POD: Isabella Jagiellon lives long enough to arrange the marriage of John Sigismund Zapolya and Joanna of Austria.
Monarchs of Hungary
1540-1551 and 1556-1560: John I Sigismund (House of Zápolya) [1]
Princes of Transylvania
1570-1583: John I Sigismund (House of Zápolya) [1]
Monarchs of Hungary-Transylvania
1583-1615: John I Sigismund (House of Zápolya) [1]
1615-1618: John II Zapolya (House of Zápolya) [2]
1618-1633: Francis I (House of Zápolya) [3]
1633-1667: John III Stephen (House of Zápolya) [4]
1667-1671: George I (House of Zápolya) [5]
1671-1711 Sophia I (House of Zápolya) [6]
1711-1740: Louis III (House of Zápolya) [7]
1740-1774: Francis II (House of Zápolya) [8]
1774-1775: Stephen VI (House of Zápolya) [9]
Monarchs of Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia
1775-1807: Stephen VI (House of Zápolya) [9]
Monarchs of Hungary-Transylvania
1807-1838: Katalin I (House of Zápolya) [10]
1838-1859: Alexandra I (House of Zapolya) [11]
Monarchs of Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia
1859-1869: John IV Francis (House of Zapolya) [12]
1869-1876: Stephen VII (House of Zápolya) [13]
1876-1928: John V Nicholas (House of Zápolya) [14]
1928-1950: Marie I (House of Zapolya) [15]
1950-1992: George II (House of Zapolya-Habsburg) [16]
George II in 2001[16] Crown Prince George was born to Queen Marie and her husband Otto of Austria in 1912 as the first of four children. George grew up in the same happy and joyful world as his mother, and was taught a variety of topics. He married Marianne of the Netherlands in 1938 and they would have five children (three boys and two girls).
George would ascend to the throne of Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia in 1950 upon the death of his mother and became George II. Like his mother, George had liberal-leaning political views and left the governing of Hungary to his Prime Minsters. However, he had an hands-on approach when it came to foreign policy, being a mediator for many conflicts during his reign. He also opened the Budapest Olympics in 1976.
On his 80th birthday in 1992, George II announced his abdication and the passing of the crown to _____. For the rest of his life George traveled the world, painting some of the landscapes he saw on his travels. He died in 2007 at the age of 95, surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. His wife Marianne would outlive him by six years, living to the ripe old age of 101.
Monarchs of Hungary
1540-1551 and 1556-1560: John I Sigismund (House of Zápolya) [1]
Princes of Transylvania
1570-1583: John I Sigismund (House of Zápolya) [1]
Monarchs of Hungary-Transylvania
1583-1615: John I Sigismund (House of Zápolya) [1]
1615-1618: John II Zapolya (House of Zápolya) [2]
1618-1633: Francis I (House of Zápolya) [3]
1633-1667: John III Stephen (House of Zápolya) [4]
1667-1671: George I (House of Zápolya) [5]
1671-1711 Sophia I (House of Zápolya) [6]
1711-1740: Louis III (House of Zápolya) [7]
1740-1774: Francis II (House of Zápolya) [8]
1774-1775: Stephen VI (House of Zápolya) [9]
Monarchs of Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia
1775-1807: Stephen VI (House of Zápolya) [9]
Monarchs of Hungary-Transylvania
1807-1838: Katalin I (House of Zápolya) [10]
1838-1859: Alexandra I (House of Zapolya) [11]
Monarchs of Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia
1859-1869: John IV Francis (House of Zapolya) [12]
1869-1876: Stephen VII (House of Zápolya) [13]
1876-1928: John V Nicholas (House of Zápolya) [14]
1928-1950: Marie I (House of Zapolya) [15]
1950-1992: George II (House of Zapolya-Habsburg) [16]
[1] One of the last acts of Isabella Jagiellon was finalizing the negotiations with Ferdinand of Austria. On behalf of her son, she arranged that John Sigismund would renounce his title as King of Hungary and Ferdinand would confirm John Sigismund’s lands east of the Tisza and arranging the marriage of her son John Sigismund to Joanna of Austria. While Joanna of Austria was still young (only 12) the marriage moved forward (to make sure it and the peace didn’t fall apart later) with the understanding that after the consumption Joanna and John Sigismund would not live as husband and wife until Joanna was 16.
