Nikolaus, Count Esterházy

Baron, later Count Nikolaus Esterházy de Galántha (Galanta, 8 April 1583Großhöflein, 11 September 1645) was the founder of the West-Hungarian noble House of Esterházy which became one of the grandest and most influential aristocratic families of the Kingdom of Hungary.

Life Nikolaus's parents were Protestants, and he himself followed them at first, but he subsequently became a Catholic and, along with Cardinal Pázmány, his most serious rival at court, became a pillar of Catholicism, both religiously and politically. At court, he opposed the two great Protestant champions of the period, Gabriel Bethlen and George I Rákóczi. Matthias II made him a baron (1613), count of Bereg (1617), and lord-lieutenant of the county of Zólyom and (1618).

His political ideal was the consolidation of the House of Habsburg as a means towards freeing Hungary from domination by the Ottoman Empire, and the Habsburg noted him because of his zeal to that end. He himself, on one occasion (1623), defeated the Turks on the banks of the Nyitra.

His first marriage with Orsolya Dersffy made him immensely rich and brought him also the lordships of Munkács (today: Mukachevo, Ukraine) and Lánzsér-Lakompak (today: Landsee and Lackenbach in Austria). When he had to hand over Munkács in 1622 to Gabriel Bethlen because of the Peace of Nikolsburg, he was compensated by the Emperor with 2 new lordships, namely Fraknó (today: Forchtenstein, Austria) and Kismarton (today: Eisenstadt, Austria).

In 1625 he officiated in the coronation of the Emperor Ferdinand II, who made him Palatine of Hungary, the highest political function in the country. He also became Count of Fraknó and Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece on 10 August 1626.

Nikolaus was also an accomplished writer.

Marriage and children

He married in 1612 Baroness Orsolya Dersffy de Szerdahely (1583–1619) and they had:

István (1616–1641), died before his father. Had one daughter. Krisztina (1617–1617).

After his first wife's death, he married in 1624 Baroness Krisztina Nyáry de Bedegh (1604–1641) and had: Magdolna (1625–1627) László (1626–1652), killed in at the Battle of Vezekény Katalin, (1628–1630) Anna Júlia (1630–1669), married Franz III. Nádasdy Michael (1632–1633) Mária Krisztina (1634–1634) Paul I Esterházy of Galántha (1635–1713), his successor Mária (1638–1684), married Count György Drugeth de Homonna Ferenc (1641–1683), had issue. Ancestor of Móric Esterházy, Márton Esterházy, and Péter Esterházy.

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