Paul I, 1st Prince Esterházy of Galántha (), () (8 September 1635 – 26 March 1713) was the first Prince Esterházy of Galántha from 1687 to 1713, Palatine of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1681 to 1713, and an Imperial

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

. Paul was also an accomplished

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

ist, and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. He actively participated in various battles against the

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...

during the Fourth Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) and the

Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War () or The Last Crusade, also called in Ottoman sources The Disaster Years (), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (1684), Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lith ...

(1683–1699). Paul is credited with establishing the wealth, power, and influence of the Princely House of Esterházy.

Family and early life

Born in

Kismarton Eisenstadt (; ; ; or ; ) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Burgenland. With a population of 15,074 (as of 2023), it is the smallest state capital and the 38th-largest city in Austria overall. It lies at the foot of the Leitha Mountai ...

(now Eisenstadt, Austria),

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

, Paul was the third son of Nicholas, Count Esterházy of Galántha and his second wife Baroness Krisztina Nyáry of Bedegh. His father, Nicholas, bore the office of the Palatine of the Kingdom of Hungary. Paul was raised in a deeply religious atmosphere and studied at

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

institutions in

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

and

Nagyszombat Trnava (, , ; , also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of the Trnava Region and the Trnava District. It is the seat of a Roman Catholic a ...

(today Trnava, Slovakia). He displayed literary talents at an early age. On 16 August 1652, Paul's elder brother Ladislaus was killed in the Battle of Vezekény (Vezekey) against the Turks. Paul succeeded Ladislaus as Count Esterházy of Galántha and inherited the family's vast wealth and landholdings at the age of 17.

Military career

Paul began his military career as early as 1663, and opposed the Turks in the battles of

Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) The Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) or fourth Austro-Turkish War was a short war between the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman aim was to resume the advance in central Europe, conquer Vienna and subdue Austria. The Ottoman ...

(e.g. siege of Novi Zrin in June 1664 and Battle of Saint Gotthard on 1 August 1664) under the leadership of

Raimondo Montecuccoli Raimondo Montecuccoli (; 21 February 1609 – 16 October 1680) was an Italian-born professional soldier, military theorist, and diplomat, who served the Habsburg monarchy. Experiencing the Thirty Years' War from scratch as a simple footsoldier, ...

. Paul served with distinction under Montecuccoli alongside

Miklós Zrínyi Miklós Zrínyi (, ; 5 January 1620 – 18 November 1664) was a Croatian and Hungarian military leader, statesman and poet. He was a member of the House of Zrinski, a Croatian- Hungarian noble family. Full e-text available at He is the a ...

. Paul served in the army with such distinction that he was appointed to the position of

and Commander-in-chief of the

Military Frontier The Military Frontier (; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Војна крајина, Vojna krajina, sh-Cyrl-Latn, Војна граница, Vojna granica, label=none; ; ) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and later the Austrian and Austro-Hungari ...

of southern Kingdom of Hungary beginning in 1667 at the age of 30.Encyclopædia Britannica, 1988 edition, article "Eszterházy" While serving as a commander-in-chief, Paul defeated

malcontent The malcontent is a character type that often appeared in early modern drama. The character, usually an unhappy outsider, but always dissatisfied, observes and comments on the action, and is sometimes metafictionally aware that they are in a pla ...

s at Leutschau and

Győr Győr ( , ; ; names of European cities in different languages: E-H#G, names in other languages) is the main city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County and Western Transdanubia, Western Transdanubia region, and – halfwa ...

. Paul's troops were among the coalition that was raised for the

Battle of Vienna The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Li ...

in 1683. After the deliverance of Vienna from the Turks, Paul entered

Buda Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...

in 1686 at the head of 20,000 men. Throughout his military career, Paul led the Hungarian side of the Habsburg army into battle against the Ottoman Turks a total of 16 times. Paul throughout his life remained loyal to the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

, and therefore was not involved in the conspiracy of the Hungarian nobility in the 1670s. This loyalty was rewarded by the Habsburgs in 1681, when Paul was appointed to the position of Palatine of the Kingdom of Hungary. The wars with the Turks did not go unnoticed by the Esterházy family, because the advance of the Turks to Vienna devastated many of the family's lands and brought slaughter to many of the lands' residents. In 1681, Paul was made a Knight of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece. On 8 December 1687,

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I (Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Franz Felician; ; 9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, List of Croatian monarchs, Croatia, and List of Bohemian monarchs, Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Rom ...

issued a princely diploma elevating Paul to a

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (, , cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors of the princely title bore it as immediate vassal ...

for his military successes against the Turks during the reconquest of Hungary and his loyalty to the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

. The title of Prince was extended to his male descendants in 1712. On 9 December 1687, in his role as Palatine, Paul placed the Crown of Saint Stephen on the head of Archduke Joseph of Austria (later

Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I (Joseph Jacob Ignaz Johann Anton Eustachius; 26 July 1678 – 17 April 1711) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1705 until his death in 1711. He was the eldest son of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor from his thir ...