Isabella would pass away shortly after the marriage.
While John Sigismund would never have agreed to give away his crown himself, it had been done. Furthermore, he believed in the institution of marriage and sought to be a good husband. So, the agreement would stand—for the duration of the marriage.
John Sigismund and Joanna would have a happy marriage, during which they had six children, three of whom would live to adulthood. John Sigismund would continue his pattern of religious exploration, eventually adopting Unitarianism. Strangely enough, this didn’t seem to put any strain on their marriage, as Joanna would allowed to continue to practice her faith. Their children were taught by a variety of religious teachers, so that “God may gift them their faith” according to John Sigismund.
Allied with Maximillian (Ferdinand having passed away), John Sigismund would push back against the Ottoman Empire, and after several years of on and off war, would no longer be subject to the Sultan. This would be the high point of John Sigismund relationship with the Habsburgs. Shortly after that, Maximillian II would die, and then in 1579, Joanna would die giving birth to a boy that lived two days. With her death, the last ties binding John Sigismund to his mother’s agreement would sever.
He would begin collecting allies by betrothing his children to the Royal Families of England, Sweden, and Poland. He himself remarried to the daughter of Melchior Balassa the wealthiest of John Sigismund’s vassals. (Her name was Anna). Anna’s dowery would fund the mercenaries he hired. Thus armed, John Sigismund would begin the war for the Throne of Hungary. As he was facing Rudolf II who was ineffectual as a war commander, John Sigismund would win the war.
He would then begin the process of consolidating his lands and ensuring that his successor Francis, would inherit both Hungary and Transylvania. Other than this the rest of his reign was relatively peaceful. He would have several more children with Anna and would manage to keep Hungary-Transylvania out of the Twenty Years War.
He remained active throughout his life, and would die from a fall from a horse during a hunt at age 75. He was succeeded by his son, King John Zapolya II.
[2] John Zapolya was born in 1565 to John Sigismund and Joana of Austria as their first child. At the age of ten, he joined his father on a hunt, he joyed the experience so much that he joined any hunt that he can, and as he got older he started to host his own hunts that would last for hours. He married Margaret of Austria in 1585, it was an unhappy marriage as John Zapolya spent more time hunting than being with his wife.
When he became King of Hungary-Transylvania in 1615, John Zapolya would force the entire court to join him on his hunts. He also started to host extravagant feasts where everyone ate with their bare hands. One day in 1618, while he was trying to look for a deer during one of his hunts, John Zapolya was shot in the back by a disgruntled courtier. He was succeeded by his eldest son, King Francis.
Francis I, King of Hungary and Transylvania[3] With the death of King John II, the Hungarian-Transylvanian kingdom would have its first new ruler, Prince Francis, born in 1585, to then-Prince John, the first child from the unhappy union of Prince John and Princess Joana of Austria.
Unlike his father, a unitarian, Francis became a protestant. During his grandfather's reign, he advocated that Hungary-Translyvania enter the Twenty Years' War and fight against the Habsburgs. However, John Sigismund made most people ignore him, as he wanted a kingdom at peace.
Francis was shocked when he heard the news about the murder of his father. Soon, the courtier who had killed the king was captured and brought to the royal residence and supposedly shot with the rifle that was used to kill the king by Princess Andria, the only daughter of John II,
With a sizable allowance and an ability at spotting talent, he founded a university in Oradea, which later became the kingdom’s future capital under Francis I's reign. Shortly after in 1603, with the purpose of his father and his grandfather. He married Christina Constance von Riesigreas, the illegitimate daughter of a Saxon count. The marriage produced no children as Christina was rendered infertile after being affected by a mild case of smallpox when she was a child.
In 1622, Francis I formed an alliance with the Electorates of Palatinate and Brandenburg to combat the Hapsburgs. The war was a quick affair as Ferdinand III and some of his generals were captured in the Battle of Pozsony by Francis I. From this war, Hungary-Transylvania gained some territory in the east.
In 1633, Francis died after a severe fever. He was succeeded by his nephew, John Stephen.
[4] John Stephen was born on 11th May, 1606, to Prince John Vladislaus (1588-1629), second son of King John II and Margaret Vasa of Sweden (1589-1632) daughter of John III of Sweden and Gunilla Bielke.
