Sigismund Rákóczi

Sigismund Rákóczi (Template:Langx, ; 1544Template:Snd5December 1608) was Prince of Transylvania from 1607 to 1608. He was the son of János Rákóczi, a lesser nobleman with estates in Upper Hungary. Sigismund began a military career as the sword-bearer of the wealthy Gábor Perényi in Sárospatak. After Perényi died in 1567, Sigismund served in the royal fortresses of Eger and Szendrő. The royal chamber mortgaged him several estates to compensate him for unpaid salaries. He received Szerencs in 1580, which enabled him to engage in the lucrative Tokaji wine trade. He took possession of the large estates of András Mágóchy's minor sons as their guardian, and the second husband of their mother Judit Alaghy, in 1587.

Sigismund was made the captain of the important stronghold of Eger on 29 June 1588. Rudolph I, King of Hungary, granted him the title of baron on 28 August. Sigismund rose to fame after he routed the united forces of three Ottoman beys (captains) near Szikszó on 8 October. He also helped the Calvinist pastor, Gáspár Károli, publish the Hungarian translation of the Bible (the so-called Vizsoly Bible). He renounced the captaincy in 1590 or 1591 because the royal treasury had not provided enough funds to finance the management of the fortress. Sigismund was a successful commander of the royal army during the first decade of the Long Turkish War, which broke out in 1593.

He continued to provide loans to the royal treasury which enabled him to seize new estates, but these were frequently pillaged both by Tatar marauders or unpaid mercenaries, especially after 1599. The royal chamber made attempts to seize his estates after 1602. Sigismund, who was suffering from an attack of gout, withdrew to his domains along the Polish-Hungarian border. After Stephen Bocskai rose up against Rudolph I in October 1604. Sigismund tried to mediate a reconciliation, but six months later he joined Bocskai who made him governor of Transylvania with limited authority on 14 August 1606.

Although Bocskai named Bálint Drugeth (Sigismund's former son-in-law) his successor in his last will, the Diet of Transylvania elected Sigismund prince on 12 February 1607. Drugeth abandoned his claim to Transylvania, but Gabriel Báthory (who was related to former princes) secured the support of the Hajdús (irregular soldiers) against Sigismund for himself. To avoid a new civil war, Sigismund abdicated in favor of Báthory on 5 March 1608. Sigismund returned to Upper Hungary and tried to seize command of the royal army in the region, but he died. His acquisition of large estates made his descendants the wealthiest magnates of Royal Hungary.

Childhood

Sigismund was born to János Rákóczi and Sára Némethy in Felsővadász in 1544.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn His father held small estates in Abaúj and Zemplén Counties.Template:Sfn János Rákóczi was vice-ispán (or deputy head) of Zemplén County in 1551.Template:Sfn Sigismund was first mentioned in his father's charter on 22 December 1550.Template:Sfn In the charter, János Rákóczi made a complaint against Gábor Perényi, the lord of Sárospatak, who had captured one of the Rákóczis' villages, Selyeb.Template:Sfn

Sigismund attended school at his father's insistence, according to the address that István Miskolczi Csulyak gave at his funeral.Template:Sfn Historian András Szabó believes Sigismund was most probably educated in the Protestant schools at Sajószentpéter and Sárospatak.Template:Sfn He could write and read Latin.Template:Sfn He often read the Bible and the works of Roman historians until the end of his life.Template:Sfn After his father died in 1561, Sigismund decided on a military career.Template:Sfn

Career

Beginnings

A courtyard within a stone building

Courtyard of Rákóczi's castle at Szerencs

A large stone building with two towers on the top of a hill

Munkács Castle (now in Mukacheve in Ukraine): Sigismund held it as the guardian of his stepsons by his first wife

