love is what the poor patients yearn for. I pray to God that I can help many people for His glory. Thus I can console them, and open their heart to You!”
László Batthyány-Strattmann came from the ‘Count’ branch and within that the Pinkafő subbranch of the family. The man who wrote these words in his diary in 1926 grew up in the shadow of personal traumas and tragedies. He was the child of József György Batthyány II (1836-1897) and Ludovika Batthyány (1843–1882). Many of Ludovika’s children died young, and the father who became estranged from his wife had several relationships outside his marriage. In 1879 Ludovika was informed by the newspaper that his husband (already as a Lutheran) married the lady’s companion of his mother, the much older Antónia Kornis. Shortly after the event, Ludovika died, at the age of 38. In his teenage years, László attended a Jesuit gymnasium in Kalksburg, near Vienna. He was a problematic student, the concoctions he prepared for his fellow students that made them sick before the exams already revealed his medical inclination. In 1885, he studied in Kalocsa, but as he was expelled from the school due to his impertinence, he had to take his final exams at Ungvár. He attended the University of Vienna; he applied to the Faculty of Humanities in 1893, without a clear idea. From a superficial relationship, he had a child in 1896. Presumably this was what really shook him and made him choose medical studies. He took care of the mother and the child (who became a teacher) until the end of his life. His father died in 1897, and László was present at his deathbed and they were reconciled. He obtained a degree at the University of Medicine in 1900. In 1898, he married the strongly religious Countess Maria Theresia Coreth. After the wedding, they had several children. Their first daughter, Mizike, died in 1905, when she was only 4 years old. László Batthyány turned into a devout Catholic because of the grief. Immediately after finishing his medical studies, he opened a private hospital in Köpcsény, and specialized for ocular surgery. He performed surgery on his poorer patients free, therefore the doctor’s office became increasingly popular. In 1903, the patients had already a special train that carried them to the doctor. Until the end of his life, he performed around 30 thousand ocular surgeries. In 1915, with royal approval, he inherited the title of “Prince”, and both the Strattmann fideicommissum and name after the death of Ödön Batthyány-Strattmann (1826-1914), the son of Gusztáv Batthyány. Together with his wife and his son, Ödön, he joined the Third Order Secular of St. Francis in 1916. He aimed to mitigate the hardships of the First World War with his devoted work, for which he was awarded with the Red Cross Decoration First Class badge. He left Köpcsény after the Treaty of Trianon had annexed it to Austria, and opened the new hospital at the family’s traditional home in Körmend. Pope Saint John Paul II beatified the Prince who took care of the patients’ spiritual health as well in 2003. He changed the motto in the family’s crest. The simple sentence represents perfectly his personality that changed the fate of the family. „Fidelitate et caritate” meaning: with fidelity and love. All the living members of the Batthyány family today are the descendants of his 12 children.
literature:
Gábor, Tillai: Dr. Batthyány-Strattmann László, 1-7., Hetedhéthatár, 2004, január 9.
http://hetedhethatar.hu/hethatar/?p=10959
Boldog Batthyány-Strattmann László, Magyar Kurír, 2018, január 22.
https://www.magyarkurir.hu/hirek/boldog-batthyany-strattmann-László-20150122
Mária, Puskely: Batthyány hercegorvos, Ősök, elődök, kortársak, utódok körében, Szombathely. 2014
Women
Erzsébet Svetkovics, wife of Ferencz Batthyány (1538-1575)
picture:
Erzsébet Svetkovics was the first better-known, great female figure of the Batthyány family. She came from a family of Croatian origin, which was not unusual in the nobiliary circles of Western Hungary. Her letters provide insight into her life. Her husband was Ferenc Batthyány I (1497-1566) who played a great role in the family’s history and established the Batthyány Court in Németújvár. After the early death of Ferenc’s brother, Boldizsár Batthyány II, she took care of her nephew, Kristóf Batthyány I. Erzsébet Svetkovics had a great relationship with the nephew’s remarkable son, Boldizsár Batthyány III. As a tutelary, as a grandmother almost, she paved the way for the family’s young hope. She managed the education, money supply of the young man (although quite strictly), and gave him political advice as well. For instance, she urged the quite passive (or just uncomfortable in public life, in contrast to the battlefield) Boldizsár III to participate in the 1569 diet in Pozsony. Erzsébet Svetkovics was a strict woman, with all of the advantages and disadvantages of it. Behind the notoriously disastrous marriage of Kristóf Batthyány I and Katalin Svetkovics (sister of Erzsébet) – in 1565 Maximilian II ordered a royal commissioner to solve the problems – we have to notice that they probably did not have a say in the choice of partner. Besides the court in Németújvár and the influence of the guardians, the guidance of Erzsébet Svetkovics was the strong base regarding the family’s political and cultural actions.
