Count Miklós Bercsényi () ( Hrádok, Kingdom of Hungary, September 1665 –

Tekirdağ Tekirdağ () is a city in northwestern Turkey. It is located on the north coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the region of East Thrace. The city forms the urban part of the Süleymanpaşa district, with a population of 186,421 in 2022. Tekirdağ ...

, 6 November 1725) was a Hungarian military officer and chief general during

Rákóczi's War of Independence Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–1711) was the first significant attempt to topple the rule of the Habsburgs over Royal Hungary, Hungary. The war was conducted by a group of noblemen, wealthy and high-ranking progressives and was led by F ...

(1703–1711).

Biography

He was the son of General Count Miklós Bercsényi (1633–1689) and Countess Maria Elisabeth Katharina von Rechberg and Rothenlöwen (1684–1794). He attended school with the Jesuits, studied philosophy at the University of

Nagyszombat Trnava (, , ; , also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of the Trnava Region and the Trnava District. It is the seat of a Roman Catholic a ...

, in present-day Slovakia, and completed his training at the court of

Palatine of Hungary The Palatine of Hungary ( or , , ) was the highest-ranking office in the Kingdom of Hungary from the beginning of the 11th century to 1848. Initially, Palatines were representatives of the monarchs, later (from 1723) the vice-regent (vi ...

Paul I, Prince Esterházy Paul I, 1st Prince Esterházy of Galántha (), () (8 September 1635 – 26 March 1713) was the first House of Esterházy, Prince Esterházy of Galántha from 1687 to 1713, Palatine (Kingdom of Hungary), Palatine of the Kingdom of Hungary from 16 ...

. After the liberation of Vienna, he served in the Imperial Army and participated in the wars against the Turks. Captain of Vágsellye in 1685, he distinguished himself at the

Siege of Buda (1686) The siege of Buda (1686) () was a military engagement during the Great Turkish War, in which forces of the Holy League, led by the Habsburg Monarchy, recaptured the fortified city of Buda (now part of modern-day Budapest) from the Ottoman Empir ...

, was appointed Captain-in-Chief of

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...

, and was promoted to the rank of colonel.Encyclopædia Britannica: Gróf Miklós Bercsényi
/ref> Both he and his father received the title of Count on 14 September 1687, from

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor 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 ...

and King of Hungary. Miklós Bercsényi became

Ispán The ispánRady 2000, p. 19.''Stephen Werbőczy: The Customary Law of the Renowned Kingdom of Hungary in Three Parts (1517)'', p. 450. or countEngel 2001, p. 40.Curta 2006, p. 355. (, , and ),Kirschbaum 2007, p. 315. deriving from title of župan, ...

of Ung County in 1691, Royal advisor and provincial vice-general. Bercsényi was Chief Military Commissioner of

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 ...

between 1696 and 1698. The 1690s marked a turning point. The Hungarian nobility increasingly opposed Emperor Leopold's absolutist and repressive policies. Having been friends with

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 ...

since 1696, they plotted from 1698 to overthrow the Habsburgs and sought support from the French royal court of Louis XIV and that of

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

. Following the discovery of the conspiracy of the nobles, Rákóczi was imprisoned in May 1701 and Bercsényi took refuge in Poland where he organized the future uprising. Shortly after, Rákóczi escaped, took refuge in Poland and then led the Hungarian uprising in 1703. Despite his divergent political and military opinions, Bercsényi nonetheless remained the Prince's most loyal advisor.Braun László: Bercsényi Miklós (1665–1725)
epa.oszk.hu (in Hungarian) He was put in charge of the uprising’s military operations and became Rákóczi’s deputy in 1707. After the failure of the uprising, he emigrated to Poland on 21 November 1710 and traveled to the Ottoman Empire in 1716, where he joined the Ottoman army. He fought against the Habsburgs at

Orșova Orșova (; ; ; ) is a port city on the Danube river in southwestern Romania's Mehedinți County. It is one of four localities in the Banat historical region situated just above the Iron Gates where the Cerna River meets the Danube. History ...

, but was defeated. He then joined the Hungarian emigrants at Tekirdağ, where he died in 1725.

Marriage and children

He first married Krisztina Drughet de Homonna (1655-1691), daughter of György (1633-1661), Governor of Upper Hungary. They had two children : *

Ladislas Ignace de Bercheny Ladislas Ignace de Bercheny () (August 3, 1689 in Eperjes, Sáros County, Kingdom of Hungary (today Prešov, Slovakia) – January 9, 1778 in Luzancy, Kingdom of France (today France) was a Hungarian-born soldier who became Marshal of France. L ...

(1689-1778), Marshal of France. * Zsuzsanna (1691–1745), married Count Péter Zichy of Zich and Vázsonykő (1673–1726) After the death of his first wife, he remarried the influential Countess Krisztina Csáky (1638-1684)

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bercsényi, Miklós 1665 births 1725 deaths 18th-century rebels Hungarian generals Hungarian nobility 17th-century Hungarian people 18th-century Hungarian people Rákóczi's War of Independence