) as the first

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

hereditary

king of Hungary The King of Hungary () was the Monarchy, ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Magyarország apostoli királya'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...

. As an ally of the Habsburgs, Paul had as one of his principal concerns the recatholicization of those areas of

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

"infected" by

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. Paul's loyalty was also demonstrated in his cooperation with the Habsburg court in the subversion of

civil Civil may refer to: *Civility, orderly behavior and politeness *Civic virtue, the cultivation of habits important for the success of a society *Civil (journalism) ''The Colorado Sun'' is an online news outlet based in Denver, Colorado. It lau ...

and

religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...

liberties. In 1703, Paul again fought with the Habsburgs in the wars with the Kuruc, armed anti-Habsburg Hungarian rebels in

Royal Hungary Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roy ...

. From 1711 until his death, Paul served as

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...

Moson County Moson (German language, German: Wieselburg, Slovak language, Slovak: Mošon) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary, situated mostly on the right (south) side of the Danube river. Its t ...

Building efforts

Paul converted

Schloss Esterházy Schloss Esterházy () is a palace in Eisenstadt, Austria, the capital of the Burgenland state. It was constructed in the late 13th century, and came under ownership of the Hungarian Esterházy family in 1622. Under Paul I, 1st Prince Esterhá ...

Eisenstadt Eisenstadt (; ; ; or ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Austria, Austrian state of Burgenland. With a population of 15,074 (as of 2023), it is the smallest state capital and the 38th-largest city in Austria overall. It lies at the foot o ...

from a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

into a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

. Paul began his renovations of

in 1663. The additions made by Paul took nearly ten years to complete and gave the palace the

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

it has retained to the present. Paul further extended, ornamented, and fortified Forchtenstein Castle with architect Domenico Carlone. At Forchtenstein Castle, Paul founded the Esterházy family's treasure house and created an extensive portrait gallery of Esterházy family

ancestor An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder, or a forebear, is a parent or ( recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from ...

Musical career

Paul was an accomplished musical amateur,

, and

patron of the arts Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

. He composed numerous

cantatas A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning ...

, the most notable of which are '' Harmonia Caelestis''. ''Harmonia Caelestis'' is a cycle of 55

sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

cantatas composed in the

style published in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in 1711. Paul was one of the chief compilers of the ''Trophaeum Domus Inclytae Estorationae''. Paul used his great wealth in the liberal patronage of art and literature. He founded the Esterházy private chapel, famous for its solo singers, chorus, and orchestra.

Marriage and issue

Paul was married twice. He married first to his

niece In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of an individual's sibling or sibling-in-law. A niece is female and a nephew is male, and they would call their parents' siblings aunt or uncle ...

Countess Orsolya Esterházy of Galántha, daughter of his brother Count István Esterházy of Galántha and his wife Countess Erzsébet Thurzó of Bethlenfalva, on 7 February 1652 in

