Mihály Teleki
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Mihály Teleki (
Oradea Oradea (, , ; ; ) is a city in Romania, located in the Crișana region. It serves as the administrative county seat, seat of Bihor County and an economic, social, and cultural hub in northwestern Romania. The city lies between rolling hills on ...
, Principality of Transylvania, 1634 -
Zărnești Zărnești (; ; ) is a town in Brașov County, Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 21,624 as of 2021. It administers one village, Tohanu Nou (''Neu-Tohan''; ''Újtohán''). The town is located near the Piatra Craiului Mountains, which ...
, 21 August 1690), was
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 ...
and adviser to Prince
Michael I Apafi Michael Apafi (; 3 November 1632 – 15 April 1690) was Prince of Transylvania from 1661 to his death. Background The Principality of Transylvania emerged after the disintegration of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary in the second half of the 1 ...
.


Biography

Michael Teleki (Hungarian: Teleki Mihály) was born in the Hungarian noble
Teleki The Teleki family is an old Hungarian noble family whose members, for centuries, occupied many important positions in the Principality of Transylvania, in the Holy Roman Empire and later in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. History The family was o ...
family. He was the only son of Johann Teleki (1614-1662) and his wife Anna Bornemisza. In 1657, he was captain of the bodyguard of
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' ...
. After Rákóczi's death, he joined the camp of the new Prince of Transylvania, János Kemény. On 23 January 1662 Teleki fought on the side of Kemény against the Turks in the lost Battle of Nagyszőllős, in which Kemény was killed. Teleki was sentenced to death and his property confiscated. However, since he took the oath of allegiance to the new Prince
Michael I Apafi Michael Apafi (; 3 November 1632 – 15 April 1690) was Prince of Transylvania from 1661 to his death. Background The Principality of Transylvania emerged after the disintegration of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary in the second half of the 1 ...
, he was pardoned. Related to Apafi on his mother's side, he gained considerable political influence and even became
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 ...
in 1688. Lord Apafi was a weak ruler, so the principality was actually run by his wife
Anna Bornemisza Anna Bornemisza (1630-1688), was a Hungarian noble, princess consort of Transylvania as the spouse of Michael I Apafi Michael Apafi (; 3 November 1632 – 15 April 1690) was Prince of Transylvania from 1661 to his death. Background The P ...
in cooperation with Teleki. Teleki played a role in the Anti-Habsburg
Magnate 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 respons ...
, and became in 1672 the leader of the
Kurucs 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 indep ...
in Transylvania. After his unsuccessful siege of
Prešov Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...
, his star among the insurgents began to decline, and the Kurucs chose
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 their leader. After that, Teleki completely turned away from the Kurucs and fundamentally changed his policy. Influenced by the victory of the imperial troops at the
Battle of Kahlenberg 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–Lit ...
near Vienna in 1683, Teleki, an outspoken power politician who knew that the Austrian Empire would now be the dominant political power in Central Europe, became a supporter of Imperial Austria. For this support, he was elevated to an imperial count of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Leopold I in 1685. After recapturing Buda in 1686, Field Marshal
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 ...
occupied Transylvania in 1687. Teleki and the influential nobles of Transylvania sided with Caraffa. In August 1690,
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 ...
invaded Transylvania at the head of an army consisting of Kurucs and Turks. On 21 August, he defeated the Imperial troops commanded by Michael Teleki and the Austrian General Donat Johann Heissler von Heitersheim in the
Battle of Zernest The Battle of Zernest was fought on 11 August 1690, near the town of Zernest in southeastern Transylvania (today Zărnești, in Romania), between the allied forces of Transylvania and the Holy Roman Empire, and the allied forces of the Ottoman ...
. Teleki fell in battle and Heissler was taken prisoner. Teleki was buried in the Evangelical Reformed Church in Gernyeszeg.


Sources


BLKÖ:Teleki, Michael (II.)
* Teleki Mihály gróf (széki
arcanum.hu
(Hungarian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Teleki, Mihály 1634 births 1690 deaths Hungarian politicians Hungarian nobility Chancellors of Transylvania People of the Great Turkish War Hungary under Habsburg rule Ottoman period in Hungary