Sigismund became the sword-bearer of the wealthy Gábor Perényi in Sárospatak.Template:Sfn He fought in the army of Lazarus von Schwendi, the supreme commander of Upper Hungary, during the siege of Tokaj in 1565.Template:Sfn After Perényi died in 1567, Sigismund went to serve in the stronghold of Eger.Template:Sfn According to a 17th-century family chronicle, Sigismund accompanied Gáspár Bekes to Transylvania and fought by his side in the Battle of Kerelőszentpál in 1575.Template:Sfn In the same year Sigismund was adopted by the widowed Júlia Zsoldos who willed him Csenyéte, Irota and Szakácsi.Template:Sfn

At an unspecified date between 1573 and 1577, Sigismund was transferred to the fortress of Szendrő.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn As commander of the Hungarian forces, he participated in many skirmishes against Ottoman soldiers garrisoned in nearby fortresses.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn For instance, after the bey (captain) of Fülek plundered the fair at Szikszó, Sigismund and the deputy-captain of Kassa (now Košice in Slovakia), Bálint Prépostváry, joined forces and defeated the retreating Ottomans at Vadna on 11 November 1577.Template:Sfn

Sigismund often mentioned in his letters that he and his soldiers had not received their salaries.Template:Sfn To compensate him for the unpaid amounts, the royal chamber mortgaged several estates to him.Template:Sfn He first received Felsőlenke and Sajószentkirály (now Lenke and Kráľ in Slovakia) in the late 1570s.Template:Sfn Szerencs was mortgaged to him for 4,000 florins in 1580.Template:Sfn Szerencs was located near the Tokaj wine region, enabling Sigismund to trade in wine.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn This lucrative business made him a wealthy man by the late 1580s.Template:Sfn He erected a new castle in Szerencs, which became the center of his domains.Template:Sfn

His prestige also increased.Template:Sfn Lesser noblemen began regarding him as an able protector.Template:Sfn Rudolph I, King of Hungary, tasked him with the collection of the two-florin extraordinary tax payable by each peasant households in Gömör County in 1582, and in Borsod County in 1584.Template:Sfn He was made the captain of Szendrő in 1585.Template:Sfn By that time Sigismund, like most of his peers in Upper Hungary, had converted from Lutheranism to Calvinism.Template:Sfn

The dyingTemplate:Sfn Gáspár Mágóchy made Sigismund the guardian of András Mágóchy's sons in 1587.Template:Sfn András (who was the wealthy Gáspár's nephew) had died in the summer of 1586.Template:Sfn His orphaned sons inherited large estates in Bereg, Szepes and Torna Counties.Template:Sfn Sigismund wrote a poem in Hungarian in Munkács on 25 May, praising God and seeking his protection.Template:Sfn In the poem, he also referred to his obligation to protect the orphans and widows.Template:Sfn Before the end of the following month, he married András Mágóchy's widow (the mother of his wards), Judit Alaghy.Template:Sfn He was the representative of the untitled noblemen on the committee, set up at the demand of the Diet of Hungary in 1588, to review the administration of royal revenues in Upper Hungary.Template:Sfn The committee members visited all the important centers of the region, but their report was ignored by the royal court.Template:Sfn

Magnate

An old printed book

Vizsoly Bible, the Hungarian translation of the Bible, published with Sigismund's support

Being the guardian of the minor Mágóchys, and the husband of their mother, Sigismund took possession of their properties, including the domain of Munkács.Template:Sfn He employed knezes who gathered colonists to establish new villages on his new estates.Template:Sfn He reinvested his income, either lending money to the royal treasury, or buying new landed property.Template:Sfn

Sigismund was made the captain of the fortress of Eger in 1588 at the initiative of the king's brother, Ernest.Template:Sfn The Diet had demanded the appointment of a Hungarian nobleman to command Eger since 1580, and his loyalty to the king was unquestionable.Template:Sfn Count Nogarola, the supreme commander of Upper Hungary, installed Sigismund on 29 June.Template:Sfn By that time, the former villages of the fortress had either been captured by the Ottomans, or mortgaged by Sigismund's predecessor, Krsto Ungnad.Template:Sfn Sigismund could finance the administration of the fortress from the revenues of the Bishopric of Eger, and from subsidies from the royal treasury.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn At his appointment, he was commander of a garrison of over 500 horsemen and 450 foot soldiers; by the end of 1590, he was the head of 440 horsemen and 830 foot soldiers.Template:Sfn

