Count Mihály Cseszneky de Milvány et Csesznek was a Hungarian nobleman (member of the

Cseszneky Cseszneky is a surname of Hungarians, Hungarian origin. Notable people * Benedek Cseszneky, office holder, diplomat * György Cseszneky, castellan of Tata, Hungary, Tata and Győr * Gyula Cseszneky (1914-ca 1970) poet, translator, Macedonian Voivo ...

family) and 16th century border castle hero. Mihály Cseszneky was appointed chief-lieutenant to the Castle of

Várpalota Várpalota (; German: Burgschloß) is a town in Western Hungary, in the Transdanubian county of Veszprém (county), Veszprém. It was a mining town during the Socialism, Socialist era, but the mines have been closed. Most of the citizens work in t ...

in 1559, after he and Balázs Baranyai had liberated several villages under Ottoman occupation in the southern part of

Veszprém Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name. Etymology The city's name derives ...

and Fejér counties. For his merits King Ferdinand I donated him the villages of Bakonynána,

Dudar Dudar is a village in Veszprém county, Hungary in Zirc District Zirc () is a district in north-eastern part of Veszprém County. ''Zirc'' is also the name of the town where the district seat is found. The district is located in the Central Tra ...

, Káloz, Láng,

Aba ABA may refer to: Aviation * AB Aerotransport, former Scandinavian airline * IATA airport code for Abakan International Airport in Republic of Khakassia, Russia Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, Uni ...

and Felegres. Being the right-hand of castellan György Thury, in 1566 he played an important role in the defense of the castle of Várpalota with 450-500 Hungarian warriors against the 7000-8000 Turkish soldiers of Arslan,

Pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

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 ...

. Under the leadership of castellan Thury and chief-lieutenant Cseszneky the defenders successfully withstood the siege until Count Salm's relief troops arrived from

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 ...

. Then the warriors of Várpalota helped Salm to reconquer

and Tata. Despite being acknowledged as a hero, Count Cseszneky did not receive enough money from the royal treasury for the maintenance of the castle of Várpalota, thus he was compelled to raise funds by making forays against the Ottomans, and sometimes holding the local people to ransom. In 1588 the villagers of the region complained to

Ferenc Nádasdy Count Ferenc II Nádasdy de Nádasd et Fogarasföld (6 October 1555 – 4 January 1604) was a Hungarian nobleman and a distinguished soldier. His family, the Nádasdy family, was one of the wealthiest and most influential of the era in Hung ...

, the "Black Beg" about Cseszneky. Nevertheless, his behavior was not exceptional at that time, and there was no other means to manage the defense of the castle and the peasants against the Turkish attacks.

Sources

* Istvánffy Miklós: Historiarum de rebus Ungaricis * Szíj Rezső: Várpalota * Fejér megyei történeti évkönyv * Hofkammerarchiv Wien
Dudar története
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cseszneky, Mihaly Hungarian soldiers 16th-century Hungarian nobility Mihaly 16th-century soldiers