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51-686: Gabriel was the elder of the two sons of Farkas Bethlen de Iktár and Druzsiána Lázár de Szárhegy. Gabriel was born in his father's estate, Marosillye (now Ilia in Romania ), in 1580. Farkas Bethlen was a Hungarian nobleman who lost his ancestral estate, Iktár (now Ictar-Budinț in Romania), due to the Ottoman occupation of the central territories of the Kingdom of Hungary . Stephen Báthory , Prince of Transylvania , granted Marosillye to him and made him captain-general of

102-434: A "grumpy and fierce" soldier who did not care much about their formal education. According Gabriel's first extant letter (from 1593), Sigismund Báthory , Prince of Transylvania , seized the brothers' estates "at the word of many coaxing people" without paying a compensation to them in 1591 or 1592, but a "few primary kinsmen" convinced the prince to offer restitution or other landed property to them. Gabriel also mentioned in

153-582: A capitulation of the besiegers in March 1585, Basta led the blockade of the city. During the end of the year, the commander led the cavalry of the expeditionary body which at Charles de Mansfeld's orders.... When the Catholics, in 1589, marched to retake Paris , it was the cavalry led by Basta who rescued the back of the Spanish army from the sudden attack of Henry of Navarre . He returned to France in 1591, and partook in

204-530: A delegation to Constantinople in August, asking the permission of the Ottoman grand vizier to elect Gabriel prince and seeking Ottoman assistance to their return to Transylvania. The grand vizier granted the permission, but one of the refugees, Boldizsár Szilvási, prevented Gabriel's election, pointing out that a prince could not be elected by a group of refugees, but by the Diet of Transylvania. Gabriel decided to persuade

255-656: A grand new palace. Bethlen was a patron of the arts and the Calvinist church, giving hereditary nobility to Protestant priests. Bethlen also encouraged learning by founding the Bethlen Gabor College , encouraging the enrollment of Hungarian academics and teachers and sending Transylvanian students to the Protestant universities of England , the Dutch Republic , and the Protestant principalities of Germany . He also ensured

306-764: A royal army on 15 October. Bocskai took possession of Kassa (now Košice in Slovakia) on 11 November. Soon after, Gabriel gave the ahidnâme (or charter) in which the Ottoman Sultan , Ahmed I , styled Bocskai as prince of Transylvania. The delegates of the noblemen and the Székelys elected Bocskai prince on 21 February 1605. According to a letter of Bethlen, Bocskai ordered him to capture "certain castles", for which he had to postpone his marriage in May. Gabriel finally married his bride, Zsuzsanna Károlyi , in August 1605. Bocskai granted

357-570: A short sword, which allows to hit the tip, more timely and more effectively, according to the dictation of the Italian school, rather than cutting. Among the Blunderbuss, who must be young and robust in shape, Basta values particularly Flemish to be best, not Italians , who prefer military in infantry. The main quality of the lancers' wards must be, according to Basta, "velocity and collision velocity, i.e. velocity joint mass"; The gun armor is, besides

408-457: Is doubtless the most important work of Basta, as it represents the first organic regulation of light cavalry in Europe. Basta's theories led to the cavalry being released from its close ties with infantry, according to previous military tactics. To a degree, Basta's work is also largely anticipatory of further developments, especially in the concept of light cavalry being "the pupil of the armies" and in

459-737: Is the name of two Hungarian ancient noble families, Bethlen de Iktár and Bethlen de Bethlen . Although both families have similar coat of arms, they have no proven mutual ancestry. Both can trace their noble lineage up to 12th and the 13th centuries, and their family members played a significant role in the history of Transylvania and Hungary within the Habsburg Empire . Bethlen is the Hungarian and adopted German name of two places in Transylvania, Romania, which are both called Beclean in Romanian:

510-564: The Battle of Guruslău , for trying to turn against Rudolf II. For this, he is often depicted as disloyal and violent by Romanian and Hungarian historians. Basta was also the author of books on the art of military leadership. Basta was born to an Arbëreshë Albanian family. He is claimed to be born in La Rocca, modern day Roccaforzata , a village in Salento , Italy, however historical sources claim he

