Hungarian Heritage Review, 1988 (17. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1988-06-01 / 6. szám
JJHilestones <3lri Hungarian JMistoriJ Hungarians, Thököly continued his fight against the Empire. At this time, apparently not realizing that the Ottoman Empire was beginning to weaken, Thököly strengthened his ties with the Turks. And when the Turks began a new and most ambitious campaign to take Vienna, Thököly was forced to aid them. This led to great problems, for when the Turks were routed before the gates of Vienna, suspicions were cast upon Thököly. He attempted to reassure the Turks of his reliability by sending his stepson, Ferenc Rákóczi, to Constantinople as hostage. This step, at the time unknown to all involved, was to have an important impact upon the later career of the young Rákóczi and upon the fate of Hungary itself. Thököly’s fortunes reached their lowest point in the year 1683 when he was taken, bound hand and foot, as a prisoner and and sent to Belgrade. In a rage over this treatment of their commander, the kuruc troops went over to the Imperial banners and turned their fortresses and strongholds over to the Habsburgs. Largely as a result of these events, the Habsburgs, aided by members of the Holy League of Christian rulers and backed by the Pope, mounted a huge siege of Buda, and in 1686 the city was freed from Turkish rule. Ilona — Lioness of Munkács Following the enormous reversals of fortune against the Turks, most of the fortresses and other strongpoints fell into the hands of the Habsburg troops. One great kuruc fortress was still unconquered — the Castle of Munkács. This fortress was commanded by a woman — Ilona Zrínyi. And she was determined that this bastion of her family would not yield. In a siege that soon became the wonder of Europe, Ilona and her band of some four thousand troops, held out for weeks, months and then an incredible three years! Her great feat drew the attention of all Europe, and the King of Poland hailed the lady as “the greatest woman in Europe.” It was betrayal rather than military defeat that led to Ilona’s fall. In 1688, after she had accepted honorable terms of surrender, Ilona and her family were taken to Vienna. There she was separated from her children; she was never again to see her son Ferenc. Reunion In 1691, Thököly, still acting under orders from the Sultan, was sent into action against the Imperial troops commanded by one General Heisler. In a great battle during which Thököly and his cavalry crossed the rugged Carpathians, the Kurucs completely routed the Habsburg army and captured their general. Thököly himself was named Prince of Transylvania. Prelude to betrayal. Ilona Zrínyi faces General Caraffa with her two children.. .Ferenc Rákóczi II and Julianna. [From a Painting by Viktor Madarasz] This honor was short-lived, however, for renewed attacks by overwhelming Imperial armies forced Thököly to abandon Transylvania. There was to be a happy turn to all of this, though, for in 1693 Thököly exchanged his important prisoner, General Heisler, in return for his own wife, Ilona, who had been held in Vienna. Finally, after a separation of seven years, Thököly and Ilona were together again. The years had taken their toll on Thököly; he was no longer the dashing cavalier of his youth. His beard was long and gray, and he walked with a decided limp. After some time in the Hungarian village of Palanka, Ilona and Imre were forced to move into exile in Asia Minor. And it was here, surrounded by peace and beautiful gardens, that the two ended their days. Ilona died in 1703 and Thököly in 1705. One thing that managed to brighten Ilona’s days away from her beloved land was the news of the rising of a new and heroic figure who seemed destined to become a great leader of his people and his nation — Ferenc Rákóczi II — Ilona’s son. 14 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW JUNE 1988
