Baron Miklós Istvánffy de Baranyavár et Kisasszonyfalva (; 8 December 1538 – 1 April 1615) was a Hungarian politician,

Humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

historian and poet, who served as Palatinal Governor of Hungary () from 19 January 1582 to November 1608.Markó 2006, p. 232. He is often called as "

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

of Hungary", because of his historiographical activity and, because, he studied in

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

, the birthplace of the great Roman historian (then called ''

Patavium Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

'').

Life

He was the second son of Pál Istvánfi ("son of István"), who functioned as

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, ...

(Count; ''comes'') of

Baranya County Baranya (, ; German language, German:Croatian language, Croatian:'' Baranjska županija'') is a Counties of Hungary, county () in southern Hungary. It is part of the Southern Transdanubia statistical region and the historical Baranya (region), B ...

and was also a member of the Royal Council. His mother was his father's second wife, Hedvig Gyulay. One of his brothers, István (d. 1585) held the office of Vice-ispán (Viscount; ''vicecomes'') of

Veszprém County Veszprém (, ; ) is an administrative county (''vármegye'') in Hungary. Veszprém is also the name of the capital city of Veszprém county. Veszprém county Veszprém county lies in western Hungary. It covers the Bakony hills and the norther ...

. The family had to leave Baranya County, when the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

invaded and occupied

Pécs Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...

in 1543 (the Christian armies were able to recapture the town only in 1686). Istvánffy served

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Pál Várdai Pál is a Hungarian masculine given name, the Hungarian version of Paul. It may refer to: * Pál Almásy (1818–1882), Hungarian lawyer and politician * Pál Bedák (born 1985), Hungarian boxer * Pál Benkő (1928–2019), Hungarian-American ch ...

as his page in

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 ...

(today: ''Trnava, Slovakia''). After the death of Várdai (1549), he became a protegee of

Nicolaus Olahus Nicolaus Olahus (Latin for ''Nicholas, the Vlach''; ; ); 10 January 1493 – 15 January 1568) was the Archbishop of Esztergom, Primate of Hungary, and a distinguished Catholic prelate, humanist and historiographer. Early life Nicolaus Olahus ...

. He studied at the universities of Bologna and

after 1551; at the latter place he learned Latin philology from the great Humanist scholar

János Zsámboky János Zsámboky or János Zsámboki or János Sámboki, (with his humanist name ; 1 June 1531 – 13 June 1584) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian Renaissance Humanism, humanist scholar: physician, philologist and historian. Sambucus was born i ...

. Istvánffy returned home in 1556 and presumably became a soldier of

Nikola Šubić Zrinski Nikola IV Zrinski or Miklós IV Zrínyi (, ; 1507/1508 – 7 September 1566), also commonly known as Nikola Šubić Zrinski (), was a Croatian- Hungarian nobleman and general, Ban of Croatia from 1542 until 1556, royal master of the treasury ...

(), the hero of

Szigetvár Szigetvár (; ; ) is a town in Baranya County in southern Hungary. The name is a compound word composed of ''Sziget'' (Island) + ''vár'' (castle). In October 2011, the city received the title ''Civitas Invicta'' from the Hungarian Parliament. T ...

. Between 1558 and 1559 he functioned as the secretary of Olahus, who served as Chancellor of Hungary from 1543. Istvánffy became an official of the Chancellery after 1559. Olahus was appointed Royal Governor of Hungary in 1562. He died in 1568. He tried to acquire new estates and lands to the place of his former possession, but failed. In 1576, he was a royal envoy to Pasha of the

Budin Eyalet Budin Eyalet (also known as Province of Budin/Buda or Pashalik of Budin/Buda, ) was an administrative territorial entity of the Ottoman Empire in Central Europe and the Balkans. It was formed on the territories that Ottoman Empire conquered fro ...

to returning to occupied castles in peacetime, unsuccessfully. He had been a Royal Councillor since 1578. After the death of Imre Czobor, he was appointed Palatinal Governor (or Vice-palatine) by

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Rudolf on 24 June 1581, however the

Diet of Hungary The Diet of Hungary or originally: Parlamentum Publicum / Parlamentum Generale () was the most important political assembly in Hungary since the 12th century, which emerged to the position of the supreme legislative institution in the Kingdom ...

approved the appointment only in January 1582. Istvánffy was responsible for the judicial affairs. He was appointed Castellan of Sopron Castle in 1585. He served as envoy, along with Péter Heresiniczy, the

bishop of Győr A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

and Chancellor of Hungary, to the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

to releasing Archduke Maximilian, between December 1588 and March 1589. During the Fifteen Years War, he was unlawfully authorized to recover the war tax in