561-566: The Battle of Sellenberk (at present-day Șelimbăr in Romania) on 8 October 1599. Gabriel received wounds in the battle and his wounds healed slowly. Michael the Brave was expelled from Transylvania by Rudolph's commander, Giorgio Basta . During the following years, Transylvania was regularly pillaged both by Basta's unpaid mercenaries, and by Ottoman and Crimean Tatar troops. Gabriel and his brother, Stephen, divided their inherited estates, with Gabriel receiving Marosillye. Their agreement also refers to

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612-501: The Habsburg monarchs were unable to defend Transylvania against the Ottomans. Gabriel himself stated that he visited Prague in the retinue of Sigismund Báthory at an unspecified date. Gabriel supported Andrew Báthory , who mounted the throne with Polish assistance after Sigismund again abdicated in 1599. Michael the Brave , Prince of Wallachia, broke into Transylvania and defeated Andrew in

663-529: The Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II to command Habsburg forces in the Long War of 1593–1606. He was later sent to administer Transylvania as an Imperial vassal and to restore Catholicism as the dominant religion in the region. On his orders, his ally Michael the Brave , who ruled Transylvania , Wallachia , and Moldavia , was assassinated on 9 August 1601, a few days after the common victory at

714-818: The Ottoman Empire . In 1613, after Báthory was murdered, the Ottomans installed Bethlen as Prince of Transylvania and this was endorsed on 13 October 1613 by the Transylvanian Diet at Kolozsvár ( Cluj-Napoca ). In 1615, after the Peace of Tyrnau , Bethlen was recognised by Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor . Bethlen's rule was one of enlightened absolutism . He developed mines and industry and nationalised many branches of Transylvania's foreign trade. His agents bought goods at fixed prices and sold them abroad at profit. In his capital, in Gyulafehérvár ( Alba Iulia ), Bethlen built

765-670: The Republic of Venice . On February 26, 1607, Basta was named lieutenant general of the Holy Church. The Venetian interdict having been canceled on April 21, 1607, Basta will never take command effectively. Basta died in Prague on November 20, 1607. Basta wrote several military manuals, the best known of which are his Il maestro di campo generale... (Venice 1606), and his posthumous work Il governo della cavalleria leggiera (Venice 1612). Both were translated into German and into French . Basta

816-522: The siege of Rouen with the rank of Commander General of the cavalry. He however was almost killed by Sir Roger Williams , who sliced his neck in personal combat. In February 1592 he separated Navarre from his greater army and the prince fled capture by his forces. He was tasked with ensuring communications between Rouen and the Netherlands, which was massively threatened by the French army, and then protecting

867-1011: The Brave , the former ruler of Transylvania , Wallachia and Moldavia , was assassinated at Keresztesmező camp, near Aranyosgyéres (now Câmpia Turzii, Câmpia Turzii), because Basta considered him a liability. The event happened on 9 August 1601, only days after a joint victory in Battle of Guruslău . Following the murder of Michael and his victory over Báthory, Basta became military commander of Transylvania, but his cruelty led to public discontent. Under his leadership, iniquities and murders multiplied throughout Transylvania. During this brief period, Basta tried to uproot Protestantism. Following Papal and Imperial policy, Calvinist Hungarians and Székelys, Orthodox Wallachians and Serbs, and Lutheran Saxons were subject to any kind of abuse. Following years of warfare and his ruthless regime, famine and plague appeared in Transylvania. At that time Rudolf II decided to recall him from command, leading to Basta's departure from Transylvania and put him in charge to fight against

918-583: The Diet of Besztercebánya and in September 1620, war with the Habsburgs resumed. After defeating the Czechs on 8 November 1620 at the Battle of White Mountain , Ferdinand II persecuted the Protestant nobility of Bohemia. Between May and June 1621, he regained Pressburg and the central mining towns. Bethlen again sued for peace and on 31 December 1621, the Peace of Nikolsburg was made. Bethlen renounced his royal title on

969-795: The Jesuits Marko Križevcanin , Stephen Pongracz and Melchior Grodeczki were martyred under Bethlen's authority." The three were later canonized by the Catholic Church. In October 1619, Bethlen took Pressburg (Pozsony, today's Bratislava ), where the Palatine of Hungary ceded the Holy Crown of Hungary . However, Bethlen, together with Jindřich Matyáš of Thurn-Valsassina , count of the Moravian and Czech estates, did not take Vienna and, in November,