literature:
Erika, Terbe: Batthyány Ferencné Svetkovics Katalin levelei 1538-1575,
http://real.mtak.hu/51471/1/Svetkovics.pdf
István,Fazekas: Franz I Batthyány und seine Frau Katharina Schwetkovich. Der Aufstieg der Familie Batthyány im 16. Jahrhundert, In: Die Familie Batthyany: Ein österreichisch-ungarisches Magnatengeschlecht vom Ende des Mittelalters bis zur Gegenwart, Band 1., Wissenschaftliche Arbeiten aus dem Burgenland, Band 139., Eisenstadt, 2014. 15-38.
Dorica [Dorottya] Zrínyi (1550-1620)
picture:
https://gallery.hungaricana.hu/hu/TortenelmiKepcsarnok/444/?img=0
Dorica Zrínyi was the daughter of Katalin Frangepán (ca. 1525-1561) and Miklós Zrínyi (1508-1566) who defended the Castle of Szigetvár until the end of his life. Wife of Boldizsár Batthyány III, they married on 30 January 1566. Their correspondence shows that the pair was in an intimate relationship. Dorica was one of the stay-at-home aristocratic women. One of their most important tasks was to make various pastes, decoctions, and Dorica excelled at this task. She had a good relationship with Éva Lobkovicz Poppel, the wife of her son Ferenc, and it is certain that the well-known healing skills of the daughter-in-law were based on what she had learned from her mother-in-law.
literature:
Csilla, Gramantik: Zrínyi Dorica élete levelei tükrében (1550-1620), Publicationes Universitatis Miskolcinensis, Sectio Philosophica, XVIII, 1. (2014), 57-63.
http://www.matarka.hu/koz/ISSN_1219-543X/tomus_18_fasc1_2014/ISSN_1219-543X_tomus_18_fas_1_2014_057-063.pdf
A remarkable, anonymous article on the internet:
Gyógyító főúri asszonyok
http://www.orvostortenelem.hu/tankonyvek/tk-05/pdf/6.5/gyogyito_fouri_asszonyok.pdf
Eredeti forrása: http://ideal.hu, 2009.április 28.
http://ideal.hu/component/content/article/127-cikkek/6810-gyogyito-fouri-asszonyok.html
Éva Lobkovicz Poppel of Batthyány (1585-1640)
picture:
http://npg.hu/index.php?option=com_jcollection&view=item&id=1295&Itemid=7
Éva Lobkovicz Poppel came from a family of Austrian-Czech origins. She married Ferenc Batthyány II (1573-1625) in 1607. She was an exceptionally intelligent, practical, but at the same time a temperamental woman. As most women in aristocratic families, she was engaged in healing, and that made her well known already in her era. She had a famous, well-equipped pharmacy and her great knowledge of herbs and in preparing remedies was out of the common. Éva Lobkovicz Poppel resolutely promoted Protestantism, within that the Evangelical church (while her husband was a Calvinist). The strong-willed mother refused to acknowledge that her son, Ádám Batthyány I, had converted to Catholicism (thanks to Péter Pázmány’s influence) in 1629. It shows in the letter written to her son as well.
“if your recent journey [to Vienna] was to [...] deny God, change the true faith you had been introduced to and convert from true Christianity, do not write anything about it for me, because if you do that, believe me, you will have nothing more to do with God and with me [...] moreover, I do not want to hear anything about you, and you will have no longer hold a place in my heart, as if I had never given birth to you. Think about it my dear son, to not exchange the eternal heavenly good for secular possessions.”