Margaret’s half-brother was King Sigismund III of Poland. This marriage had been secured through John Zapolya’s time as heir while collecting allies through betrothing the Royal Families of England, Sweden, and Poland.
Although any normal offspring of a second son, would not be expected to succeed the throne, due to his uncle conceiving no child with his wife, John Stephen, grew up as third in line to his great-grandfather’s throne after his grandfather, uncle and father; meaning he was given an excellent education.
John Stephen was nine when his great grandfather, John Sigismund I died and twelve when his grandfather, John Zapolya II died.
During the reign of his uncle, John Stephen and his father, spent most of their time at court, serving as advisors and confidants of King Francis I.
At the age of 16, John Stephen, would ride beside his father, during the War of 1622, against the Hapsburgs.
During the peace negotiations, the three allies arrange betrothals; two of which were, John Stephen being married to Agnes of Brandenburg (1606–1670) while his brother, (open for others to name) was engaged to Louise of Bohemia and Palatinate, the eldest daughter of Frederick I, King of Bohemia and V, Elector Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart of England.
The marriage between John Stephen and Agnes was a pleasant one, with Agnes giving birth to (number) children.
With the death of his father aged 41, from a heart attack, four years earlier, John Stephen would succeed his uncle peacefully in 1633, aged 27.
For the next 34 years, John Stephen ruled with diplomatic peace.
John Stephen saw the importance of trade, especially with neighbouring Empires of Russia and Ottoman, promoting friendly commerce.
Following the abdication of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor in 1622, John Stephen would support Ferdinand III’s introduction of lenient policies to depart from old ideas of divine rights, allowing for reforms which saw his allies in Palatinate and Brandenburg to elevate from duchies to kingdoms, weakening the Habsburg control of the Holy Roman Empire.
Domestically John Stephen’s reign would see the capital city of Oradea grow through trade to become comparable to Vienna.
King John Stephen III had been suffering from kidney stones and liver failure for some time and was bedridden from 16 June until his death on 1 July 1667, aged 61.
After days of suffering, the court was relieved for the king and for themselves, saved from hearing his agonising screams, that are said to still be hauntingly heard to the present day. He was succeeded by his grandson, George.
George, Prince-Regent of Hungary and Transylvania[5] Born in 1659, Prince George was the son of Prince Anton, who died a few months before the death of his father, which left him the new King of Hungary-Translvania. As he was still a nine-year-old minor and his mother had died from childbirth in 1659, his uncle (who also was named George) would serve as regent until he reached his age of maturity. This period would be known as the Reign of the Two Georges.
The older George was born in 1625 as the second son of King John Stephen III and Princess Agnes of Brandenburg, and the younger brother of Prince Anton. For his whole life, George was characterized by his hyperactivity and his impulsiveness, making him a very difficult person to educate. And as he was the second son, he was never taught the skills to be an effective and efficient ruler.
During the short regency of Prince George, Hungarian and Transylvanian art was heavily promoted through magnificent museums. George also sought to it that his brother’s son received a good education. However, the Prince-Regent’s character led to him making a series of diplomatic blunders that would strain relations with Hungary-Transylvania's protestant allies.
In 1671, the twelve year old King George died from an illness that was hidden from court. He was succeeded his older sister, Sophia.
[6] Born in 1658, Sophia, the older of the two children of Prince Anton and the only one of the two children to survive childhood as her older brother George would die in 1671, would be the first female ruler of Hungary-Transylvania, being coronated as Queen at the age of eighteen as a precocious and intelligent young woman who would reign for 40 years.
She was first under the regency of her uncle Prince George, who was forced to resign after several diplomatic blunders, and would later spend the rest of his life sketching many of Hungary-Transylvania's natural wonders, and he also composed several collections of poems. Sophia would get a new regent and begin ruling on her own in 1676.
As the Queen of Hungary-Transylvania, Sophia's reign would be marked by a renewed war against the Ottoman Empire which saw the rest of Hungary controlled by the Ottomans taken with Hungary, divided between Hungary-Transylvania and the Ottomans for so long, being a united realm once more.
Domestically, Sophia would be a ruler who would prove to be a patron of the arts and a supporter of strengthening the realm by any means possible. To this end, she encouraged Protestants/Huguenots who left France to move to Hungary with these Protestant emigres helping with the economy of the Kingdom with many Hungarians into modern times having French surnames as a result of said action.
