Count Ádám Forgách de Ghymes et Gács (; 1601 – 10 June 1681) was a Hungarian soldier and

magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

in the

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 ...

, who served as

Judge Royal The judge royal, also justiciar,Rady 2000, p. 49. chief justiceSegeš 2002, p. 202. or Lord Chief JusticeFallenbüchl 1988, p. 145. (,Fallenbüchl 1988, p. 72. ,Zsoldos 2011, p. 26. , ), was the second-highest judge, preceded only by the Palati ...

from 13 October 1670 until his death. He was the eldest son of Baron Zsigmond Forgách,

Palatine of Hungary The Palatine of Hungary ( or , , ) was the highest-ranking office in the Kingdom of Hungary from the beginning of the 11th century to 1848. Initially, Palatines were representatives of the monarchs, later (from 1723) the vice-regent (vi ...

Life

In May 1643, he became the captain of the

Nové Zámky Nové Zámky (; ) is a town in Nové Zámky District in the Nitra Region of southwestern Slovakia. Geography The town is located on the Danubian Lowland, on the Nitra River, at an altitude of 119 metres. It is located around 100 km fr ...

fortress.
In August 1652, he organized the defense against the marauding Turkish troops, which he faced on 26 August 1652 near Veľké Vozokany. He defeated the Turkish troops in the two-day

Battle of Vezekény The Battle of Vezekény () 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 László László () is ...

. After the outbreak of the

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 ...

, he allowed himself to be outwitted by the Turks and, without a sufficient survey of the situation, launched an attack against allegedly weakened Turkish troops near

Štúrovo Štúrovo (, ) is the southernmost town of Slovakia, situated on the river Danube not far from the mouth of the Hron. Connected by the Mária Valéria Bridge it forms a cross-border urban area with the city of Esztergom in Hungary. In 2023 the tow ...

. In reality, however, the Turks had prepared a trap for his troops, and in the

Battle of Köbölkút The Battle of Köbölkút was fought on August 5, 1663 as part of the Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664), between a Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg army under the command of the Hungarians, Hungarian Ádám Forgách and an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman army ...

on August 6, 1663, only less than 400 of his 5,500 soldiers were saved. Forgáč himself escaped. An Ottoman force of about 50,000 men advanced on

and demanded his surrender, which he refused. The city was shelled by Ottoman artillery. On September 22, 1663, an accident occurred in which a storehouse of gunpowder exploded in a bastion. Further defense of the city was impossible. After a month and a half long siege, he was forced to surrender to the troops of Grand Vizier Ahmed Köprülü. The loss of Nové Zámky resulted in the loss of other towns from

Levice Levice (; , Hungarian pronunciation: ; ) is a town in western Slovakia. The town lies on the left bank of the lower Hron river. The Old Church Slavonic, Old Slavic name of the town was ''Leva'', which means "the Left One". The town is located i ...

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra (river), Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of ...

. Western Slovakia was subjected to Ottoman looting. Ottoman forces penetrated as far as Moravia. He was court-martialled for his military failures, but was eventually acquitted. From 1670 until his death, he was a

References

Sources

*Markó, László: A magyar állam főméltóságai Szent Istvántól napjainkig - Életrajzi Lexikon ''p. 280.'' ''(The High Officers of the Hungarian State from Saint Stephen to the Present Days - A Biographical Encyclopedia)'' (2nd edition); Helikon Kiadó Kft., 2006, Budapest; . *Szabó de Bártfa, László: A Hunt-Pázmán nemzetségbeli Forgách család története ''History of the Forgách family from the kindred of

Hont-Pázmány Hont-Pázmány (Hunt-Poznan) was the name of a ''gens'' ("clan") in the Kingdom of Hungary. The ''Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum'' mentions that the ancestors of the family, the brothers Hont (Hunt) and Pázmány (Pazman), originally from the Duchy ...

''; 1910, Esztergom. {{DEFAULTSORT:Forgach, Adam 1601 births 1681 deaths Counts of Hungary Hungarian soldiers Hungarian Roman Catholics Counter-Reformation Adam Forgach Judges royal