However, at the same time, Péter Pázmány asked Éva Poppel for remedy for his breathing problems, and she sent it to him. The episodes that show the human side of both groups belong to the complete picture of the age of religious polemics. The conflict became more bitter because of the differences regarding the dividing of the lands and primarily of the strongly opposed marriage of Ádám’s sister, Magdolna. With the death of Éva Lobkovicz Poppel the Batthyány family left the circle of Protestant families.
literature:
„Ïm küttem én orvosságot": Lobkowitz Poppel Éva levelezése, 1622-1640, összegyűjt., sajtó alá rend., a kísérő tanulmányt írta: Katalin, Kincses Budapest, 1993.
András,Koltai: Batthyány Ádám és könyvtára, A Kárpát-medence koraújkori könyvtárai IV, Budapest-Szeged, 2002.
http://real.mtak.hu/23944/1/Monok_Koltai_KKK_04.pdf
1629 – Családi perpatvar, mohacsi-csata.hu, 2017. május 14.
http://mohacsi-csata.hu/content/1629-csal%C3%A1di-perpatvar
Gyógyító főúri asszonyok, ideal.hu, 2009. április 28.
http://www.ideal.hu/component/content/article/6810-gyogyito-fouri-asszonyok.html
Auróra Formentini (1609–1653)
picture:
picture when she was young:
http://www.colliowines.com/storiaaurora.htm
and another picture:
http://bok.kormend.hu/A_BATTHYaNYIAK_eS_KoRMEND/erdekessegek/Formentini_Aurora_a_furmint_nÉvadoja.html
Auróra Katalin Formentini came from an impoverished family of Austrian-Italian origin. In 1632, she married the young and ambitious Ádám Batthyány I (1610-1659) who had recently converted to Catholicism. The couple spent most of their time in Németújvár, however Auróra loved staying in Vienna more where she had more opportunity for a brighter, more enjoyable and vibrant company. Other reasons were her mother-in-law, Éva Lobkovicz Poppel (1585-1640) and the fact that she did not speak Hungarian. According to the only surviving portrayal about her young self and to Wiltheim Jesuit, Auróra was a delightful looking, true Italian beauty with her black, curly hair. The couple received 300 vines from Tokaj from Ferdinand II as a wedding gift. They planted the vines on the Italian lands of Auróra’s family. The wine produced from those grapes was named after Auróra, as it is called furmint in Hungary, referring to her surname. Knowing this, Ádám I’s notorious love for wine is more excusable. Especially in the light of the fact that the era’s Hungarian aristocrats, noblemen but even the prelates were famous for their high wine consumption. The country barely had any famous political figure that was not accused of heavy drinking by the public. The family’s two main branches start with Auróra’s two sons, Kristóf II and Pál. After the death of this special woman, her husband’s sorrow could only be eased by the consolation of religion.
literature:
Formentini Auróra, a furmint névadója. Batthyány Örökségközpont – Körmend. http://bok.kormend.hu
http://bok.kormend.hu/A_BATTHYaNYIAK_eS_KoRMEND/erdekessegek/Formentini_Aurora_a_furmint_nÉvadoja.html
András,Koltai: Egy magyar fõrend pályafutása a császári udvarban Batthyány Ádám (Bécs 1630–1659), Korall, 2002, 9. 55-78.
Erzsébet Batthyány (1619-1674)
picture:
http://npg.hu/component/jcollection/item/1285
Éva Lobkovicz Poppel represented Protestantism, but the family had also an emblematic Catholic figure in the 17th century, namely Éva’s daughter Erzsébet Batthyány, sister of Ádám who had also converted to Catholicism. Her husband was György Erdődy III, master of the treasury. Besides their son Sándor, the couple had three daughters who became nuns. Their mother’s example certainly influenced them in choosing this way of life. She established a spital, donated to the poor and generously supported the establishment of the Dominican Order. Erzsébet Batthyány’s exemplary life was a special episode in the history of the family. The poem on her tomb in Szentmárton embodies the whole family’s spirit.