1020-539: The Maros and laid siege to Gyulafehérvár. During the siege, the princely palace burned. Székely was installed as prince in May, but Radu Șerban , Prince of Wallachia, annihilated his army near Barcarozsnyó (now Râșnov in Romania) on 17 July. Székely was killed in the battlefield, and his supporters (among them Gabriel) fled to the Ottoman Empire. The Transylvanian refugees started to regard Gabriel as their leader. They sent

1071-579: The Ottomans of West Hungary(1604). He successfully defended Esztergom with his 10,000 mercenaries against 80,000 Ottomans. After Bocskai's uprisen army chased away Belgiojoso , Rudolph sent Basta from West-Hungary to the Partium to suppress the uprising. In November 1604 Basta twice defeated forces led by Stephen Bocskai (see also: Bocskai Uprising ). Bocskai at the end cut his supplies and he had to withdraw in winter to Eperjes where he got trapped. After some months Rudolph called him back to defend at first

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1122-463: The advice of the commissioner"; For the lieutenant requires a mature age, which can guarantee "credit and authority on the soldiers"; Young people must be standard bearers, for the pursuit and adventurous spirit. Those carrying the banner must "have in their heads the guidance of all the others." Particular care is given by Basta to the question of the armament of soldiers. The Blunderbuss should be equipped with an arbutus to carry with shoulder strap and

1173-616: The anarchic situation, mentioning the possibility that "either pagan or some godless prince or the governor" would seize Gabriel's property. Gabriel joined the Transylvanian noblemen who rose up against Basta. Sigismund Báthory (who had again returned to Transylvania) granted Gabriel and his brother landed property in Arad County in June 1602. The army of the rebellious noblemen was annihilated near Tövis (now Teiuș in Romania) on 2 July 1602. After

1224-512: The anti-Habsburg Protestants, made campaigns against Ferdinand in Upper Hungary. The first campaign ended with the Peace of Vienna (1624) , the second by the Peace of Pressburg (1626) . After the second campaign, Bethlen offered as rapprochement to the court of Vienna an alliance against the Ottomans and his marriage to an archduchess of Austria, but Ferdinand rejected his overtures. On his return from Vienna, Bethlen wed Catherine of Brandenburg ,

1275-448: The army of Archbishop Mattia, later deputy governor of Upper Hungary, and finally the commander of the armies of Hungary and Transylvania. Ambrogio Merodio in his Istoria Tarantina , calls him the "terror of Ottoman armies". For more than a decade, Basta fought against Hungarians , Transylvanians, Vlachs , and Tatars , gaining much fame as one as the best generals of the Empire. In 1597 he

1326-508: The battle, he swam over the Maros River and fled to Temesvár in the Ottoman Empire (now Timișoara in Romania). He forged letters which suggested that the leading Transylvanian noblemen supported Moses Székely to persuade the Ottomans to support Székely, according to the contemporaneous Ambrus Somogyi . When Székely broke into Transylvania in March 1603, Gabriel was the commander of his vanguard. Székelys' troops conquered most fortresses along

1377-409: The cavalry weapon. However, during his early years, Basta experimented with his personal method of "mobile sculptures", which were small and numerous groups of cavalrymen who pushed in the forefront of the army, so as to create a complete "crown" in continuous movement; The method assured the army of sudden destructive capability and gave fruit in the French countryside. The government of light cavalry

1428-573: The commissioners of the Holy Roman Emperor , Rudolph (who was also king of Royal Hungary ) to take possession of Transylvania. Sigismund Báthory regretted his abdication and returned to Transylvania in August 1598. He sent Bocskai to Prague to start negotiations with Rudolph in January 1599. According to a scholarly theory, Gabriel Bethlen accompanied Bocskai to Prague. Historian József Barcza also says, Gabriel must have realized around that time that

1479-517: The condition that Hungarian Protestants were given religious freedoms and were included in a general diet within six months. Bethlen was given the title of Imperial Prince (of Hungarian Transylvania), seven counties around the Upper Tisza River and the fortresses of Tokaj , Munkács (now Mukacheve ), and Ecsed ( Nagyecsed ), and a duchy in Silesia . In 1623 - 1624 and 1626, Bethlen, allied with