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

. He participated in the Battle of Pákozd on 3 November 1593, and the Siege of Petrinja in the summer of 1595. He was one of Rudolf's three delegates who took over the control of

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

from

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Sigismund Báthory Sigismund Báthory (; 1573 – 27 March 1613) was Prince of Transylvania several times between 1586 and 1602, and Duchy of Racibórz, Duke of Racibórz and Duchy of Opole, Opole in Silesia in 1598. His father, Christopher Báthory, ruled Transy ...

in 1598. He was also present at the Siege of Nagykanizsa (1600), when the town fell to

Tiryaki Hasan Pasha Tiryaki Hasan Pasha ( Turkish: ''Tiryaki Hasan Paşa''); also called Alacaatlı Hasan Pasha (1530–1611), was an Ottoman military commander, who participated in the Long Turkish War. He received his education in the Enderun school. Biograph ...

and became the capital of the newly established

Kanije Eyalet The Kanije Eyalet () was an administrative territorial entity of the Ottoman Empire formed in 1600 and existing until the 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz. It included parts of present-day Hungary and Croatia History The province of Kanije was establish ...

. One year later, the Christian armies tried to recapture the town but suffered a heavy and decisive defeat. Istvánffy served as

Master of the doorkeepers The Master of the doorkeepers (, , ) was a high-ranking official in the Kingdom of Hungary from the beginning of the 11th century to 1945. Formerly, the office was known as Ispán of the keepers (, ). Origins and duties The office-holders su ...

(, ) from 1599 until his death. In 1603, he drafted the judgment under which the Lutheran

István Illésházy Count of Illésháza (formerly Baron) István Illésházy (March 1541 - Vienna, May 5, 1609) was a Protestant nobleman, chieftain, palatine of Hungary between 1608 and 1609. Life The Illésházy family of the noble houses of Illésházy. His fa ...

was illegally sentenced to death and confiscation of property. As a result, he attracted the hatred of the Protestant aristocrats. In 1605, he was one of the members of the Habsburg delegation which was responsible for the termination of cooperation between

Ahmed I Ahmed I ( '; ; 18 April 1590 – 22 November 1617) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 to 1617. Ahmed's reign is noteworthy for marking the first breach in the Ottoman tradition of royal fratricide; henceforth, Ottoman rulers would no ...

and

Stephen Bocskay Stephen Bocskai or Bocskay (, ; 1 January 155729 December 1606) was Prince of Transylvania and Hungary from 1605 to 1606. He was born to a Hungarian noble family. His father's estates were located in the eastern regions of the medieval Kingdom ...

. He was one of the signatories of the

Peace of Zsitvatorok The Peace of Zsitvatorok (or Treaty of Sitvatorok) was a peace treaty which ended the 13-year Long Turkish War between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy on 11 November 1606. The treaty was part of a system of peace treaties which put a ...

(1606) which ended the Fifteen Years or Long War. In 1608, István Pálffy and Miklós Istvánffy traveled to Hainburg to invite Archduke Matthias before the Diet of Hungary. During that he suffered a stroke and his right arm was paralyzed. He was one of the four candidates for the position of Palatine in the same year, but defeated by his former opponent István Illésházy. He suffered a stroke again and retired from the public life. He died in 1615 and was buried in Vinica.

Marriage

Istvánffy married Erzsébet Both de Bajna in 1569, daughter of George Both de Bajna and Borbála Hásshágy.Magyar királyi Kancellária. királyi Könyv.3kötet.1070-1071.p They had four children: * Éva, married Ivan Drašković,

Ban of Croatia Ban of Croatia () was the title of local rulers or office holders and after 1102, viceroys of Croatia. From the earliest periods of the Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by Ban (title), bans as a ruler's representative (viceroy) and sup ...

(1550–1613) * Orsolya, married János Dóczy de Lipcse * Katalin, married György Keglevich de Buzin * Pál (d. March 1581)

References

Sources

* Markó, László: A magyar állam főméltóságai Szent Istvántól napjainkig – Életrajzi Lexikon ''p. 232.'' ''(The High Officers of the Hungarian State from Saint Stephen to the Present Days – A Biographical Encyclopedia)'' (2nd edition); Helikon Kiadó Kft., 2006, Budapest; .
Magyar életrajzi lexikon 1000-1990

Istvánffy arcképe

* Révai nagy lexikona (X. kötet, HÉROLD-JÓB) {{DEFAULTSORT:Istvanffy, Miklos 1538 births 1615 deaths University of Bologna alumni University of Padua alumni Hungarian nobility Hungarian politicians 16th-century Hungarian historians Hungarian male poets Hungarian Renaissance humanists People from Baranya County Masters of the doorkeepers 17th-century Hungarian historians People of the Long Turkish War Németi (genus)