“Wanderer, stop, read and wonder! In this urn (crypt) lies Countess Erzsébet Erdődy, born Countess Batthyány, heiress of Saint Elizabeth’s name and virtues. Her heart was restless at all times, until it calmed down uniting with God, by the liberation of death. She redeemed her liberty with her generosity. Think that she was a pelican, whose breast, heart and spirit was always open to the needs of the monks, the misery of the needy and most importantly to the inspirations from God. However, do not disturb her rest! Beg for her eternal peace and leave!”
literature:
Mónika, Zsámbéky: Batthyány Erzsébet, Arcképcsarnok - Híres szombathelyi nők, Szombathely, 2012.
Zoltán, Móser: Álmodik a múlt: A domonkosok jótevője volt, Új Ember Hetilap, 2009. november 1.
https://ujember.hu/almodik-a-mult-62/
Eleonóra Batthyány-Strattmann (1672-1741)
picture:
http://npg.hu/component/jcollection/item/1296
The wife of Ádám Batthyány II was the daughter of the court chancellor Theodor Athlet Heinrich Freiherr von Strattmann (1637-1693) who had an important organizational and diplomatic role in the French-Habsburg wars at the end of the 17th century. With the fideicomissum of Eleonóra’s father came the name Strattmann to the family, more precisely to the eldest member of the “Prince” branch. Eleonóra – or as she was called by the public in Vienna “die schöne Lori” (“the beautiful Lori”) – was the main character in the life of the court. The future Prince, Ferenc Rákóczi II who lived in Vienna for a longer period in the 1690s also longed for Eleonóra’s love. The beautiful and special Eleonóra’s charm had an affair with the great general, Prince Eugene of Savoy. The couple and the group of women who gathered occasionally around them became a concept in the social life of Vienna with their chocolate eating and card parties. Their common understanding of culture and art explains the relationship of the passionate art collector Eugene and Eleonóra – who, as the guardian of her sons Lajos Ernő and Károly József, built and decorated their estates, palaces – better than the circulating rumours, especially after the early death of Eleonóra’s husband in 1703. These kind of informal relationships are in the background, yet they may have been important factors of history, particularly in the case of a woman like Eleonóra Batthyány-Strattmann. According to a popular Hungarian anecdote of the 18th century, the intercession of Eleonóra by Charles VI saved the country’s constitutionalism in the 1720s.
literature:
Olga, Granasztói: A szépnem hazaszeretete, avagy hogyan mentette meg két nő Magyarországot 1722-ben, Korall, 60. 2015. 67-94.
http://epa.oszk.hu/00400/00414/00051/pdf/EPA00414_korall_60_067-094.pdf
Mónika, Zsámbéky: A Batthyány hercegek ősanyja, Strattmann Eleonóra: egy regényes életút vázlata, Vasi Szemle, 60 (2006), 6., 713-722.
http://www.vasiszemle.hu/2006/06/zsambeky.htm
Filippine Eszterházy (1734-1811)
picture:
http://npg.hu/component/jcollection/item/1298
Daughter of Ferenc Eszterházy VI (1683-1754) and Mária Szidónia Pálffy. In 1756, Filippine married Tódor Batthyány who was well-known for his enterprises and boat experiments. Their union was one of several marriages that strengthened the relation between the prominent families of the Catholic aristocracy in Hungary. Filippine was an equal partner of her husband. Tódor could count on her in his various enterprises, businesses, whether it was about the transport of chemical products or the difficulties concerning inheritance issues. Filippine was his partner spiritually too, according to her letters, she tried to reconcile her husband and her son Antal József Batthyány (1762-1828), but unfortunately, she did not succeed. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that a year after the death of Filippine, her husband passed away as well. Filippine Eszterházy is not a well-known or noble figure in our history like Éva Lobkovicz Poppel or Eleonóra Strattmann. Her personality is an example of those female figures who are part of history because of their quiet, discreet work.
literature:
Gert Polster: Die ältere Linie der Familiengeschichte im 18. Jahrhundert. Teil 5: Theodor Graf Batthyäny, Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter, 63 (2001), Heft 4, 33-54.