As captain of Eger, he also became the ispán (head) of Heves and Borsod Counties.Template:Sfn Rudolph I granted him the rank of baron on 28 August 1588, raising him from the masses of untitled noblemen.Template:Sfn Before long, he had to face an Ottoman attack against Szikszó.Template:Sfn He first routed the troops of the bey of Szolnok on 2 October.Template:Sfn His son, George, would later say, Sigismund always relied on espionage to prevent sudden attacks.Template:Sfn After reinforcements from Kassa, Szendrő and Tokaj joined his troops, Sigismund hurried to Szikszó and routed the united army of three beys on 8 October.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn His victory was celebrated by the whole kingdom, and in Vienna and Prague.Template:Sfn The minstrel György Tardi composed a poem to commemorate it.Template:Sfn

The Hungarian translation of the Bible, known as the Vizsoly Bible, completed by the Calvinist pastor Gáspár Károli, was printed under the auspices of Sigismund between February 1589 and July 1590.Template:Sfn He also financed the education of young men at the universities of Heidelberg and Wittenberg.Template:Sfn After finishing their studies, he employed them as Calvinist priests on his estates.Template:Sfn He had a good relationship with some Catholic prelates.Template:Sfn For instance, the provost (head) of the Eger Chapter borrowed 150 florins from him in 1589.Template:Sfn He also employed Orthodox priests for his Rusyn serfs.Template:Sfn However, he imprisoned the Orthodox bishop of Munkács who had filed a complaint against him at the royal court for unknown reasons.Template:Sfn

Sigismund continued the restoration the fortress of Eger which had begun in 1569.Template:Sfn He redeemed at least four villages in the royal estates centered around the fortress which had been mortgaged by his predecessors.Template:Sfn However, he found his position onerous because the royal treasury was unwilling to pay all the expenses.Template:Sfn He announced that he wanted to renounce his captaincy of the fortress on 12 March 1590, but his successor, Bálint Prépostváry, was only appointed on 15 July 1591.Template:Sfn He moved to Munkács and restored the castle.Template:Sfn He retained the guardianship of his stepsons after his wife died in July 1591.Template:Sfn In an attempt to seize the guardianship, his stepsons' cousin, Magdolna Káthay, filed a lawsuit against Sigismund stating that he had been negligent, but she lost the case.Template:Sfn Sigismund married his second wife, Anna Gerendi, before 15 July 1592.Template:Sfn

Long Turkish War

The Diet of Hungary voted an extraordinary tax to finance the defense of Slavonia and Croatia against the Ottomans in early 1593.Template:Sfn The Diet appointed Sigismund to collect the tax in Upper Hungary.Template:Sfn After the Ottoman Grand Vizier, Koca Sinan Pasha, invaded Transdanubia, rumours about his plan to transform Upper Hungary into a voivodate (vassal state) were spreading.Template:Sfn Sigismund urged the influential Nicholas Pálffy to persuade Rudolph I to launch a counter-invasion against the Ottomans without delay.Template:Sfn He also suggested that Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia should be included in an anti-Ottoman coalition.Template:Sfn

File:Rakoczi family CoA.svg

Coat-of-arms granted to Sigismund in 1597

When the royal army broke into Ottoman territory in October, Sigismund was one of its commanders.Template:Sfn After routing an Ottoman army at Romhány on 14 November, the royal troops laid siege to the important Ottoman fortress of Fülek.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Since Sigismund was famed for his reliability, the defenders approached him to discuss the terms of their surrender.Template:Sfn They and their families were allowed to leave the fortress on 27 November.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The royal army also captured the nearby Ottoman fortresses before the end of 1593.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The capture of Fülek reinforced Sigismund's reputation.Template:Sfn

