Stephen Bathory, King of Poland
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- This article is about Stefan Bathory, the king of Poland. For more information on his father, also named Stephen (Istvn) see: Istvn Bthory
| Stefan Batory | |
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| Reign | From December 9, 1575 until December 12, 1586 |
| Elected | On December 9, 1575 in Wola, today suburb of Warsaw, Poland |
| Coronation | On May 1, 1576 in the Wawel Cathedral, Krakw, Poland |
| Noble Family | Bathory |
| Parents | Stephen Bathory Catherine Telegdi |
| Consorts | Anna Jagiellonka |
| Children | none |
| Date of Birth | September 27, 1533 |
| Place of Birth | Somlyo, Transylvania (now Romania) |
| Date of Death | December 12, 1586 |
| Place of Death | Grodno, Poland, (now Belarus) |
| Place of Burial | Wawel Cathedral, in Krakw, Poland buried in May, 1588 |
Stefan Bthory (1533-1586) was a Prince of Transylvania and King of Poland.
He was born as Istvn Bthory to a mighty Hungarian noble, also named Istvn Bthory. Bthory succeeded John II Zapolya as Prince of Transylvania and held this position from 1571-75, giving it to his older brother Christopher Bathory (1530-81) afterwards. In 1575 he was elected a King of Poland and ruled Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as Stefan Batory.
Biography
Stefan was elected to become King of Poland, after Henry III of Valois fled Poland to become King of France. He married Anna the Jagiellonian, daughter of King Sigismund I the Old.
The Hanse city of Gdańsk (German:Danzig) had backed Emperor Maximilian II in his attempt to become King of Poland. Stefan Bathory, upon becoming King of Poland, attacked Gdańsk and tried to take it by military force. Bthory was able to defeat Gdańsk's mercenary army in open field, but unable to take the city; so compromise was reached.
Bthory, with his chancellor Jan Zamojski, led the Polish army in a brilliant decisive campaign against the Baltic invaders of Ivan "the terrible" Vasleivich. The Russians had invaded Livonia and took Dorpat from the Polish vassal, the Teutonic Brothers of the sword (more commonly referred to as the Teutonic Knights). The Poles under Bthory routed a Russian force at Wielkie Luki and Pskw. In the Peace treaty in Jam Zapolski, Poland got back Livonia and Polock.
Stefan Bthory planned a Christian alliance against the Ottomans. He proposed an anti-Ottoman alliance with Russia, which he considered a necessary step for his anti-Ottoman crusade. However, Russia was on the way to the Time of Troubles so he could not find a partner there. When Stefan Bthory died, there was a one year interregnum. Emperor Mathias's brother Maximilian III tried to claim title of King of Poland, but was defeated at Byczyna and Sigismund III Vasa followed Stefan Bthory's reign.
Jan_Matejko-Batory_pod_Pskowem.jpg
| Preceded by: John II Zapolya | Prince of Transylvania 1571–1576 | Succeeded by: Christopher Bathory |
| Preceded by: Henry | King of Poland 1575–1586 | Succeeded by: Sigismund III Template:Kings and Dukes of Polandhu:Bthory Istvn de:Stephan Bthory be:Стэфан Баторы no:Stefan Bathory pl:Stefan Batory ru:Баторий, Стефан |