Mihály Mikes de Zabola (? – 1662)Markó 2006, p. 115. was a Hungarian noble in the Principality of Transylvania, who served as

Chancellor of Transylvania The following is the list of chancellors of Transylvania during the Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711) and the (Grand) Principality of Transylvania (1711–1867). List of chancellors Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Principali ...

from 1656 to 1660.

Biography

He was born into a Transylvanian aristocrat family as one of the five children of Zsigmond Mikes, a member of the Transylvanian Royal Council and Borbála Imecs. He married Borbála Paczolai, they had no children. In his youth at November 1637, he tried to abduct his love Sára Tarnóczy de Királyfalva, with the help of his brothers, János and Pál and their servants, however they were caught in the act. As a result the Mikes brothers were sentenced to death and confiscation of property in 1638, but they fled to

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

, where served

voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

Vasile Lupu Lupu Coci, known as Vasile Lupu (; 1595 – 1661), was the voivode of Moldavia between 1634 and 1653. He was of Albanian and Greek origin. Lupu had secured the Moldavian throne in 1634 after a series of complicated intrigues and managed to h ...

. In the next year

George I Rákóczi George I Rákóczi (8 June 1593 – 11 October 1648) was Prince of Transylvania from 1630 until his death in 1648. Prior to that, he was a leader of the Protestant faction in Hungary and a faithful supporter of Gabriel Bethlen, his predecessor ...

gave amnesty to him and returned to home. Mikes functioned as commander of the Transylvanian artillery in 1644, then served as envoy to

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

besides Ferenc Bethlen in 1647 to ask the Polish throne for George I Rákóczi. After that he served in the Cavalry of the Court. He was appointed a member of the Royal Court of Justice in February 1652. The new

Prince of Transylvania The Prince of Transylvania (, , , Fallenbüchl 1988, p. 77.) was the head of state of the Principality of Transylvania from the late-16th century until the mid-18th century. John Sigismund Zápolya was the first to adopt the title in 1 ...

George II Rákóczi George II Rákóczi (30 January 1621 – 7 June 1660), was a Hungarian nobleman, Prince of Transylvania (1648-1660), the eldest son of George I and Zsuzsanna Lorántffy. Early life He was elected Prince of Transylvania during his father' ...

nominated him to the head of the Chancellery in 1656. He was also a member of the Royal Council since January 1658. He participated in the

Second Northern War The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of ...

as commander of the Transylvanian troops which helped the

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

against the Polish Army. 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 ...

did not tolerate its vassal the Principality of Transylvania's autonomous foreign policy, therefore started a punitive campaign against Rákóczi. In 1658, Mikes unsuccessfully defended the line of

Buzău River Buzău (; formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu'') is a city in the historical region of Muntenia, Romania, and the county seat of Buzău County. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Car ...

against the Ottoman-

Tatar Tatar may refer to: Peoples * Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar" * Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia * Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...

-Moldavian-

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

n united army.

Ákos Barcsay Ákos Barcsay (Achatius) ( July 1661) was Prince of Transylvania from September 14, 1658 to December 31, 1660. Barcsay's reign of a little over two years was a period of considerable domestic and international turmoil. It occurred during the en ...

marched into

Gyulafehérvár 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 in the historical region of Transylvania, it has a population of ...

(today: ''Alba Iulia, Romania'') and expelled, among others, Mikes from Transylvania on 24 May 1659. The anti-Prince also appointed a new Chancellor in the person of

János Bethlen János Bethlen de Bethlen (1613 – 13 February 1678)Markó 2006, p. 102. was a Hungarian noble in the Principality of Transylvania, who served as Chancellor of Transylvania from 1659 to 1678. Life János was the only son of Farkas Bethle ...

. However Mikes held the office too in the areas dominated by Rákóczi until the death of his lord in 1660.

Legacy

Zsigmond Kemény Baron Zsigmond Kemény (June 12, 1814December 22, 1875) was a writer from the Austrian Empire. Life and work Kemény was born in Alvincz, Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Vințu de Jos, Romania) to a distinguished noble fam ...

depicted Mikes' abduction attempt in the novel of ''Özvegy és leánya'' ("The Widow and her Daughter").

References

Sources

* Markó, László: A magyar állam főméltóságai Szent Istvántól napjainkig – Életrajzi Lexikon ''p. 115.'' ''(The High Officers of the Hungarian State from Saint Stephen to the Present Days – A Biographical Encyclopedia)'' (2nd edition); Helikon Kiadó Kft., 2006, Budapest; . * Trócsányi, Zsolt: Erdély központi kormányzata 1540–1690. Budapest, Akadémiai Kiadó, 1980. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mikes, Mihaly 1662 deaths Hungarian politicians Hungarian nobility Chancellors of Transylvania Mihaly Year of birth unknown