Péter Petrovics ( hu, Petrovics Péter; sr, Петар Петровић/; ''c.'' 1486 – October 1557) was a

Hungarian noble The Hungarian nobility consisted of a privileged group of individuals, most of whom owned landed property, in the Kingdom of Hungary. Initially, a diverse body of people were described as noblemen, but from the late 12th century only high- ...

of Serb ethnicity from

Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...

, who was active in the 16th-century

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 ...

Biography

Count Petrovics first appeared on the historical scene after the death of

Jovan Nenad Jovan Nenad ( sr-cyr, Јован Ненад; hu, Fekete Iván or ; ca. 1492 – 26 July 1527), known as ''the Black'' was a Serb military commander in the service of the Kingdom of Hungary who took advantage of a Hungarian military defeat at Moh ...

, on the side of

John Zápolya John Zápolya or Szapolyai ( hu, Szapolyai/ Zápolya János, hr, Ivan Zapolja, ro, Ioan Zápolya, sk, Ján Zápoľský; 1490/91 – 22 July 1540), was King of Hungary (as John I) from 1526 to 1540. His rule was disputed by Archduke Ferd ...

, with whom he had familial ties. In 1556, using Serbian troops, he attacked the units of

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I ( es, Fernando I; 10 March 1503 – 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Hungary, and List of rulers of Croatia, Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1 ...

and in doing so achieved the return to the Hungarian throne of

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 ...

. He had considerable wealth and power in the

Eastern Hungarian Kingdom The Eastern Hungarian Kingdom ( hu, keleti Magyar Királyság) is a modern term coined by some historians to designate the realm of John Zápolya and his son John Sigismund Zápolya, who contested the claims of the House of Habsburg to rule the ...

during this period, one of the kingdom's wealthiest landowners as a cousin and supporter of

(John I), with a vast array of estates. He was a fervent supporter of the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. A staunchly anti-Habsburg, pro-Ottoman magnate who was a councilor and guardian of

(John II),* he was an adherent of Calvinism and used his power to be a major influence in the Reformation in Hungary, driving out altars and the portraits of saints from churches. A great statesman, he was also commander of Temesvár (today

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

) and ban of Lugos and Karánsebes under Queen Isabella. Petrovics also had large estate in Banat, around Temesvár. He worked closely with

Péter Melius Juhász Péter Melius Juhász (1532 – 25 December 1572) was a Hungarian botanist, writer, theologist, and bishop of the Calvinist Reformed Church in Transylvania. He famously debated with Ferenc David in a series of synods resulting in the Brief Confes ...

, apostle and organizer of the Calvinist community in

Debrecen Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...

. In November 1554 he employed famed Italian Lutheran theologian

Francesco Stancaro Francesco Stancaro (also Latin: Franciscus Stancarus) (1501 in Mantua – 1574 in Stopnica) was an Italian Catholic priest, theologian, Protestant convert, and Protestant reformer who became professor of Hebrew at the University of Königsberg. ...

as the personal physician at his castle until his death in 1559. Stancaro was actually a known influence on Debrecen clergyman Tamás Arany, who became involved in a heated debate with Petrovics's Calvinist associate Peter Melius Juhász over Antitrinitarian issues; but evidently this did not affect relations between Petrovics and Francesco Stancaro as he remained in his employ until his death. Petrovics had in the previous years been pressed to leave the southern region of Temesvár (today's

), and had settled in the northern country. Thus it was in this area that he used to support Calvinist doctrines. If he had stayed in his original power base, where earlier with his help the Lutherans had already organized the first Hungarian superintendencies, then it is most probable that the Hungarian Calvinist Reformation would have begun with the Temesvár synod.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrovics, Peter 1557 deaths 16th-century Hungarian nobility 16th-century Serbian nobility Hungarian nobility in Transylvania Hungarian landowners Serbs of Hungary History of Banat Ottoman history of Vojvodina Bans (title) Year of birth unknown Year of birth uncertain Habsburg Serbs Serbs from the Ottoman Empire 16th-century landowners Eastern Hungarian Kingdom