. Paul's marriage to his eldest brother's daughter was done in part to prevent the division of the Esterházy family's property Paul and Orsolya had nineteen children: *Prince Miklós Antal Esterházy of Galántha (1655–1695) *Count Pál Esterházy of Galántha (1657–1664) *Countess Katalin Esterházy of Galántha (1659–1664) *Count István József Esterházy of Galántha (1660–1669) *Prince László Ignac Esterházy of Galántha (1662–1689) *Princess Krisztina Esterházy of Galántha (1663–1732) *Count Elek Domokos Esterházy of Galántha (1664–1673) *Count Ferenc Agoston Esterházy of Galántha (1666–1673) *Countess Ilona Esterházy of Galántha (1667–1681) *Count János Benedek Esterházy of Galántha (1668–1683) *Princess Orsolya Esterházy of Galántha (1670–after 1696) * Michael I, 2nd Prince Esterházy of Galántha (1671–1721) *Count György Bernat Esterházy of Galántha (1672–1672) * Prince Gábor Esterházy of Galántha (1673–1704) *Count Pál Esterházy of Galántha (1675–1683) *Princess Anna Julia Esterházy of Galántha (1676–1700) *Count Imre Esterházy of Galántha (1677–1677) *Princess Anna Terézia Esterházy of Galántha (1679–after 1692) *Prince Adam Esterházy of Galántha (1680–1720) After the death of his first wife, Paul married Countess Éva Thököly of Késmárk, daughter of István, Count Thököly of Késmárk and his wife Mária Gyulaffy of Rátót. Paul and Éva had the following children: *Count István Esterházy of Galántha (1683–1683) *Princess Mária Terézia Anna Esterházy of Galántha (1684–1755) *Princess Katalin Roza Esterházy of Galántha (1685–1686) *Princess Franziska Jozefa Esterházy of Galántha (1686–1688) * Joseph I, 3rd Prince Esterházy of Galanthá (1688–1721) *Prince Tamas Ignac Esterházy of Galántha (1689–1689) *Prince Zsigmond Lipot Esterházy of Galántha (1692–1693)

Charitable acts

In 1671, he rescued some 3,000

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

who had been expelled by

from

. This led to their resettlement as

tenant farmers A tenant farmer is a farmer or farmworker who resides and works on land owned by a landlord, while tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and mana ...

and the founding of the Seven Municipalities () on Esterházy lands throughout Western Hungary, present-day

Burgenland Burgenland (; ; ; Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland''; Slovene language, Slovene: ''Gradiščanska''; ) is the easternmost and least populous Bundesland (Austria), state of Austria. It consists of two statutory city (Austria), statut ...

Death and legacy

Paul died in Eisenstadt on 26 March 1713. To secure his fortune, Paul founded the Austrian model of the

fee tail In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust, established by deed or settlement, that restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents that property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise ali ...

and settled his successor in his

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

through the establishment of two primogeniture lines for his sons Michael and Joseph. In his will, Paul left his sons Michael and Joseph two estates which were meant to remain separate, but were rejoined under Joseph's ownership in 1721. Paul was interred in the

Esterházy The House of Esterházy, also spelled Eszterházy (), is a Hungarian nobility, Hungarian noble family with origins in the Middle Ages. From the 17th century, the Esterházys were the greatest landowner magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary, durin ...

family crypt at the Franziskanerkirche in the Franciscan Monastery in Eisenstadt. Most of the Princely House of Esterházy's landholdings were acquired during Paul's reign as head of the family, but his lands incurred debts totaling 1,311,733

florin The Florentine florin was a gold coin (in Italian ''Fiorino d'oro'') struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains () of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a pu ...

s by 1711.

Honours

* Knight of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece (1681)

Ancestry

References

Sources

* * Markó László: ''A Magyar Állam Főméltóságai Szent Istvántól napjainkig''. Magyar életrajzi lexikon (Magyar Könyvklub, 2000) * Csorba Csaba – Estók János – Salamon Konrád: ''Magyarország képes története'' (Magyar Könyvklub, 1998)

External links

Images

Audio

* * * * * * * * * * * * , - ! colspan="3" style="background: #ACE777; color: #000000" ,

Hungarian nobility The Kingdom of Hungary held a Nobility, noble class of individuals, most of whom owned landed property, from the 11th century until the mid-20th century. Initially, a diverse body of people were described as noblemen, but from the lat ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul 01 Esterhazy of Galantha, Prince 1635 births 1713 deaths People from Eisenstadt Esterházy family Princes Esterházy of Galántha Hungarian Roman Catholics Knights of the Golden Fleece Hungarian Baroque composers Hungarian male poets Field marshals of Austria People of the Great Turkish War People of the Austro-Turkish War (1663–64) Hungarian harpsichordists Counts Esterházy of Galántha Palatines of Hungary Burials at the Franziskanerkirche, Eisenstadt 18th-century keyboardists 18th-century classical composers 18th-century male musicians Hungarian male classical composers Hungarian classical composers Generals of the Holy Roman Empire 18th-century Hungarian poets 18th-century Hungarian male writers 17th-century Hungarian poets 17th-century keyboardists 17th-century classical composers