
Countess Ilona Zrínyi (
Croatian: ''Jelena Zrinska'',
Hungarian: ''Zrínyi Ilona'') (1643,
Ozalj
Ozalj is a town in central Croatia, located north of Karlovac and southwest of Jastrebarsko, on the Kupa River. It is close to Žumberak/Gorjanci, Žumberak in the north and the border with Slovenia in the northwest, with Metlika being the close ...
– 18 February 1703,
Izmit) was a noblewoman and heroine. She was one of the last surviving members of the
Croatian-Hungarian Zrinski/Zrínyi noble family. She was the daughter of
Petar Zrinski
Petar IV Zrinski () (6 June 1621 – 30 April 1671) was Ban of Croatia (Viceroy) from 1665 to 1670, general and a writer. A member of the Zrinski noble family, he was noted for his role in the attempted Croatian-Hungarian Magnate conspiracy to ...
,
Ban (viceroy) of Croatia, the niece of both
Miklós Zrínyi
Miklós Zrínyi (, ; 5 January 1620 – 18 November 1664) was a Croatian and Hungarian military leader, statesman and poet. He was a member of the House of Zrinski, a Croatian- Hungarian noble family. Full e-text available at He is the a ...
and
Fran Krsto Frankopan
Fran Krsto Frankopan (; 4 March 1643 – 30 April 1671) was a Croatian baroque poet, nobleman and politician. He is remembered primarily for his involvement in the failed Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy. He was a Croatian marquess, a member of ...
and the wife of
Francis Rákóczi I and
Imre Thököly
Imre () is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and He ...
, as well as the mother of
Francis Rákóczi II
Francis may refer to:
People and characters
*Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025)
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Francis (surname)
* Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie29 ...
. She is remembered in history for her Defense of Palanok Castle against the Imperial army in 1685-1688, an act for which she was regarded a heroine in Hungary.
Life
Early years and family
Ilona was born Ilona Zrínyi in
Ozalj
Ozalj is a town in central Croatia, located north of Karlovac and southwest of Jastrebarsko, on the Kupa River. It is close to Žumberak/Gorjanci, Žumberak in the north and the border with Slovenia in the northwest, with Metlika being the close ...
, present day Croatia. She was the eldest child of
Croatian Ban,
Peter Zrinski, and his wife
Katarina Zrinska née
Frankopan
The House of Frankopan (, , , ) was a Croatian noble family, whose members were among the great landowner magnates and high officers of the Kingdom of Croatia in union with Hungary.
The Frankopans, along with the Zrinskis, are among the mos ...
, a Croatian
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
. Later her parents had two daughters, Judita Petronila (1652-1699), and Aurora Veronika (1658-1735), as well as a son,
Ivan Antun (1651-1703). Ilona and her siblings were the last generation of descendants of the once-powerful Zrinski family.
From her childhood, she was known for her beauty and good education. There is little information on her schooling; it is known though that she acquired a high level of knowledge within her family, not only from her father and mother,
Croatian writers and erudite persons but from her uncle
Nikola VII Zrinski
Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek ''Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος) and it means "the winner of the people". It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulg ...
as well.
Marriages
On 1 March 1666, she married
Francis Rákóczi, with whom she had three children: György, born in 1667, who died in infancy; Julianna, born in 1672; and Ferenc (commonly known as
Francis Rákóczi II
Francis may refer to:
People and characters
*Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025)
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Francis (surname)
* Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie29 ...
), born in 1676. On June 8, 1676, not long after Francis II's birth, the elder Francis died. The widowed Ilona requested guardianship of her children and was granted it, against the advice of
Emperor Leopold I
Leopold I (Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Franz Felician; ; 9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, List of Croatian monarchs, Croatia, and List of Bohemian monarchs, Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Rom ...
