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'' (i ...

, 8 April 1583

Großhöflein Großhöflein ( hu, Nagy-Höflány, Nagyhöflány, hr, Velika Holovajna) is a market town in eastern Austria, in the state of Burgenland. It is located near the state capital Eisenstadt. History BCE, the area was part of the Celtic kingdom of ...

, 11 September 1645) was the founder of the West-Hungarian noble House of Esterházy which became one of the grandest and most influential aristocratic families of the Kingdom of Hungary.

Life

Nikolaus's parents were

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, and he himself followed them at first, but he subsequently became a Catholic 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 and George I Rákóczi. Matthias II made him a baron (1613), count of Bereg (1617), and lord-lieutenant ( hu, főispán) of the county of

Zólyom Zvolen (; hu, Zólyom; german: Altsohl) is a town in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the West an ...

and (1618). His political ideal was the consolidation of the House of Habsburg as a means towards freeing Hungary from domination by the Ottoman Empire, 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 Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth la ...

. His first marriage with

Orsolya Dersffy Baroness Orsolya Dersffy de Szerdahely (''Dersfy''; 1583 – 15 March 1619) was the first wife of the later Palatine Nikolaus, Count Esterházy. Family She was born in 1583 as the first daughter of Baron Ferenc Dersffy, who served as Master of th ...

made him immensely rich and brought him also the lordships of Munkács (today: ''Mukachevo, Ukraine'') and Lánzsér- Lakompak (today: ''Landsee'' and ''Lackenbach'' in Austria). When he had to hand over Munkács in 1622 to Gabriel Bethlen because of the Peace of Nikolsburg, he was compensated by the Emperor with 2 new lordships, namely

Fraknó Forchtenstein ( hu, Fraknóváralja or Fraknókő, hr, Fortnavski grad; until 1972, Forchtenau, ''Fraknó'', ''Fortnava'') is a town in the district of Mattersburg in the Austrian state of Burgenland. It is the location of Forchtenstein Castle, o ...

(today: ''Forchtenstein, Austria'') and Kismarton (today: ''Eisenstadt, Austria''). In 1625 he officiated in the coronation of the Emperor Ferdinand II, who made him Palatine of Hungary, the highest political function in the country. He also became Count of Fraknó and Knight in the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...

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 (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 (1626–1652), killed in at the Battle of Vezekény * 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 Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

(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 Counts of Hungary Hungarian people of the Thirty Years' War Knights of the Golden Fleece Nikolaus Palatines of Hungary Judges royal People from Galanta Converts to Roman Catholicism 17th-century philanthropists