Stephen Bathory

Stephen Báthory (27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was born in Szilágysomlyó, he was the youngest son of Stephen VIII Báthory and Catherine Telegdi Prince of Transylvania (1571–1586). He was married to Anna Jagiellon and worked closely with Chancellor Jan Zamoyski, during his reign, he focused on consolidating power, defeating rivals like Maximilian II, he had a successful reign, especially in military matters.

Stephen Báthory
File:Anonymous Stephen Báthory (detail) 01.jpg A 19th-century of a portrait
Prince of Transylvanyia
14th March 1571-12th December 1586
1st May 1571 St Michael's Cathedral, Gyulafehérvár
Predecessor	John II Sigismund
Successor	Sigismund Báthory
Born	(1533-09-27)27 September 1533 Szilágysomlyó, Eastern Hungarian Kingdom
Died	12 December 1586(1586-12-12) (aged 53) Hrodna, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Burial	May 1588 First Hrodna, then Wawel Cathedral, Kraków
Spouse	Anna Jagiellon ​ ​ (m. 1576)​
House	Báthory
Father	Stephen Báthory of Somlyó
Mother	Catherine Telegdi
Religion	Roman Catholicism

His most significant accomplishment was his victorious campaign against Russia in Livonia, where he defended the Commonwealth's borders and secured a favorable peace treaty called the Peace of Jam Zapolski.

Early life

File:Coat of arms of Steponas Batoras.jpg

Personal coat of arms

Around 1549–1550, he was studied in Italy. He later joined the army of the Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and fought against the Turks. He was captured by the Turks after 1553, and when Ferdinand I refused to pay his ransom, he switched sides, supporting John II Sigismund Zápolya in his quest for power in Eastern Hungary Kingdom. Báthory took on various roles as a feudal lord, military commander, and diplomat during this time. At one point, he was put under house arrest in Vienna for two years, causing him to fall out of favor at Zápolya's court.

However, he still held influence and was considered a potential successor to Zápolya after Zápolya died in 1571, Báthory became the Voivode of Transylvania through an election by the Transylvanian peoples. He had to deal with opposition from Gáspár Bekes, who had support from the Habsburgs. In 1573, Báthory successfully defeated Bekes in a civil war and forced him out of Transylvania. He then worked to navigate a balance between the Ottomans and the Holy Roman Empire to make Transylvania stronger.

Stephen Bathory Media

• Coat of arms of Steponas Batoras.jpg

  Coat of arms of Stephen Báthory.

• Riehl Portrait of Stephen Bathory.jpg

  Stephen Báthory as King of Poland with a Mannerist crown from about 1584, most probably created for him in Gdańsk after Willem van den Blocke's design.

• Poland Seal of Stephen Báthory.jpg

  Seal of King and Grand Duke Stephen Báthory, circa 1576–1586

• Blessed sword of Stephen Bathory.jpg

  Blade of the blessed sword received by Stephen Báthory in 1580 from Pope Gregory XIII for his struggles against Turks and Tatars. It was deposited in the royal treasury in Kraków.

• King Stephen in Ottoman clothes, 1585

• Polish coin with likeness of Báthory

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  Nagrobek Stefana Batorego w Królewskiej Katedrze na Wawelu

• Stephen Báthory at Pskov by Jan Matejko (1872).png

  Báthory at Pskov, by Jan Matejko