In her personal life, Sophia would marry a cousin of hers in 1684 with the couple having three children. Sophia would die in 1711 from what appeared to be a stroke and was succeeded by her son Louis.
Louis III of Hungary-Transylvania[7] Louis was born in 1685 as the first child of Sophia I and her husband Prince Francis. He would become a general who in 1708 joined the War of the Swedish Succession (1697-1711) and fought in many battles, which would end with the ascension of Charles XII, who was a grandson of the previous King's sister.
In 1711, while he was still in Sweden, Louis recevied news that his mother died and that he was the new King of Hungary-Transylvania. Thus he returned to Hungary and was crowned as Louis III. During his reign, Louis started the Hungarian East India Company in 1722 for the establishing of colonies in Asia, and helping his brother John become the new King of Bohemia following it's revolt against the Austrians.
Louis III married an Hungarian noblewoman and had five children with her. Louis died in 1740 at the age of 55 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Prince Francis.
[8] Named after his grandfather, Francis, born in 1713, a year after his parents marriage and two years after his father took the throne. He enjoyed a happy childhood with his mother, and his four younger siblings.
In 1734, his father arranged his marriage to Princess Christina Catherine of Sweden youngest daughter of Charles XII, whom King Louis III had fought for in the War of the Swedish Succession (1697-1711).
Their arranged marriage was also a happy one, Francis was a devoted husband, remarkably never taking a mistress, which was common practice among nobility.
Together they would have 15 children—nine sons and six daughters, with Francis spending at least an hour of his day to interact with them.
In 1740, 27 year old Francis heard the heartbreaking news of his father’s death and called for a period of mourning, during the first month, Francis would have his mother and siblings, stay with him and his family at Oradea Palace.
He would go as far as postpone the wedding of his eldest sister, Sophia to Charles IV of England and Scotland until six months later.
As a ruler, he was know for his tolerant ways, promoting safety to the Jews and fellow Protestants, whom had been forcefully expelled from Western European countries, advocating for religious pluralism.
Peace would be felt across his lands, with the four neighbouring empires (Austrian, Ottoman, Poland-Lithuanian and Russian) were too weak and ill equipped to consider any military actions.
The marriage of his three sisters to King of England & Scotland, King of Brandenburg and their cousin, King of Bohemia, also benefited the Hungarian kingdom militarily and financially.
His reign spanned 34 years and would come to an end when at the age of 61, he would succumb to wasting sickness that modern doctors have declared to be cancer. He was succeeded by his oldest son, Stephen.
[9] Stephen was the fifth child of King Francis and Queen Christina Catherine, the second son, and the oldest son to survive to adulthood. He was born in 1745 and from birth was the heir to the throne as his older brother, Prince Louis, had died in 1738 when he was only seven weeks old. He was betrothed to his cousin, Princess Anna Christine, of Bohemia in 1758 when he was 13 and she was 11. She was the only child of his aunt and John Wenceslaus I Zápolya, the King of Bohemia, and as Bohemia followed Salic Law, King Francis was first in line to the throne of Bohemia, and so this marriage was made to unite the realms. (King John Wenceslaus was the only son of John I Zápolya, King Francis's uncle.)
In 1765 the marriage took place and the young couple spent their time between both courts. Stephen fought in the 1771-1772 War against Poland-Lithuania in which Bohemia and Hungary-Transylvania joined with the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Brandenburg-Prussia to conquer Poland-Lithuania and annex great areas of it so that only two rump states of Poland and Lithuania survived. Silesia and Slovakia were added to Bohemia. Western Poland went to Brandenburg-Prussia. The Ukraine and White Russia went to Russia and Moldovia was annexed to the Romanian provinces of Hungary-Transylvania.
Prince Stephen became a national hero in the war due to his courage and skills in leading men in battle.
He succeeded to the throne of Hungary-Transylvania on his father's death in 1774 and a year later inherited Greater Bohemia on the death of his cousin once removed, who also was his father-in-law, King John Wenceslaus I.
