The House of Batthyány () is an ancient and distinguished Hungarian noble magnate family. The Head of the family bears the title

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

(

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German language, German word for a ruler as well as a princely title. ' were, starting in the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ...

) of Batthyány-Strattmann, while other members of this family bear the title Count/Countess ( Graf/Gräfin) Batthyány von Német-Ujvar respectively. A branch of the family () was notable in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

and

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

as well, producing several Bans (viceroys) of

Jajce Jajce ( sr-Cyrl, Јајце) is a town and municipality in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the town has a population of 7,172 inhabitants, wi ...

in the 15th and 16th century and later

Bans of Croatia Ban of Croatia () was the title of local rulers or office holders and after 1102, viceroys of Croatia. From the earliest periods of the Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by bans as a ruler's representative (viceroy) and supreme militar ...

in the 16th, 17th and 18th century.

History

The Batthyány family can trace its roots to the founding of

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

in 896 CE by

Árpád Árpád (; 845 – 907) was the head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or '' kende'' of the Hungarians, or their military leader or '' g ...

. The family derives from a chieftain called Örs. Árpád had seven chieftains, one by the name of Örs, which later became Kővágó-Örs. In 1398, Miklós Kővágó-Örs married Katalin Battyány. King Zsigmond (Sigismund) gave Miklós the region around the town of Battyán (now called

Szabadbattyán Szabadbattyán is a village in Fejér county, Hungary. Located about 10 km from Székesfehérvár and about 30 km from Lake Balaton. The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Archeological record go back to the Bronze Age. Due ...

) and he took the name Batthyány (lit. "from Battyán"). The family were first mentioned in documents in 1398 and have had their ancestral seat in

Güssing Güssing (; , ) is a town in Burgenland, Austria. It is located at , with a population of 3,610 (2023), and is the administrative center of the Güssing (district), Güssing district. For centuries the town occupied an important position on the we ...

in the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n region of

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 ...

since 1522. In 1570, Boldizsár Batthyány transformed the seat of the family,

, into the center of

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 ...

in the region. His descendant Ádám Batthyány (1610–1659), however, was

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and founded a Franciscan monastery in Güssing. On 3.1.1764 Count Karl Josef Batthyány was created

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 ...

. As he didn't have surviving sons, his princely title was inherited by his nephew Count Adam Wenzel (1722–1787). Count Lajos Batthyány became the first Prime Minister of Hungary during the

Hungarian Revolution of 1848 The Hungarian Revolution of 1848, also known in Hungary as Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849 () was one of many Revolutions of 1848, European Revolutions of 1848 and was closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in ...

and was executed in Pest in 1849. After 1945, the Batthyány family's property was largely expropriated in Hungary and other countries under Communist rule, although they retained their property in Austria.

Modern era

Currently, the family has about 60 name bearers who live mainly in Austria, but also in Hungary,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

. The current head of the family is Prince Laszlo Edmund Christof Maximilian Eugen Anton von Batthyány-Strattmann, son of Prince Laszlo Pascal von Batthyány-Strattmann (1938–2015) and his wife Veronika Hauschka von Treuenfels (born 1942). Prince Laszlo lives with his wife and children in Austria.

Notable members

* Boldizsár Batthyány (1543–1590), baron, well-educated humanist, became Protestant in 1570, protector of the botanist

Carolus Clusius Charles de l'Écluse, L'Escluse, or Carolus Clusius (19 February 1526 – 4 April 1609), seigneur de Watènes, was an Artois doctor and pioneering botanist, perhaps the most influential of all 16th-century scientific horticulturists. Life C ...

* Ádám Batthyány (1610–1659), count, Founder of the Franciscan monastery in Güssing * Adam II. Batthyány (1662–1703), Ban of Croatia *

Lajos Batthyány Count Lajos Batthyány de Németújvár (; ; 10 February 1807 – 6 October 1849) was the first Prime Minister of Hungary. He was born in Pozsony (modern-day Bratislava) on 10 February 1807, and was executed by firing squad in Pest, Hungary, Pe ...

(1696–1765), Hungarian Court Chancellor and Palatine of Hungary. *

Károly József Batthyány Prince Károly József Batthyány-Strattmann (, , ; 28 April 1697, Rohonc – 15 April 1772, Vienna) was a Hungarian general and field marshal. He served as ban (viceroy) of Croatia from 1743 to 1756. Biography Born into an ancient House of ...

(1698–1772), Austrian field marshal and later educator of Joseph II, Ban (viceroy) of

* József Batthyány (1727–1799), bishop * Ignác Batthyány (1741–1798), bishop and founder of the Batthyaneum Library,

Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; ; ) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the river Mureș (river), Mureș in the historical region of Transylvania, it has a ...

, now Romania * Kázmér Batthyány (1807–1854), politician, minister in the

* Franciska Batthyány (1802–1861), born Széchenyi *

(1807–1849), executed, first Hungarian Prime Minister * Count József Sándor Batthyány (1777–1812), his father * Gusztáv, 5th Prince Batthyány-Strattmann (1803–1883), English sportsman, Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder * Edmund Gustavus, 6th Prince Batthyany-Strattmann (1826–1914) * Ludovika Olga Karoline Philippine Antonia Batthyany (1869–1939) * Count Tivadar Batthyány (1859–1931) * László, 7th Prince Batthyány-Strattmann (1870–1931), ophthalmologist, beatified in 2003 * Ervin Batthyány (1877–1945),

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

and school reformer * Countess Margit Batthyány (1911–1989) , lived until the end of World War II in Castle Rechnitz (

) where she was engaged in breeding horses and maintaining a reconvalescence home for members of the SS. Her involvement in the infamous Rechnitz massacre is still controversial. * Sacha Battyhány, Swiss journalist and writer, author of the book "A Crime in the Family" about the participation of Comtesse Margit Battyhány and other members of the family in the Rechnitz massacre *

Karina Batthyány Karina Batthyány (born 18 August 1968 in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan sociologist, scholar and author. Her main areas are social welfare, care and gender. Biography Graduated from the Faculty of Sociology, University of the Republic, she subse ...

(born 1968), Uruguayan academic

References

External links

Family website
*Archival material (ca. 212 running meters)
The Batthyány Family Archive at the National Archives of Hungary [P (4545)
/nowiki>">''P (4545)">The Batthyány Family Archive at the National Archives of Hungary [P (4545)
/nowiki>*Archival material (about 200 records)
Batthyány Family Collection at the National Library of Israel (ARC. 4* 2031)
*Shaul Greenstein,
The Hungarian Noble Family That Took in the Exiled Jews
', The Librarians, Blog of the National Library of Israel, December 18, 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:Batthyany Hungarian noble families Croatian noble families Hungarian-language surnames

History

Modern era

Notable members

See also

References

External links