1530-421: The daughter of John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg . His brother-in-law was Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden . Bethlen died on 15 November 1629. His second wife, Catherine of Brandenburg, became Princess Regnant of Transylvania. His first wife, Zsuzsanna Károlyi  [ hu ] , had died in 1622. Bethlen's state correspondence survives as a historical document. Bethlen The House of Bethlen

1581-512: The domain of Vajdahunyad (now Hunedoara in Romania) to him. The prince also made him the perpetual ispán (or head) of Hunyad County . Bethlen was a Calvinist . He helped György Káldy , a Jesuit , translate and print the Bible . He composed hymns and from 1625, employed Johannes Thesselius as kapellmeister. In 1605, Bethlen supported Stephen Bocskay and his successor Gabriel Báthory (1608–1613). Bethlen later fell out with Báthory and fled to

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1632-410: The forces of George Drugeth and Polish mercenaries ( lisowczycy ) won the Battle of Humenné and forced Bethlen to leave Austria and Upper Hungary. Bethlen negotiated for peace at Pressburg, Kassa (now Košice ) and Besztercebánya (now Banská Bystrica ). In January 1620, without the Czechs, Bethlen received 13 counties in the east of Royal Hungary. On 20 August 1620, he was elected King of Hungary at

1683-609: The governorship of Nivelles . In 1577 he joined the forces of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma in Flanders. He led his army mainly on the French front during the War of the Three Henrys and the Catholic League . In 1584, Basta gained his first major victory when his troops were blocking communications between Malines and Antwerp . Similarly during the siege of Brussels which ended with

1734-509: The letter that he decided to visit the prince's court in Gyulafehérvár (now Alba Iulia in Romania). Modern historians try to reconstruct the major events of Gabriel's youth based on sources (primarily memoirs and letters) completed decades later, because only two documents written between 1593 and 1602 mentioned him. One of the later sources is Gabriel's own letter from 1628, in which he stated that Stephen Bocskai had raised him and "placed great credence" in him. Gabriel also stated that Bocskai

1785-447: The main tasks of the cavalry. In this part, he sets out with great precision the various procedures to be followed to surprise a large army of enemies. Especially of personal experiences in the Netherlands and France, although he attributes the merit of introducing this use of cavalry to the Duke of Alba. Finally, Basta deals with the tactical organization of light cavalry in combat, recommending

1836-480: The mine towns (e.g. Besztercebánya ) in Upper-Hungary, Moravia and Austria against Bocskai's looting armies. In July 1605 he did not get enough money to keep up enough mercenaries to defend Visegrád , Esztergom and Érsekújvár against the Ottomans and was defeated by Lalla Mehmed. The Military Committee didn't supply him enough money but Rudolph II made him a Czech baron to compensate. The court became tired of

1887-566: The prince's retinue. Sigismund Báthory joined the anti-Ottoman Holy League of Pope Clement VIII and broke into Ottoman territory in the summer of 1595. According to historian József Barcza, Gabriel gained his first direct experience of warfare fighting against the Ottomans in the Battle of Giurgiu in Wallachia in 1595. After a series of Ottoman victories, Báthory abdicated in return for the Silesian duchies of Opole and Racibórz in 1597, enabling

1938-606: The principality. Druzsiána Lázár was descended from a Székely noble family. Both Farkas Bethlen and his wife died in 1591, leaving their two sons, Gabriel and Stephen , orphaned. The brothers were put under the guardianship of their maternal uncle, András Lázár de Szárhegy. They lived in the Lázár Castle in Szárhegy in Székely Land (now Lăzarea in Romania) for years. Gabriel's court historian, Gáspár Bojti Veres, described Lázár as

1989-403: The rank of officer in a detachment commanded by Demetrio. Then after his father died, Basta served in a cavalry company run by his oldest brother Niccolò. In 1589, he married Anne de Liedekerke de Gavre, with whom he had 5 children: Charles, Georges, Demetrius, Ferdinand and Madeleine. He began his military career in Flanders, where the young officer impressed Don John of Austria , and gained

2040-456: The reiterated need for a constant coordination of cavalry movements with those of other weapons : Theories, which influenced Raimondo Montecuccoli . Interesting remarks are made by Basta regarding the choice of cavalry officers to be performed not according to the nobility titles, but on a more meritocratic internship through the various degrees of the militia. He wants the captain to have absolute authority over all officers, "but always with