's advisers and against Francis I's will. In this way she also retained control over the vast Rákóczi estates, which included among them the castles of Regéc,
Sárospatak
Sárospatak (; ; Serbian language, Serbian: Муд Стреам; Slovak language, Slovakian: ''Šarišský Potok, Blatný Potok)''
History
The area has been inhabited since ancient times. Sárospatak was granted town status in 1201 by Emeric ...
, Makovica, and
Munkács
Mukachevo (, ; , ; see name section) is a city in Zakarpattia Oblast, western Ukraine. It is situated in the valley of the Latorica River and serves as the administrative center of Mukachevo Raion. The city is a rail terminus and highway junctio ...
. In 1682 she married
Imre Thököly
Imre () is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and He ...
and became an active partner in her second husband's
Kuruc
Kuruc (, plural ''kurucok''), also spelled kurutz, refers to a group of armed anti- Habsburg insurgents in the Kingdom of Hungary between 1671 and 1711.
Over time, the term kuruc has come to designate Hungarians who advocate strict national inde ...
uprising against the
Habsburgs
The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
.
Defense of Munkács (Palanok) Castle
After their defeat at the 1683
Battle of Vienna
The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Li ...
, both the Ottoman forces and Thököly's allied Kuruc fighters had no choice but to retreat, and Thököly quickly lost one Rákóczi castle after another. At the end of 1685, the Imperial army surrounded the last remaining stronghold,
Munkacs Castle in
today's Ukraine. Ilona Zrínyi alone defended the castle for three years (1685–1688) against the forces of General
Antonio Caraffa Antonio Carafa may refer to:
*Antonio Malizia Carafa (died 1437)
*Antonio Carafa (cardinal) (1538–1591)
*Antonio Carafa (general) (1642–1693)
*Antonio Carafa (bishop of Ugento) (died 1704)
{{hndis, Carafa, Antonio ...
.
Internment, exile and death
After the recapture of Buda, the situation became untenable, and on 17 January 1688, Ilona had no choice but to surrender the castle, with the understanding that the defenders would receive amnesty from the Emperor, and that the Rákóczi estates would remain in her children's name. Under this agreement, she and her children traveled immediately to Vienna, where in violation of the pact the children were taken from her. Ilona lived until 1691 in the convent of the Ursulines, where her daughter Julianna was also raised. Her son Francis was immediately taken to the Jesuit school in Neuhaus.
At the time, her husband, Thököly, was still fighting with his Kuruc rebels against the Habsburg army in
Upper Hungary
Upper Hungary (, "Upland"), is the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia. The region has also been called ''Felső-Magyarország'' ( literally: "Upper Hungary"; ).
During the ...
. When Habsburg General Heisler was captured by Thököly, a prisoner exchange was arranged, and Ilona joined her husband in Transylvania. In 1699, however, after the
Treaty of Karlowitz
The Treaty of Karlowitz, concluding the Great Turkish War of 1683–1699, in which the Ottoman Empire was defeated by the Holy League at the Battle of Zenta, was signed in Karlowitz, in the Military Frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy (present-day ...
was signed, both spouses, having found themselves on the losing side, had to go into exile in the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. The countess lived in
Galata
Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most nota ...
, district of
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
, and later in
Izmit, where she died on 18 February 1703. She was buried in the French
church of Saint Benoit in Galata.
Descendants
From her first marriage with Francis Rákóczi, Ilona had three children:
*György (1667–1667)
*
Julianna Borbála (September 1672 – 1717); married Count
Ferdinand Gobert von Aspremont-Lynden
Ferdinand-Gobert Count of Aspremont-Lynden ( Oud-Rekem, c. 1645 – 1 February 1708) was an Austrian General from the Southern Netherlands who fought in the service of the Habsburg Emperor Leopold I.
Biography
Lynden was born in the noble famil ...
(1643-1708)
*
Francis II Francis II may refer to:
* Francis II, Duke of Brittany (1433–1488)
* Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua (1466–1519), ruler of the Italian city of Mantua
* Francis II of France (1544–1560), king of France
* Francis II, Duke of Lorraine ...