He joined Simon Forgách who led a contingent of the royal army against the important Ottoman fortress of Hatvan in early 1594.Template:Sfn They defeated the Pasha (governor) of Buda at Tura on 1 May,Template:Sfn but they could not capture Hatvan.Template:Sfn Crimean Tatars broke into Upper Hungary to assist the Ottoman forces, plundering the villages near Munkács during their march.Template:Sfn Sigismund was made a member of the royal council around 1595, thus becoming the only councillor who did not hold a high office of the realm.Template:Sfn He never attended the meetings of the royal council.Template:Sfn

Sigismund's second wife died in 1595.Template:Sfn He married Borbála Telegdy in May 1596Template:Sfn As guardian of her daughter, Zsuzsa Chapy, he took possession of her estates in Eszeny (now Eseny in Ukraine) and Parnó (now Parchovany in Slovakia).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn According to a census of the peasant households, Sigismund held estates in seven counties in 1596.Template:Sfn The census also shows that many villages were destroyed during the war.Template:Sfn For instance, about 45% of the households in Bereg County disappeared between 1588 and 1596.Template:Sfn

Rudolph I's brother, Maximilian, launched a campaign against Ottoman territories in the summer of 1596.Template:Sfn Sigismund joined the royal army and participated in the capture of Vác and Hatvan.Template:Sfn He also provided a loan of 3,000 thalers to Maximilian.Template:Sfn An attack of gout paralysed him shortly before the Battle of Mezőkeresztes, which ended with the catastrophic defeat of the united armies of Maximilian and Sigismund Báthory, prince of Transylvania on 28 October.Template:Sfn Rudolph I granted Sigismund a new coat-of-arms to reward him for his military service and financial support on 27 May 1597.Template:Sfn The new escutcheon (shield) depicted an eagle (instead of the Rákóczis' former raven), and supplemented the Rákóczis' traditional wheel with a mountain with three peaks.Template:Sfn

Rudolph I appointed commissioners to take possession of Transylvania in early 1598.Template:Sfn Sigismund sent reinforcements to Transylvania to assist the commissioners.Template:Sfn He was made the commander of the Hungarian troops in Upper Hungary, but his relationship with the supreme commander, Giorgio Basta, became tense.Template:Sfn Sigismund sent letters to Basta, complaining that unpaid mercenaries had destroyed his estates.Template:Sfn Basta accused him first of having failed to pay his troops' salaries, then of conspiring against the monarch.Template:Sfn Crimean Tatars pillaged many villages in Upper Hungary in the summer of 1599, which contributed to his loss of popularity with the noblemen.Template:Sfn He was tasked with the mustering of troops without the support of the Diet.Template:Sfn Unpaid mercenaries also often pillaged his estates.Template:Sfn Almost 40% of the houses were destroyed in Munkács between 1598 and 1601, and 20% of his villages in Zemplén County became depopulated during the same period.Template:Sfn

A ruined stone fortress with the remains of a large and a small bastion on the top of a hill

Ruins of Makovica Castle (at present-day Zborov in Slovakia)

Sigismund could still loan money to the royal treasury and seize new estates.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The treasury could only finance Basta's campaign in Transylvania with Sigismund's loans.Template:Sfn Tarcal in the Tokaji wine region was mortgaged to him in 1599.Template:Sfn Ruthenian prince Janusz Ostrogski sold the domain of Makovica in Sáros County (at present-day Zborov in Slovakia) to him for 80,000 florins in August 1601.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The domain was Sigismund's own property, in contrast with most of his other estates that he held either as a security for the loans he had provided to the royal treasury or as his wards' guardian.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Sigismund promised Ostrogski that he would not force the Orthodox and Catholic serfs to convert to Calvinism.Template:Sfn The castle of Makovica controlled an important route between Hungary and Poland.Template:Sfn After seizing it, Sigismund often delivered wine to Poland without paying custom duties, according to a letter of Rudolph I.Template:Sfn

