Baron, later Count Nikolaus Esterházy de Galántha ( en, Nicholas Esterházy of Galántha) (

Galanta Galanta ( hu, Galánta, german: Gallandau) is a town (about 15,000 inhabitants) in the Trnava Region of Slovakia. It is situated 50 km due east of the Slovak capital Bratislava. Etymology The name is derived from a Slavic name ''Golęta'' ( ...

, 8 April 1583 Großhöflein, 11 September 1645) was the founder of the West-Hungarian noble

House of Esterházy A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

which became one of the grandest and most influential aristocratic families of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

Life

Nikolaus's parents were Protestants, and he himself followed them at first, but he subsequently became a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and, along with Cardinal Pázmány, his most serious rival at court, became a pillar of Catholicism, both religiously and politically. At court, he opposed the two great Protestant champions of the period,

Gabriel Bethlen Gabriel Bethlen ( hu, Bethlen Gábor; 15 November 1580 – 15 November 1629) was Prince of Transylvania from 1613 to 1629 and Duke of Opole from 1622 to 1625. He was also King-elect of Hungary from 1620 to 1621, but he never took control of th ...

and

George I Rákóczi George I Rákóczi (8 June 1593 – 11 October 1648) was Prince of Transylvania from 1630 until his death in 1648. Prior to that, he was a leader of the Protestant faction in Hungary and a faithful supporter of Gabriel Bethlen, his predecessor ...

. Matthias II made him a baron (1613),

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of Bereg (1617), and lord-lieutenant ( hu, főispán) of the county of Zólyom and (1618). His political ideal was the consolidation of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

as a means towards freeing Hungary from domination by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, and the Habsburg noted him because of his zeal to that end. He himself, on one occasion (1623), defeated the Turks on the banks of the Nyitra. His first marriage with Orsolya Dersffy made him immensely rich and brought him also the lordships of

Munkács Mukachevo ( uk, Мукачево, ; hu, Munkács; see name section) is a city in the valley of the Latorica river in Zakarpattia Oblast (province), in Western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Mukachevo Raion (district), the city ...

(today: ''Mukachevo, Ukraine'') and Lánzsér- Lakompak (today: ''Landsee'' and ''Lackenbach'' in Austria). When he had to hand over Munkács in 1622 to

because of the

Peace of Nikolsburg The Peace of Nikolsburg or Peace of Mikulov, signed on 31 December 1621 in Nikolsburg, Moravia (now Mikulov in the Czech Republic), was the treaty which ended the war between Prince Gabriel Bethlen of Transylvania and Emperor Ferdinand II of the ...

, he was compensated by the Emperor with 2 new lordships, namely Fraknó (today: ''Forchtenstein, Austria'') and Kismarton (today: ''Eisenstadt, Austria''). In 1625 he officiated in the coronation of the

Emperor Ferdinand II Ferdinand II (9 July 1578 – 15 February 1637) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1619 until his death in 1637. He was the son of Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria and Maria of Bavaria. His parents were de ...

, who made him

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 ...

, the highest political function in the country. He also became Count of Fraknó and Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece on 10 August 1626. Nikolaus was also an accomplished writer.

Marriage and children

He married in 1612 Baroness Orsolya Dersffy de Szerdahely (1583–1619) and they had: *

István István () is a Hungarian language equivalent of the name Stephen or Stefan. It may refer to: People with the given name Nobles, palatines and judges royal * Stephen I of Hungary (c. 975–1038), last grand prince of the Hungarians and first ki ...

(1616–1641), died before his father. Had one daughter. *Krisztina (1617–1617). After his first wife's death, he married in 1624 Baroness Krisztina Nyáry de Bedegh (1604–1641) and had: * Magdolna (1625–1627) *

László László () is a Hungarian male given name and surname after the King-Knight Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary (1077–1095). It derives from Ladislav, a variant of Vladislav. Other versions are Lessl or Laszly. The name has a history of being frequ ...

(1626–1652), killed in at the

Battle of Vezekény The Battle of Vezekény ( hu, vezekényi csata) occurred during the 17th century Ottoman Wars in Europe. It was a major Hungarian victory. Tamás Esterházy was killed in the battle along with his younger brother Gáspár and his cousin L� ...

* Katalin, (1628–1630) * Anna Júlia (1630–1669), married Ferenc Nadasdy de Nádasd et Fogarasföld * Michael (1632–1633) * Mária Krisztina (1634–1634) * Paul I Esterházy of Galántha (1635–1713), his successor * Mária (1638–1684), married Count György Drugeth de Homonna * Ferenc (1641–1683), had issue.

Notes

References

* * Galántai gróf Eszterházy Miklós Magyarország nádora alatine of Hungary582-1626. Editor: László Szala

. Press of Lauffer és Stolp, Pest, 1863-1870 I-III Volum

*Péter Katalin: Esterházy Miklós. Magyar História - Életrajzok. Gondolat kiadó, Budapest, 1985 , - ! colspan="3" style="background: #ACE777; color: #000000" , Nobility in the Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian nobility {{DEFAULTSORT:Esterhazy, Nikolaus Count 1583 births 1645 deaths

Nikolaus Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and its ...

Counts of Hungary Hungarian people of the Thirty Years' War Knights of the Golden Fleece

Palatines of Hungary Judges royal People from Galanta Converts to Roman Catholicism 17th-century philanthropists