(27 March 1676 – 8 April 1735)
From her second marriage with Imre Thököly, Ilona had three children, all of whom died at a young age (including one she was pregnant with during the siege of Munkács).
Legacy
Ilona Zrínyi is celebrated in
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 ...
and
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 ...
as one of the greatest national
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
ines, patriots and fighters for freedom, who opposed, although unsuccessfully, the autocracy and
absolutism aspirations of the
Habsburgs
The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
. Her even more famous son
Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi (, ; 27 March 1676 – 8 April 1735) was a Hungarian nobleman and leader of the Rákóczi's War of Independence against the Habsburgs in 1703–1711 as the prince () of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of ...
continued the struggle for the independence 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 ...
(1703–1711).
In October 1906 the remains of the Croatian countess were reinterred with her son's in the
St Elisabeth Cathedral
The Cathedral of St. Elizabeth (, ; ), also called Saint Elizabeth Cathedral, is a Gothic architecture, Gothic cathedral in Košice, Slovakia. It is the largest church (building), church in Slovakia and one of the easternmost Gothic cathedrals ...
in present-day
Košice, Slovakia.
Honors
* Postage stamp issued by Hungary on 28 September 1952.
See also
*
House of Zrinski
The House of Zrinski or Zrínyi was a Croatian- Hungarian noble family, a cadet branch of the Croatian noble tribe of Šubić, influential during the period in history marked by the Ottoman wars in Europe in the Kingdom of Croatia's union wit ...
*
Zrinski family tree
*
Zrinski–Frankopan conspiracy
The Magnate conspiracy (also known as the Zrinski–Frankopan Conspiracy () in Croatia, and Wesselényi conspiracy () in Hungary was a plot among Croatian and Hungarian nobles to oust the Habsburg Monarchy from Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), C ...
*
Kuruc
Kuruc (, plural ''kurucok''), also spelled kurutz, refers to a group of armed anti- Habsburg insurgents in the Kingdom of Hungary between 1671 and 1711.
Over time, the term kuruc has come to designate Hungarians who advocate strict national inde ...
*
Rákóczi's War for Independence
*
Wesselényi conspiracy
The Magnate conspiracy (also known as the Zrinski–Frankopan Conspiracy () in Croatia, and Wesselényi conspiracy () in Hungary was a plot among Croatian and Hungarian nobles to oust the Habsburg Monarchy from Croatia and Hungary, in response ...
References
Further reading
''Sources in English:''
*Clayton, Ellen Creathorne/Needham
''Female Warriors: Memorials of Female Valour and Heroism, from the Mythological Ages to the Present Era'' 2 vols (London: Tinsley, 1879), I, 218–220
*Ogden, Alan: The Discontented: Betrayal, Love and War in Habsburg Hungary (Orchid Press 2005)
''Sources in Hungarian:''
*''Köpeczi'' Béla – R. ''Várkonyi'' Ágnes: II. Rákóczi Ferenc. 3. javított kiadás Bp., 2004. Osiris Kiadó. ()
* Gyöngyösi István: Thököly Imre és Zrínyi Ilona házassága + Palinódia (Kesergõ nimfa) (Balassi Kiadó Kft., 2000)
* Szentmihályiné Szabó Mária: Zrínyi Ilona (Kriterion Könyvkiadó, 1994)
* Passuth László: Sasnak körme között (Athenaeum 2000 Kiadó)
External links
*
Medjimurje County tourism page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zrinyi, Ilona
Ilona
''Ilona'' is a feminine given name used primarily in Hungary and Finland, as well as in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe.
The name Ilona is the Hungarian form of the Greek name Helenē (Ἑλένη), which is commonly interpreted to mean ...
1640s births
Croatian nobility
Hungarian nobility
17th-century Croatian women
17th-century Croatian nobility
People from Ozalj
1703 deaths
Croatian Roman Catholics
Hungarian Roman Catholics
Women in 17th-century warfare
Women in European warfare
17th-century Hungarian women
Princesses consort of Transylvania