2091-664: The retreat of the Spaniards after the injury of Alexander Farnese in Caudebec. In 1596, after the death of the Duke of Parma, Basta followed the fate of many Italian princes, and had to abandon the Spanish. He then went to the service of Emperor Rudolf II , on the recommendation of Philip II . Rudolph II named Basta general of his light cavalry and made him knight of the Order of the Golden Spur on February 16, 1598. He served as general master in

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2142-631: The right of serfs' children to be educated. Bethlen maintained an efficient standing army of mercenaries. While keeping relations with the Sublime Porte (the Ottoman Empire), he sought to gain lands to the north and west. During the Thirty Years' War , he attacked the Habsburgs of Royal Hungary (1619–1626). Bethlen opposed the autocracy of the Habsburgs; persecution of Protestants in Royal Hungary;

2193-466: The spear, a short sword for tip and picks that "can greatly benefit in retreat." On the "rules of residence", Basta illustrates the rules already dictated by Alessandro Farnese: the commissioner. It has to carry out topographic surveys and deal with all the logistical problems with the help of a "forier major", also providing the surveillance system for the equinox. Another important chapter is the one devoted to remote viewing, which Basta underlines as one of

2244-527: The town of Beclean in Bistriţa-Năsăud County , and the commune of Beclean ( German : Bethlen or Badlinen , Hungarian : Bethlen ), in Braşov County . Partial, chronological list. Giorgio Basta Long War Giorgio Basta , Count of Huszt , Gjergj Basta or Gheorghe Basta (1550 – 1607) was an Italian general, diplomat, and writer of Arbëreshë Albanian origin, employed by

2295-453: The violation of the Peace of Vienna of 1606; and Habsburg alliances with the Ottomans and George Drugeth (1633-1661), the captain of Upper Hungary . In August 1619, Bethlen invaded Royal Hungary. In September, he took Kassa ( Košice ) where Protestant supporters declared him the leader of Hungary and protector of Protestants. He gained control of Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia). In September 1619, after refusing to convert to Calvinism,

2346-655: The war and they started pushing aside Basta after the Treaty of Vienna and Treaty of Zsitvatorok , and even didn't want to pay him their debt. He claimed 380,000 Thaler debt from the court (80 000 wages of mercenaries came from his own pocket). His last 4 years he did not get his payment and was not even invited to the Military Committee . After his experiences of warfare in Eastern Europe he went to Prague . On April 17, 1606, Pope Paul V pronounced an interdict against

2397-423: The wealthy Stephen Bocskai to rise up against Rudolph's commissioners. After royal troops attacked the refugees' camp near Temesvár on 13 September 1604, rumours about the capture of a secret correspondence between Bethlen and Bocskai began circulating. Fearing reprisals, Bocskai withdrew to his fortress at Sólyomkő (now Şoimeni in Romania) and make preparations to resist. He hired irregular Hajdú troops and defeated

2448-614: Was born in Ulpiano nel Monferrato. He was the son of Demetrius Basta, an Albanian Epirote who had fled the Ottoman conquest of the region to Italy, where he served the Spanish Empire . His father fought in the Piedmont countryside in the middle 1500s, and then in Flanders as commander of a cavalry regiment under the Duke of Alba . Very young, Basta became a soldier, and eventually got promoted to

2499-449: Was born into a period of transition from the tradition sword and shield to the gun. And cavalry switched from the Gendarme to lighter and armed cavalrymen, which valued quick cavalry charges. Due to influence from his father, he was a very strict observer of the rules, and the laws of a militia. When he worked for Alexander, Duke of Parma he was responsible for the renewal and restructuring of

2550-464: Was his "kin". Another important source was written by Gabriel's retainer, Pál Háportoni Forró, who stated that Gabriel had held "great and honorable offices" and performed "the greatly laborious duties of emissary" in his youth. Based on these sources, modern historians assume that Bocskai boosted Gabriel's career in Sigismund Báthory's court, but no contemporaneous document mentioned his presence in

2601-546: Was released, together with General Schwarzenberg, from Pápa , which was conquered three years earlier by the Turks. In 1597, while he was deputy governor of Hungary, he recaptured the city of Huszt , which had rebelled against the Empire. At the Battle of Mirăslău , Michael the Brave was defeated by Basta, forcing Michael to appeal to the Emperor Rudolf II to mediate the dispute with Basta. Under his command, his ally Michael

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