Gabriel Bethlen

Gabriel Bethlen ( Hungarian: Slovak Bethlen Gábor, : Gabriel Betlen ) (born in 1580 with Ilia - died in 1629 with Alba Iulia), was elected Prince of Transylvania the October 23rd 1613, and was elected king of Hungary the August 25th 1620 until the December 31st 1621.

He was the leader of an insurrection against the Habsbourg on the territory of current the Slovakia. Its last armed intervention in 1626 took a big part in the conflict of the Guerre Thirty Year old. It followed a very active foreign politics, in favor of Protestantism.

This representative of the branch of Iktári of the very former Hungarian family of Bethlen, was born with Ilia (Hungarian: Marosillye) and high with Lăzarea (Hungarian: Szárhegy), with the castle of his/her uncle András Lázár. From there, it is sent to the court of the prince Sigismond Bathory of Transylvania (Zsigmond Báthory), which it accompanies during the countryside by Valachie. In 1605 it helps Stephan Bocskay to become prince of Transylvania, and remains its adviser as a chief. Bethlen also supports its successor Gabriel Bathory (1608 - 1613), but the prince becomes jealous of the higher capacities of Bethlen, and obliges this one to seek refuge among Turks.

In 1613, Bethlen carries out an large army against prince Batory, but this last is assassinated by two of its officers and the Turks place Bethlen on the throne, against the opinion of the Austrian emperor of Habsbourg, which preferred a prince closer to Vienna than of Constantinople. The October 13rd 1613, the mode of Transylvania to Cluj-Napoca (Hungarian: Koloszvár, German: Klausenburg), confirms the choice of the sultan of Turkey. In 1615, Bethlen is officially recognized by the emperor Matthias as prince de Transylvanie, in exchange of the secret engagement of Bethlen to support the Habsbourg against the Turks.

While avoiding cruelties and excesses of its predecessors, Bethlen establishes a rather enlightened alternative of the patriarchal despotism. It develops the mines and industry and nationalizes the foreign trade of Transylvania. It builds a new palate with Alba Iulia, its capital (Hungarian: Gyulafehérvár), where it maintains a sumptuous court, supporting arts and the culture. It founds an academy where it invites the Hungarian pastors and professors. It sends students in the Protestant universities of England, the Netherlands and Protestant Germany, and confers on all the Protestant pastors a title of hereditary nobility. It obliges the landowners to provide education for the children of their serfs.

A big part of its incomes is devoted to maintain an army mercenaries, with whom it leads an ambitious foreign politics. Maintaining peace with the Sublime Door, it strikes in north and the east.

During the War Thirty Year old which prevails in Western Europe, several reasons justify the interventions of Betlen against Habsbourg in the Hungarian neighbor (1619-1626)

No doubt that they were partly justified by the personal ambition
the absolutism of Habsbourg in Hungary
Habsbourg had begun a Counter-Reformation in Hungary, confiscating the properties of the Protestants.
Habsbourg had violated the peace of Vienna of 1606, supposed to put a term at the anti-Habsbourg rising of its predecessor Stephen Bocskay.
Habsbourg had violated the secret agreement with Bethlen of 1615, and had prolonged peace with the Ottoman Empire in July 1615. It had even tied an alliance with George Druget, captain of high Hungary (C. - with-D. adjacent Slovakia Eastern and territories) against Bethlen.

While the emperor Ferdinand II is occupied with the Czech rebellion (1618), Bethlen carries out its armies in Hungary (more exactly as Slovakia current) in August 1619, and occupies the town of Košice (German: Kaschau) in September. It gains soon all current Slovakia, fixing the capital of Hungary at Presbourg (today: Bratislava) in October, the Elector Palatine gives the Hungarian crown to him. Then the troops of Bethlen unite with the Czech troops, and they miss conquering Vienna in November. But Bethlen, attacked by the troops of Habsbourg (George Druget and of the Polish mercenaries) as Slovakia Eastern, is forced to leave Austria. He is then not opposed to a peace, nor with a preliminary suspension of the hostilities. Negotiations are successively open in the conquered cities of Presbourg, Košice (Hungarian: Kassa) and Banská Bystrica (Hungarian: Besztercebánya, German: Neusohl). To the beginning, that does not lead to nothing because Bethlen insists to include the Czechs in peace. But finally a truce is concluded in January 1620. Bethlen receives 13 counties in the east of Hungary. The August 20th 1620, it is elected king de Hongrie by the diet of Banská Bystrica with the assent of the Turks. But Bethlen refuses the crown for tactical and diplomatic reasons, mainly because he hopes for a reconciliation with Habsbourg. In September, the war takes again as Slovakia south-west (current Low-Austria).

The defeat of the Czechs vis-a-vis the troops of Ferdinand II with the Battle of the White Mountain (a reinforcement of 3 000 men sent by Bethlen will arrive too late), in November 1620 gives a new turning to the insurection of Bethlen against Habsbourg. Ferdinand II joins again with the victory and starts to reconquer the territories of current Slovakia. New peace negotiations are started, but it is not supported any more by the Turks, nor by the noble Protestants who hoped to receive the properties of the catholics. A peace treaty is concluded with Nikolsburg, the December 31st 1621. Bethlen gives up the royal title, provided that Ferdinand confirms the agreements of Vienna of 1606, on freedom of worship with the Protestants. Moreover Bethlen receives the title (purely formal) of imperial prince (of Transylvania) on seven counties around the higher river of the Tisza (Stoked) (as Slovakia, in Ukraine, in Hungary and Romania current), of the fortresses of Tokay, Mukacheve (Hungarian: Munkács) and of Ecsed, and a duchy in Silesia.

By twice still (1623 - 1624 and 1626) Bethlen launches campaigns on the territory of Slovakia current against Ferdinand II, this time as combined anti-Habsbourg Protestant powers. The first was concluded by peace from Vienna in 1624, the second by the peace of Presbourg in 1626, both confirming the peace of Nikolsburg of 1621. After these campaigns, Bethlen tries a bringing together with the court of Vienna on the basis of alliance against the Turks and his marriage with one of the Austrian archduchesses (his first wife, Zsuzsanna Károlyi, had died in 1622). But Ferdinand does not grant any confidence to him and rejects its attempts at openings. Bethlen is obliged to give up its anti-Turks projects, which had animated it up to now. Consequently, on its return of Vienna he marries Catherine de Brandebourg, girl of the voter of Brandebourg, and is combined more narrowly with the Protestant powers, particularly with his brother-in-law Gustave Adolphe of Sweden (their wives were sisters) which, he hopes for it, will help it to obtain the Polish crown. He died the November 15th 1629 before to have achieved these great intentions.

Gabriel Bethlen was certainly one of characters more seizing and the most original of its century. A Calvin burning ist, which was praised to have read the bible twenty-five times. It was nevertheless tolerant, helping even the Jésuite Kaldy to translate and print its version of the writings.

Gabriel 02 Transylvania

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