Lajos Ernő Batthyány (german: Ludwig Ernst Batthyány; 17 March 1696 - 26 October 1765) was a Hungarian noble, Court Chancellor and

Palatine of Hungary The Palatine of Hungary ( hu, nádor or , german: Landespalatin, la, palatinus regni Hungariae) was the highest-ranking office in the Kingdom of Hungary from the beginning of the 11th century to 1848. Initially, Palatines were repres ...

Life

Lajos Batthyány was the eldest son of

Adam II. Batthyány Count Adam II. Batthyány ( hr, Adam Baćan, 3 June 1662 – 26 August 1703) was a Hungarian general and nobleman. He served as ban (viceroy) of Croatia from 1693 to 1703. Career Adam II. Batthyány was born in 1637, the son of Christoph II Ba ...

(1662-1703) and Eleonore Batthyány-Strattmann.

Károly József Batthyány Count Károly József Batthyány of Németújvár ( hu, németújvári gróf Batthyány Károly József, Károly József Batthyány, german: Karl Josef Graf Batthyány, hr, Karlo Josip grof Baćan; 28 April 1697, Rohonc – 15 April 1772, Vienn ...

was his only brother. Like his father and brother, he first pursued a military career by joining the Habsburg Army. Initially known as a Captain, Batthyány fought in 1716 at the Battle of Peterwardein and at the Siege of Temesvár under the command of Prince Eugene. He then switched to the civil service. In 1737 he became the Hungarian Court Chancellor in Vienna. As such, he took part in the Diet in Pressburg in 1741 and supported Empress Maria Theresa in a memorable speech. He was Chief Cupbearer (), privy councilor and from 1744 a Knight of the Golden Fleece (No 712). In 1751 he became the last

until his death. In 1756 he raised a regiment of hussars that fought in the Seven Years' War. He chose

Bicske Bicske (; la, Lusomana or ) is a town in Fejér County, Hungary. Its name is also spelled ''Bykche'', ''Biccke'', ''Bykcze'', ''Biczke'', and ''Bitske''. It is around west of Budapest. Its administration has undergone many changes; it has been ...

Castle as his administrative and head office and extensively remodeled it. In his final years, he fell out of favour on the question of the treatment of the serfs by the Hungarian nobility. Frequent peasant riots and complaints of forced labour and harsh treatment on Batthyány's domains decided Maria Theresa to investigate the matter herself. The sovereign named Lajos Batthyány as one of “the most hardened oppressors”. The investigation led to a number of reforms aimed at improving peasant conditions in Hungary most notably the land registry patent of 1767.

Personal life

On 27 May 1717 he married in Vienna Countess Therese Kinsky (1700–1775), daughter of Wenceslaus Norbert, Count of Kinsky.
They had 5 sons and 4 daughters. Lajos Batthyány died in 1765 and was buried in the family crypt of

Güssing Castle Güssing Castle (german: Burg Güssing, hu, németújvári vár) is a castle in southern Burgenland, Austria. On June 30, 1524, the castle was acquired by the Batthyány family, which retains ownership through a historical foundation that provi ...

References

Sources

Biography (in German)

Güssing Castle Crypt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batthyány Lajos Erno Hungarian nobility 1696 births 1765 deaths Palatines of Hungary Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718)