The Treaty of Speyer, signed at the Diet of Speyer in 1570, was a peace agreement between the two Hungarian Kingdoms,

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 Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...

led by Maximilian II, and 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 th ...

, ruled by

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 ...

, which lead to the establishment of the Principality of Transylvania.

Transylvania before the Treaty of Speyer

Unlike the autonomous

Kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of Croatia may refer to: * Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102), an independent medieval kingdom * Croatia in personal union with Hungary (1102–1526), a kingdom in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary * Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg) (152 ...

, medieval Transylvania was not a separate Land of the

Holy Crown of Hungary The Holy Crown of Hungary ( hu, Szent Korona; sh, Kruna svetoga Stjepana; la, Sacra Corona; sk, Svätoštefanská koruna , la, Sacra Corona), also known as the Crown of Saint Stephen, named in honour of Saint Stephen I of Hungary, was the c ...

, it was simply an administrative district, and an integral part of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary.

Status of Transylvania after the treaty

John Sigismund abdicated as King of Hungary, however, Maximilian II recognized John Sigismund's authority as "''Prince of Transylvania''" and, in return, John Sigismund accepted Maximilian II as King of Hungary with suzerainty over his principality.Andrew Pettegree
''The Reformation World''
Routledge, 2000, p. 192 John Sigismund became ''princeps Transsylvaniae et partium regni Hungariae dominus'' – Prince of Transylvania and of a part of the Kingdom of Hungary.István Keul
''Early modern religious communities in East-Central Europe: ethnic diversity, denominational plurality, and corporative politics in the principality of Transylvania (1526–1691)''
BRILL, 2009, p. 61 According to the treaty, the Principality of Transylvania continued to be part 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 Hungarian monarch, c ...

in the sense of public law, the Treaty of Speyer stressed in a highly significant way that John Sigismund's possessions belonged to the

and he was not permitted to alienate them.Anthony Endrey
''The Holy Crown of Hungary''
Hungarian Institute, 1978, p. 70 This treaty, like the earlier Treaty of Nagyvárad, endorsed the principle of a united Hungary. Partium and Transylvania were entrusted to John Sigismund Zápolya, as a vassal of Maximilian. As mentioned above, the Zápolyas had already held the Partium, but now the Habsburgs recognized their lordship. In a sense, John Sigismund traded his royal title for territory.

References

{{Reflist Speyer (1570) Speyer (1570) Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711) 1570 treaties 1570 in Hungary Eastern Hungarian Kingdom Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor