H. Kolba Judit szerk.: Historical Exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum Guide 2 - From the Foundation of the State until the Expulsion of the Ottomans - The history of Hungary in the 11th to 17th centuries (Budapest, 2005)

ROOM 7 - Transylvania and Royal Hungary (second half of the 16th century-17th century) (Judit H. Kolba)

ROOM 7 Transylvania and Royal Hungary (second half of the 16th century-17th century) In the Treaty of Adrianople of 1568 and in the Treaty of Speyer of 1570, Maximilian (as King Maximilian I of Hungary) and John Sigismund fixed between themselves the borders of the country split in three and the relationship of the different parts.The central part of the country which was under Ottoman rule, the western part of the country and Upper Hungary known as Royal Hungary and the Principality of Transylvania, which became a symbol of freedom for Hungarians, arranged their affairs in different ways. The rulers of Transylvania tried several times to unite Transylvania and Royal Hungary at least. In influencing the fate of Hungarians, the princes of Transylvania had the greatest success in the 17th century, especially when they joined forces with the enemies of the Habsburgs in the Thirty Years' War. THE REFORMATION IN THE 17TH CENTURY One of the strongest cementing forces between the three parts of the country was religion: in the mid-16th century three trends of the Reformation (Lutherans, Calvinists, Unitarians) won over the majority of the population. Transylvania led Europe in establishing religious toleration: as early as the Diet of Torda (Turda) in 1557 it was declared that "everybody shall live in the creed he choses". In 1571, a statute was enacted on the free operation of the four received religions: the Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist and Unitarian (which denied the Holy Trinity). The liturgical objects of the Protestant Churches are characterized by a puritan simplicity. Chalices and communion plates unadorned or decorated only with Biblical quotations were used. Certain congregations kept many cups and beakers of secular form, richly embossed or engraved, as gifts from wealthy nobles and citizens. A slender jug from the Reformed church of Csenger, a village along the western border of Transylvania, the so-called Partium, is a characteristic representative of the liturgical silver of the period. In Protestant churches many pewter vessels - jugs, communion plates and chalices - were used. Richly embroidered cloths were used to cover communion tables, decorated by the bestowers with so-called ladies 'work, composed of Renaissance flower motifs. On cambric or linen material the name of the maker, the date and quotations from the Bible were embroidered among the scrolled flowers placed in the corners. On a chaliceveil the coat of arms of Transylvania and those of the Lorántffy family refer to the presenter (Fig. 57). "TRANSYLVANIA HAS BEGUN TO SHINE AMONG THE EUROPEAN POWERS" We can summarize the history of Transylvania in the period from the 16th century to the 17th century in terms of its princes. As a result of the deliberate political, economic and cultural activity of the princes in the second half of the 16th century, the principality became a potent advocate and supporter of Hungarian interests. Thanks to the very advantageous connections with the Ottoman sultan, Transylvania pursued a domestic policy which was almost completely independent. The first elected prince was István Báthory (1571-86), who acceeded to the throne with the consent of the Ottomans. His clever polities also gained him the sympathy of the Poles, who elected him, and not the emperor Maximilian, king of Poland (1576-86). Zsigmond Báthory (1581-1602) entered the Fifteen Years' War as a member of the antiOttoman Habsburg alliance, but was a useful confederate for only a short time. The real founder of Transylvania was István Bocskai (1605-1606), who ac-