Stephen was a warrior King and immediately went to war with the Ottomans. He described the war as a Crusade to liberate the upper Balkans from the Turks. The catalyst for the war was the abandonment of Slovenia by the Venetians in 1776. Slovenia declared itself a Principality but the Ottomans invaded. Stephen countered that and not only fought the Turks there but also in Serbia and Croatia. On the conclusion of the war in 1779 northern Serbia, Slovenia, and parts of northern Croatia were added to Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia.
Throughout the 1780s and into the 1790s, Stephen focused on building his multi-ethnic kingdom. Religious freedom was not only extended to all kinds of Christians and Jews, but also to Muslims. Roads were built and royal palaces established in various parts of the kingdoms. Stephen established a new Royal Postal service and a Royal Navy with ports on both the Adriatic and the Black Sea.
He and Queen Anna Christine had many children and in 1783 he married his oldest daughter to the King of France and his oldest son, Prince George, in 1787 married the oldest daughter of the King of Brandenburg-Prussia, Princess Fredericka. It seemed that things were going good for the kingdoms when everything changed in 1793 when France erupted in a Revolution, his daughter was beheaded by the mob, and war followed between the French Republic and the rest of Europe.
For the rest of Stephen's reign he was at war with the ever-expanding French Republic Empire. The Italian Republic, a puppet of France, took back Slovenia and all of Croatia in 1797. The Rhenish Republic, another puppet of France, invaded Bohemia and took the Sudeten region in 1803. The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved and the Hapsburg Austrian Kingdom allied with France. Austria invaded Hungary and conquered the Hungarian Royal Capital of Budapest in 1806. Stephen and his court were in the Grand Capital of Oradea and never were in danger.
Stephen was busy working to form a Grand Alliance with the kingdom of Naples, Brandenburg-Prussia, Russia, and Great Britain when he died of a heart attack. His heir inherited the kingdoms still at war and the Grand Alliance not yet formed.
Katalin I, Queen of Hungary and Transylvania[10] Princess Katalin was born in 1788, she was the first of two children from the marriage between Prince George, the oldest son of King Stephen VI, and Princess Fredericka, who was the eldest daughter of Elector and King Joachim III/I of Brandenburg-Prussia. In 1791, shortly after the birth of her younger brother, Albert, her father died.
At the decision of Princess Fredericka, Katalin was raised and educated in Berlin, she made sure that all of her children were taught by the best tutors that were available. Katalin excelled in history, geography, and mathematics, and she learned many languages including Italian, Polish, and Lithuanian.
As France continued its expansion into Germany, many nobles fled to Brandenburg-Prussia. The new ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, Augustus II arranged Katalin’s marriage to the young Prince Karl Louis of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld. The marriage was unhappy, Katalin and Karl Louis did not share any interests, and they had no children.
In late 1806, Prince George was killed in battle, and Albert died a few weeks after contracting pneumonia. When Katalin received the news she went to Hungary-Transylvania, without her husband. There she aided King Stephen VI with his preparations to wage war on France and its allies, once more. However, when the King unexpectedly died from a heart attack, Katalin ascended to the throne of Hungary-Transylvania. As Bohemia still followed Salic law, Katalin’s cousin, Otto became King Otto II of Bohemia.
A grand coalition was formed consisting of Hungary-Transylvania, Bohemia, Brandenburg-Prussia, Great Britain, Russia, Naples, and Spain, which finally defeated France in 1810. For the rest of her reign, Katalin worked to improve her realm and promote the sciences in it.
In 1838, Katalin died due to unknown gastrointestinal problems and was succeeded by her cousin, Alexandra.
[11] Princess Alexandra was born on May 10, 1806 to Prince Charles, the uncle of Queen Katalin I (being the only other but much younger son of King Stephen VI besides Prince George) and would be the only child of Prince Charles, who died later in the year along side his his older brother, Prince George, in the same battle. As a princess, Princess Alexandra would become an intelligent and well-read young woman who would prove herself to be a woman who would be fit to be a Queen of Hungary when Katalin I died in 1838.
As Queen, Alexandra I would be moderate in terms of her policies as while she would maintain most of her political power, her reign would see a constitution signed with provisions which abolished serfdom and provided for an elected legislature, albeit one elected by wealthy and literate men and with largely advisory powers. Her reign would also see the start of the industrial revolution in Hungary with her reign seeing Hungary being an industrial power in her reign.