Sigismund's ward, Ferenc Mágóchy reached the age of majority in 1602.Template:Sfn Mágóchy's relatives persuaded him to demand an account from Sigismund, and the royal chamber supported him.Template:Sfn Ostrogski also filed a lawsuit against Sigismund, stating that he had failed to complete the terms of the transfer of the domain of Makovica.Template:Sfn Always being in need of funds, the royal chamber also wanted to seize Sigismund's estates.Template:Sfn Royal officials obtained three of Sigismund's letters in which he complained about the state of affairs in Hungary, and mentioned his correspondence with Ottoman beys about the redemption of prisoners of wars.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Rudolph I's brother, Matthias, wanted to summon Sigismund to the Diet, but the royal councillors stood by Sigismund.Template:Sfn Sigismund and Mágóchy reached a compromise in early 1603.Template:Sfn Mágóchy received the domain of Munkács, and Sigismund promised to pay 30,000 florins and to give two villages to him,Template:Sfn but he failed to keep his promise.Template:Sfn

The Diet assembled in Pressburg (now Bratislava in Slovakia) on 3 February 1604.Template:Sfn Sigismund did not attend the Diet because he had fallen ill.Template:Sfn At his request, the delegates of the Eger Chapter visited him in Makovica and issued a certificate proving that he was unable to move.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn After the Diet was dissolved, Rudolph I arbitrarily promulgated a decree that prohibited the Diet from discussing religious issues.Template:Sfn The Lutheran and Calvinist noblemen and burghers of Upper Hungary assembled at Gálszécs (now Sečovce in Slovakia) on 8 September, demanding the withdrawal of the decree.Template:Sfn Sigismund attended the meeting, but soon returned to Makovica.Template:Sfn

Bocskai's supporter

Stephen Bocskai rose up against Rudolph I in Partium in October 1604.Template:Sfn Two captains of the Hajdús who supported Bocskai, Balázs Liptai and Balázs Németi, urged Sigismund to join them in a letter in early November.Template:Sfn Sigismund remained in Makovica, but exchanged letters with Bocskai.Template:Sfn He sent his eldest son, George, to Bocskai who was in Kassa (now Košice in Slovakia).Template:Sfn Cooperating with István Csáky, Sigismund tried to mediate a compromise between Bocskai and the monarch, fearing that the Ottomans would take advantage of the civil war in Hungary.Template:Sfn Giorgio Basta was convinced that Sigismund actually wanted to secure the Principality of Transylvania and the rule of Upper Hungary for Bocskai.Template:Sfn

Bocskai's supporters assembled at Rákóczi's estate, Szerencs, and acclaimed him prince of Hungary on 20 April 1605.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn A week later, Sigismund and his former son-in-law, Bálint Drugeth, went to see the wealthy Stephen Báthory at Nagyecsed and convinced him to join Bocskai.Template:Sfn Suffering from attacks of gout, Sigismund stayed mostly at Bocskai's court in Kassa during the following months.Template:Sfn

Transylvania

Governor

Sigismund accompanied Bocskai (who had already been elected prince of Transylvania) to Transylvania in August 1605.Template:Sfn With the consent of the Diet of Transylvania, Bocskai made him governor to administer the principality on 14 September.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Sigismund could not threaten Bocskai's rule because he did not have allies either in the Ottoman Empire or in Transylvania.Template:Sfn Bocskai's brother-in-law, Gábor Haller, administered the royal treasury independently of Sigismund, and János Petki, the commander of the Székelys, also received direct instructions from Bocskai.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Sigismund took up his seat in Gyulafehérvár (now Alba Iulia in Romania).Template:Sfn

A golden coin depicting an armored middle-aged man on one side, and a coat-of-arms on the other side

Stephen Bocskai's golden ducat

Crimean Tatars moved into Transylvania to fight against Bocskai's opponents in late September, but Sigismund convinced them to withdraw without a fight.Template:Sfn Déva (now Deva in Romania), the last fortress to resist Bocskai in Transylvania proper, surrendered on 11 November.Template:Sfn Sigismund bought the domains of Szádvár and Sáros' fortresses (now Šariš Castle in Slovakia) from István Csáky's widow, but he could not pay the purchase price.Template:Sfn He prohibited the Sabbatarians from holding assemblies in Udvarhelyszék on 7 March 1606.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He did not prevent the Diet from adopting laws which enabled the noblemen to put Székely commoners into servitude.Template:Sfn The adventurer György Rácz tried to stir up the Székelys against Bocskai with the support of Radu Șerban, Prince of Wallachia, but Sigismund had Rácz captured on 7 June.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