http://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter_63_1_0011-0068.pdf
Polster, Gert: Die ältere Linie der Familiengeschichte im 18. Jahrhundert. Teil 6: Theodor Graf Batthyäny, Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter, 63 (2001), Heft 4, 55-68.
http://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Burgenlaendische-Heimatblaetter_63_1_0011-0068.pdf
Auguszta Keglevich, wife of Antal Szapáry (1808-1879)
picture:
In the person of Auguszta Keglevich we are talking about a woman who was famous in an unusual way within the Batthyány family. Her husband was Antal Szapáry (1802-1883) and they had a son, Géza Szapáry (1828-1898) who served as the governor of Fiume. However their marriage was unhappy, and among the insiders of the political elite of the 1840s it was well known that the aging Auguszta accepts the courting of a member of the aristocratic opposition, Kázmér Batthyány (1807-1849). After their relationship became known in wider circles, her husband was understanding: he did not oppose the divorce. However annulling a marriage in the Catholic Church is not possible according to the Catholic doctrines, furthermore in the Kingdom of Hungary, as the country of the Holy Crown, the law was based on the principles of the Catholic Church. Thus, the new marriage of Auguszta Keglevich would not have been lawful in Hungary. Therefore Antal Szapáry and Auguszta Keglevich travelled to the officially Protestant Prussia in 1846 (where the husband did not have to leave Catholic faith as opposed to Transylvania) and taking advantage of the opportunity the law had granted, the couple divorced. Kázmér Batthyány was always against the Catholic Church concerning religious and social issues and he converted to Calvinism in Pest in October 1847. The couple married on 4 November. The divorce and remarriage caused a stir, since the Catholic, pro-Habsburg members of the political life had considered it as an unethical and unlawful provocation. On 20 February 1848 Archduke Stephen, the Palatine of Hungary organised a ball, but Kázmér Batthyány and his wife did not receive an invitation. The members of the opposition (for example Lajos Batthyány or László Teleki) expressed their resistance in a public place and proposed another ball, which was not realized eventually. It is difficult to tell how huge the actual impact of this episode was on the eve of the Revolution. Knowing the effects of social life on politics in the era from the example of another remarkable compatriot Antónia Zichy, wife of Lajos Batthyány, this episode may have been much more important than we would think.
literature:
Miklós, Füzes: Batthyány Kázmér, Magyar história (27), Budapest, 1990. 78-81.
https://library.hungaricana.hu/hu/view/BARM_skiv_3/?pg=79&layout=s
Batthyány Lajosné Zichy Antónia (1816-1888):
picture:
http://dka.oszk.hu/html/kepoldal/index.phtml?id=040611
or: http://virtualis.sk-szeged.hu/kiallitas/batthyany/reformkor.html
Antónia Zichy was the wife of Lajos Batthyány, the Prime Minister of 1848-49 with tragic fate. The couple married in 1834. Antónia (or as the people close to her called her: Tony) was interested in the politics of her husband who played a leading role in representing the opposition. As a dedicated patriot of the era, she expressed her support also in terms of formalities. A woman’s help was extremely important in a world where the political connections were primarily formed at the social gatherings – balls, casino, theatre, receptions – of the magnates, influential politicians. After Lajos Batthyány was sentenced to death in 1849, in order to avoid hanging, an especially humiliating death for a magnate and public figure, his wife smuggled a small dagger into the prison on her last visit with which her husband wounded himself. Because of his wounds, the court changed the verdict to execution by firing squad. Three of the couple’s five children (Emília, Ilona and Elemér) reached adulthood. After the war of independence, the fortune of her husband was confiscated, but the Countess managed to live off the Zichy fortune abroad. She returned home in 1856 and kept the memories of her husband, Hungary’s first Prime Minister alive until the end of her life.
literature:
Nyári Krisztián: Batthyány két asszonya, index.hu, 2015. október 6.
https://index.hu/tudomany/tortenelem/2015/10/06/batthyany_ket_asszonya/
Batthyányné - gróf Zichy Antónia, Aradi Vértanúk Emléknapja, http://oktober6.kormany.hu
http://oktober6.kormany.hu/batthyanyne-grof-zichy-antonia
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