János Ghyczy de Ghicz, Assakürt et Ablánczkürt (c. 1520 – 7 January 1589)Markó 2006, p. 107. was a Hungarian noble in the Principality of Transylvania, member of the Royal Council, who served as

Governor of Transylvania The governor of Transylvania was a viceroy representing the Habsburg monarchs in the Principality (from 1765 Grand Principality) of Transylvania between 1691 and 1867. List of governors Seventeenth century Eighteenth century Nineteenth centu ...

for the underage

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the ...

then

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

Sigismund Báthory Sigismund Báthory ( hu, Báthory Zsigmond; 1573 – 27 March 1613) was Prince of Transylvania several times between 1586 and 1602, and Duke of Racibórz and Opole in Silesia in 1598. His father, Christopher Báthory, ruled Transylvania as vo ...

from 1 May 1585 to 17 December 1588.

Life

He was born around 1520 as the sixth and youngest child of Lénárt Ghyczy and Sára Waghy. He married Anna Káthay. He served in

Kapuvár Kapuvár (; german: Kobrunn) is a small but ancient town of some 11,000 inhabitants in Győr-Moson-Sopron county, Hungary. The town is known for its thermal water which some believe has hydrotherapy, hydrotherapeutic properties. It is served by ...

as ''familiaris'' of Tamás Nádasdy in 1558. Two years later he moved to Érsekújvár (today: ''Nové Zámky, Slovakia'') serving besides his brother, György and held the ''officiolatus'' of within the

Archdiocese of Esztergom In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. He entered the royal service in 1562. he became cavalry lieutenant with 26 horses in the Castle of Gyula in 1564. In the next year he fought against the united Transylvanian-Ottoman Army, led by

John Sigismund Zápolya John Sigismund Zápolya or Szapolyai ( hu, Szapolyai János Zsigmond; 7 July 1540 – 14 March 1571) was King of Hungary as John II from 1540 to 1551 and from 1556 to 1570, and the first Prince of Transylvania, from 1570 to his death. He was ...

and Pasha Hassan, alongside the garrison of Gyula and Lazarus von Schwendi's army. He seriously wounded from a

lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike s ...

. He defended Gyula which besieged by the troops of Pasha Pertaf in July 1566. After the fall of the castle (September) he survived the massacres and fled to

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

. He entered into the service of Prince John Sigismund Zápolya who gave him Csókfalva (today part of Ghindari, Romania) and Bede (today: ''Bedeni, Romania)'' in Marosszék (later:

Maros-Torda County Maros-Torda was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in central Romania (eastern Transylvania) and has been administratively succeeded by county Mureș which consist of about half the territory of ...

). After that he was a confidential follower of

Stephen Báthory Stephen Báthory ( hu, Báthory István; pl, Stefan Batory; ; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576), Prince of Transylvania (1576–1586), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586) ...

since 1571, he received vast estates for his services. Ghyczy served as Captain General of Várad from 1576 to 1585. After that he was appointed Governor of Transylvania besides the underage

. He was also a member of the Royal Council between 1585 and 1589. During the Diet of Spring 1587, the cousin of the young prince, Stephen Báthory de Somlyó intended to overthrow Ghyczy and take control of the country. However, the

Ottoman Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( ota, باب عالی, Bāb-ı Ālī or ''Babıali'', from ar, باب, bāb, gate and , , ), was a synecdoche for the central government of the Ottoman Empire. History The name ...

prevented the ''

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

'' of Báthory and confirmed Ghyczy in his position. He resigned due to illness in the Diet of Medgyes (today: ''Mediaș, Romania'') in December 1588. He died soon afterwards. He was buried in the Gyulafehérvár Cathedral on 21 January 1589.

References

Sources

* Markó, László: A magyar állam főméltóságai Szent Istvántól napjainkig – Életrajzi Lexikon ''pp. 107–108.'' ''(The High Officers of the Hungarian State from Saint Stephen to the Present Days – A Biographical Encyclopedia)'' (2nd edition); Helikon Kiadó Kft., 2006, Budapest; . {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghyczy, Janos 1589 deaths Hungarian nobility in Transylvania Hungarian politicians Hungarian soldiers Janos Year of birth unknown Year of birth uncertain