Bujdosó Pap Györgyi et al.: Várostromok és Közép-Európa Zrínyi Miklós (1620-1664) korában - Studia Agriensia 34. (Eger, 2017)
Polgár Marianna: "Vas Vármegye… füstölög, távulrul is megláthatod"
Marianna Polgár “Vas County....up in Smoke, Visible from Afar” Vas County has a special bond with Zrínyi the poet, military leader and politician, because as a perpetual count and head ofthe county, Zrínyi often moved the location for the county assembly from Egerszeg, which was under threat by the Ottomans, to Körmend. Apart from holding state positions in the military and in politics, the Zrínyi, Batthyányi and Nádasdy families also played a crucial role in establishing a network of relations with the nobility of Western Transdanubia. The Nádasdy family was in charge of Vas County continuously from 1537 to 1671. During this period the Zrinyis held the position of head of Zala County for 60 years. Those in the highest echelons of nobility strived to safeguard their interests as landowners in person or through their familiares. Being under constant threat from the Ottomans forced the county heads to cooperate, but the nobility of the counties also attended joint assemblies or issued proxies to represent each other and adopt decisions at each other s assemblies. Zrinyis activities, political programme and support are characterised by a certain kind of duality. As an aristocrat and a county head, he was criticised by several assemblies for his marauding and the damage it caused to the affected areas. At the same time, however, especially from the mid- 17th century, the lesser nobility saw the aristocrats of Western Transdanubia, primarily Miklós Zrínyi, as the key to improving the country’s fate. 197
