Magyar Egyház, 2010 (89. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2010-10-01 / 4. szám
18. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ Gábor Bethlen He was an excellent politican and participated in the 30 Years War on the side of the Protestants. His clever foreign policiy and efficient internal policy secured the independence of Transylvania for a long time. His period is considered as the "Golden Age" or "Highlight" of Transylvania. The Hungarian Reformed Church in America is a progressive church growing beyond the limitations of nationality, applying the motto of the coat of arms granted by Gabor Bethlen to its ministers: "Arte et marté dimicandum!" "We must fight with knowledge andforce!" The native form of this personal name is Bethlen Gábor. This article uses the Western name order. Gabriel Bethlen (de Iktár) (Hungarian: Bethlen Gábor, Romanian: Gabriel Bethlen, German: Gabriel Bethlen von Iktár; November 15, 1580 - November 15, 1629) was a prince of Transylvania (1613-1629), duke of Opole (1622-1625) and leader of an anti-Habsburg insurrection in the Habsburg Royal Hungary. His last armed intervention in 1626 was part of the Thirty Years' War. He led an active Protestantoriented foreign policy. Gabriel Bethlen, the most famous representative of the Iktári branch of the ancient Hungarian Bethlen family, was born at Marosillye (today Ilia in Romania) and educated at Szárhegy (today Läzarea in Romania) at the castle of his uncle András Lázár. Thence he was sent to the court of the Transylvanian Prince Sigismund Báthory, whom he accompanied on his famous Wallachian campaign. Subsequently he assisted István Bocskay to become Prince of Transylvania in 1605 and remained his chief counsellor. Bethlen also supported Bocskay's successor Gabriel Báthory (1608-1613), but the prince became jealous of Bethlen's superior abilities and Bethlen was obliged to take refuge with the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. In 1613, Bethlen led a large army against Prince Báthory, but in the same year Báthory was murdered by two of his officers. Bethlen was placed on the throne by the Ottomans in opposition to the wishes of the Austrian Habsburg emperor, who preferred a prince who would incline more toward Vienna than toward Turkish Constantinople. On October 13, 1613, the Transylvanian Diet at Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca), confirmed the choice of the Turkish sultan. In 1615, Bethlen was also officially recognized by the Emperor Matthias as the Prince of Transylvania; Bethlen promised in secret that he would help the Habsburgs against the Ottomans. While avoiding the cruelties and excesses of many of his predecessors, Bethlen established a singular variant of patriarchal but sufficiently enlightened absolutism. He developed mines and industry and nationalised many branches of Transylvania's foreign trade. His agents bought up many products at fixed prices and sold them abroad at a profit, almost doubling his revenues. He built himself a grand new palace in his capital, Apulum (today Alba Iulia), kept a sumptuous court, composed hymns, and patronised the arts and learning, especially in connection with his own Calvinist faith. He founded an academy to which he invited any pastor and teacher from Royal Hungary; sent students abroad to the Protestant universities of England, the Low Countries, and the Protestant principalities of Germany;, conferred hereditary nobility on all Protestant pastors; and forbade landlords to prevent their serfs from having their children schooled. Other parts of his revenue he devoted toward keeping an efficient standing army of mercenaries, with whose help he conducted an ambitious foreign policy. Keeping peace with the Ottoman Porte, he struck out to the north and west. There were several reasons for his anti-Habsburg interventions in neighbouring Royal Hungary (1619-1626) which took place during Central Europe's Thirty Years' War: He was partly motivated by personal ambition. Habsburg absolutism in Royal Hungary. The Habsburgs had started a successful Counter- Reformation in Royal Hungary which confiscated properties of local Protestants. Bethlen seems also to have been genuinely anxious to protect Protestant liberties. The Habsburgs had violated the Peace of Vienna of 1606 that put an end to the anti-Habsburg uprising of Bethlen's "predecessor" István Bocskay. The Habsburgs had violated the secret agreement with Bethlen of 1615 and prolonged the peace with Ottoman Empire in July 1615, and even entered into an alliance with George Druget, the captain of Upper Hungary (i.e. present-day Slovakia and adjacent territories) against Bethlen. While Emperor Ferdinand was occupied with the Bohemian rebellion of 1618, Bethlen led his armies into Royal Hungary in August 1619 and occupied the town of Kassa (Koäice) in September, where his Protestant supporters declared him "head" of Hungary and protector of the Protestants. He soon won over the entirety of present-day Slovakia, even securing the capital of Royal Hungary, Posonium (Pozsony), in October, where the palatine even handed over the Crown of St Stephen to Bethlen. Bethlen's troops joined with the troops of the Czech and Moravian estates (led by Count Jindrich Matyas Thum), but they failed to conquer Vienna in November - Bethlen was forced to leave Austria after being attacked by George Druget and Polish mercenaries