However, her reign would be cut short for on September 2, 1859, when she didn't turn up in a meeting, she would be found by a guard in her bed, having died from a sudden seizure in her sleep with her successor being another distant cousin.
[12] John Francis was a distant cousin of both Katalin and Alexandra, as the son of King Otto II of Bohemia, the son of John Louis, the second oldest son of King Francis I.
Born in 1799, his father became king of Bohemia in 1807 as the last male descendant in the Salic law, as all of his uncle Stephen's male line had died before Stephen's death. so at the age of 7, John Francis became heir and was raised as such.
While growing up, there were talks about trying to arrange a marriage between John Francis and Alexandra, however these never led to anything. His father died in 1821, with John Francis being crowned king a few months before his 22nd birthday.
In 1822, John Francis married Natalia Nikolaievna, the last of eleven children and sixth daughter of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia and Eleanor of Sweden.
During his reign as king of Bohemia, he became renowned for his reorganisation of the army and would see the smaller industrial Revolution.
On September 2, 1859, John Francis was leading a military drill when news of his cousins death reached him, it was for this reason he had no time to change and entered Oradea in full military uniform, showing a complete change in rule from the two previous monarchs.
He would carry his military reforms and service by greatly increasing the navy and armed forces to become the military power in Europe under his rule, training for a war that wouldn’t materialise.
He died in 1869, two weeks after his 70th birthday and was buried in full military uniform in a funeral which included a cortège using all the current serving service men, and a 70 gun salute.
He would be succeeded by the Crown Prince, his oldest son, Stephen.
Prince Stephen in 1859 when he became Crown Prince of Hungary-Transylvania[13] Stephen was 39 when he inherited the throne from his father. He was the third child and first son of King John Francis. He also had younger brothers. As it was clear that he would someday inherit the thrones of Hungary and Transylvania also, he was raised not only in Prague and Bratislava, the capitals of Greater Bohemia, but also in the capitals of Hungary-Transylvania: Budapest, Oradea, Trieste, Zagreb, Bucharest, and Chisnau. He thus was fluent in the languages of all the three kingdoms. He attended the coronation of his father to Hungary and Transylvania, which occurred in all the various capitals of the two kingdoms. At the same time he was crowned Crown Prince of Hungary-Transylvania.
Stephen never married and had no mistresses, but he did have several close male friends who were his constant companions. Stephen's main accomplishment as King of the kingdoms was to increase the power of the various democratic bodies in the kingdoms and making the kingdoms constitutional monarchies. Relieved of the duty of governing, he spend most of his time at his various hunting lodges with his companions. He and his closest friend at that time, Duke Conrad of Koscise, were found dead in the Winter of 1876 in the King's hunting lodge in the Carpathians from gunshot wounds. It is considered a murder suicide, with Conrad killing the King and then himself. The motive has never been determined and it remains a mystery if King Stephen was a willing victim or not.
Duke Conrad of Koscise
Of course now historians consider that Conrad was the King's lover. Having no children, Stephen was succeeded by his brother John Nicholas.
[14] No one is entirely sure where John Nicholas’s great dislike of ruling came from. Neither his father nor his brother seemed to have unduly suffered due to their role as monarch. And as third son (Stephen, Louis, and then John Nicholas) there was little likelihood that he would end up on the throne. But however this opinion came to be John Nicholas did not want to be King or even be greatly involved with the royal business.
So, after a rather idyllic childhood, John Nicholas would leave Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia and begin to travel the world. While he would visit his mother’s family in Russian regularly, most of the time he traveled incognito with only an aide/bodyguard as company. Many outlandish stories are attributed to John Nicholas during these years, but few have ever been substantiated.
After almost twenty years of freedom, John Nicholas was recalled back home when his brother Louis died leaving John Nicholas as his brother’s Stephen’s heir. It would take several messages and several messengers before John Nicholas would agree. Some think that many of Stephen’s increases of power to the parliament were to accommodate John Nicholas’s great fear of ruling and lure him back.
And in time John Nicholas would return. And when he did return he brought back with him a hereto unknown rather unsuitable brand new bride.