On 23 June 1606, the Treaty of Vienna confirmed the autonomous status of the Principality of Transylvania under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire.Template:Sfn Bocskai died on 29 December, naming Bálint Drugeth his heir in his last will, although the Treaty of Vienna also confirmed the right of the Diet of Transylvania to elect Bocskai's successor.Template:Sfn The Diet of Transylvania stated that Bocskai's death had put an end to Sigismund's appointment, but confirmed his position as governor on 22 January 1607.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

György Thurzó noted that most Transylvanian noblemen were also willing to elect Sigismund prince, although Sigismund was not the only candidate.Template:Sfn The young Gabriel Báthory had laid claim to the principality in a letter to the Ottoman grand vizier already on 2 January 1607; other noblemen supported Pál Nyáry, Boldizsár Korniss, Boldizsár Szilvási or Gabriel Bethlen.Template:Sfn Drugeth and Báthory were Sigismund's chief rivals, but they failed to rush to Transylvania to secure their election.Template:Sfn The Diet also wanted to demonstrate its right to freely elect the prince, without recognizing the right of a prince to designate his successor or the Báthorys' claim to hereditary rule.Template:Sfn

Prince

A stone depicting the coat-of-arms of the Rákóczi family

Sigismund Rákóczi's tombstone in Szerencs

The Diet again assembled to elect the new prince at Kolozsvár on 8 February 1607.Template:Sfn In accordance with Bocskai's last will, Sigismund proposed Bálint Drugeth (his former son-in-law), but the delegates of the Three Nations proclaimed Sigismund prince on 12 February.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Stating that he was old and suffering from gout, Sigismund did not want to accept his election, but the delegates persuaded him to take the princely oath.Template:Sfn Sigismund's election was the only occasion when the Diet of Transylvania could freely elect a monarch during the history of the principality.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Gabriel Báthory accepted Sigismund's election, but he also demanded the restoration of the estates confiscated from his family in 1595.Template:Sfn Drugeth seized Huszt and Kővár (now Khust in Ukraine and Remetea Chioarului in Romania, respectively) on the border.Template:Sfn Sigismund wrote to Rudolph I's brother, Matthias, asking him to order Drugeth to withdraw from the two fortresses.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The Ottoman grand vizier, Kuyucu Murad Pasha, had confirmed Drugeth as Bocskai's successor on 18 January, but his envoy, Mustafa, modified the ahidnâme (diploma) after he learned of Sigismund's election.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn The altered document, which confirmed Sigismund's election, was presented on 22 February.Template:Sfn To secure Murad Pasha's support, Sigismund offered to withdraw the Transylvanian troops from two important border fortresses, Lippa and Jenő (now Lipova and Ineu in Romania), but the grand vizier did not accept the offer.Template:Sfn

Rudolph I did not acknowledge Sigismund's election.Template:Sfn The noblemen of Upper Hungary assembled at Rozgony (now Rozhanovce in Slovakia) and urged Sigismund to abdicate in favor of Drugeth on 19 April.Template:Sfn Fearing an attack by Drugeth, Sigismund moved to the fortress of Fogaras (now Făgăraș in Romania) in southern Transylvania.Template:Sfn However, Rudolph I, who regarded Transylvania as a realm of the Holy Crown of Hungary, did not support Drugeth.Template:Sfn Instead, according to contemporaneous rumours, Rudolph was planning to restore Transylvania to Sigismund Báthory.Template:Sfn Sigismund Rákóczi invited Drugeth to come to Transylvania.Template:Sfn After their meeting, Drugeth did not make any further attempts to assert his claim to the principality, but retained Huszt and Kővár.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

The Diet of Transylvania did not restore the estates to Gabriel Báthory in June.Template:Sfn In addition it ordered the expulsion of the Jesuits from the principality, which outraged the Catholic noblemen.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Gabriel Báthory promised to promote the interests of the Catholics if he were elected prince.Template:Sfn The Hajdús, who had not received their salary after Bocskai's death, rose up in rebellion in October 1607.Template:Sfn They decided to place Bálint Drugeth on the throne.Template:Sfn Ali Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Buda, supported their movement.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Sigismund entered into negotiations with Gabriel Báthory, who promised to pay the purchase price of the domains of Szádvár and Sáros on Sigismund's behalf if he abdicated.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Drugeth refused to ally himself with the Hajdús, enabling Gabriel Báthory to make a treaty with them on 6 February 1608.Template:Sfn Báthory promised that he would make Catholic and Unitarian noblemen royal councillors.Template:Sfn To avoid a new civil war, Sigismund abdicated at the Diet in Kolozsvár on 5 March 1608.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Last months

Sigismund and his wife left Kolozsvár for Upper Hungary on 7 March 1608.Template:Sfn Gabriel Báthory was elected prince of Transylvania on the same day.Template:Sfn Sigismund visited Szádvár on his way back to Makovica.Template:Sfn He provided new loans to the commanders of the royal army who had been unable to finance their fights against the rebellious Hajdús.Template:Sfn The Hajdús pillaged Sigismund's house at Felsővadász.Template:Sfn

Sigismund tried to seize the supreme commandership of Upper Hungary, but the most influential royal councillors did not support him.Template:Sfn He planned to go to Pressburg to be present at the Diet which had been convoked to elect Matthias II as King of Hungary, but he fell seriously ill.Template:Sfn He died in Felsővadász on 5 December 1608.Template:Sfn He was buried in Szerencs on 21 January 1609.Template:Sfn

Sigismund had the most dazzling career among his contemporaries in Hungary.Template:Sfn He was born as a lesser nobleman and died as a magnate, showing that he had been a "man of considerable talent," according to historian Katalin Péter.Template:Sfn His acquisition of dozens of estates made him one of the wealthiest landowners of Royal Hungary, and established the basis of his descendants' power in the 17th century.Template:Sfn Although he ruled Transylvania for less than two years, his short rule enabled his son, George I, to seize Transylvania in 1630.Template:Sfn

Family

Sigismund's first wife, Judit Alaghy, was the daughter of János Alaghy, the lord of Regéc.Template:Sfn She inherited parts of her father's estates, including Tállya and Abaújszántó.Template:Sfn She gave birth to Sigismund's first child, Erzsébet in 1588.Template:Sfn When Judit fell seriously ill in the spring of 1591, Sigismund took her to the hospital in Sandomierz in Poland where she died on 12 July.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Erzsébet Rákóczi was given in marriage to Bálint Drugeth in 1602.Template:Sfn She died two years later.Template:Sfn

Sigismund's second wife, Anna Gerendi, was the daughter of the Sabbatarian Transylvanian nobleman, János Gerendi, and Kata Erdélyi.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Sigismund married the stepdaughter of his sister, Magdolna, because Gerendi was Magdolna's second husband.Template:Sfn Anna gave birth to three sons.Template:Sfn George, who was born in 1593, became Prince of Transylvania years after his father's death.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Sigismund, who was born in 1594 and died in 1620, did not make a career for himself.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Paul was born in 1595.Template:Sfn He was made judge royal of HungaryTemplate:Sfn in 1631. Anna died soon after the birth of her third son.Template:Sfn

Sigismund admitted that he had "loved women so much, that he could not live without them" in a letter addressed to his nephew, Lajos Rákóczi, a few months after Anna's death.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He proposed himself to the Catholic Borbála Telegdy, who was the widow of his late friend Kristóf Chapy.Template:Sfn They married in May 1596.Template:Sfn She survived Sigismund and converted his third son, Paul, to Catholicism.Template:Sfn