Katherine Zapolya was young, barely eighteen, and American. What’s more she was new money, her father having made his fortune in shipping and textiles. Though there was no doubt why John Nicholas had forgone years of bachelorhood to wed, as Katherine was beautiful, vivacious, extremely well educated and very clever. (She already fluent in the requisite languages by the time she arrived in Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia)
There was some talk of the future children of John Nicholas and Katherine not being eligible for the throne due to her not being of significant lineage. Katherine’s father addressed this by buying the Duchy of Thiva. (The Duchy of Thiva having been created just for Katherine’s father by the new Greek government for a very large sum of money.) There were no further serious objections. John Nicholas and Katherine would have thirteen children and despite their age difference seem to have been very happy.
John Nicholas was 42 when he assumed the throne of Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia. He would be crowned side by side with Katherine and their oldest two children would feature heavily in the ceremonies. He would spend the majority of his reign letting parliament do all the work, residing primarily in various townhouses throughout Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia. (He would move once his neighbors realized their eccentric neighbor was their sovereign. And to give his children an exposure to the whole of their home)
John Nicholas would only once significantly involve himself in governance once. In 1904, the Summer Squall War broke out. John Nicholas would insist that Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia stay out of it. He would point out that thanks to his father’s efforts their army was perfectly capable of keeping trouble out of their home. As Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia was geographically smack dab in the middle of the conflict, their insistent neutrality would cause the war to fizzle and die out, leading to it’s name.
John Nicholas would live to the ripe old age of 94 where he would die in his sleep surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and a few great-grandchildren. He would be succeeded by Marie, his granddaughter.
Marie I as a young girl.
[15]
Queen Marie I was the only child of Crown Prince George, being born on March 7, 1887 with Prince George doting heavily on his only child with the granddaughter of King John Nicholas being born to a happy and joyful world, even with the knowledge that she would be Queen one day. While Marie would be a well-read and intelligent young woman, she would inherit her grandfather's disinterest in intervening in politics, even if her liberal-leaning political leanings would influence that as well.
Upon her father's death in 1924 from a sudden stroke, Marie would become the heir to the Hungarian throne, becoming Queen four years later. As Queen, she would take a largely hands-off approach to politics, continuing her grandfather's policies and presiding over Hungary becoming a thriving constitutional monarchy during her reign, especially as Marie would be a ruler who would largely serve as a unifying figure.
Marie I would die at the age of 63 from cancer with her successor being her son, George.
Isabella would pass away shortly after the marriage.
While John Sigismund would never have agreed to give away his crown himself, it had been done. Furthermore, he believed in the institution of marriage and sought to be a good husband. So, the agreement would stand—for the duration of the marriage.
John Sigismund and Joanna would have a happy marriage, during which they had six children, three of whom would live to adulthood. John Sigismund would continue his pattern of religious exploration, eventually adopting Unitarianism. Strangely enough, this didn’t seem to put any strain on their marriage, as Joanna would allowed to continue to practice her faith. Their children were taught by a variety of religious teachers, so that “God may gift them their faith” according to John Sigismund.
Allied with Maximillian (Ferdinand having passed away), John Sigismund would push back against the Ottoman Empire, and after several years of on and off war, would no longer be subject to the Sultan. This would be the high point of John Sigismund relationship with the Habsburgs. Shortly after that, Maximillian II would die, and then in 1579, Joanna would die giving birth to a boy that lived two days. With her death, the last ties binding John Sigismund to his mother’s agreement would sever.
He would begin collecting allies by betrothing his children to the Royal Families of England, Sweden, and Poland. He himself remarried to the daughter of Melchior Balassa the wealthiest of John Sigismund’s vassals. (Her name was Anna). Anna’s dowery would fund the mercenaries he hired. Thus armed, John Sigismund would begin the war for the Throne of Hungary. As he was facing Rudolf II who was ineffectual as a war commander, John Sigismund would win the war.
He would then begin the process of consolidating his lands and ensuring that his successor Francis, would inherit both Hungary and Transylvania. Other than this the rest of his reign was relatively peaceful. He would have several more children with Anna and would manage to keep Hungary-Transylvania out of the Twenty Years War.
He remained active throughout his life, and would die from a fall from a horse during a hunt at age 75. He was succeeded by his son, King John Zapolya II.
[2] John Zapolya was born in 1565 to John Sigismund and Joana of Austria as their first child. At the age of ten, he joined his father on a hunt, he joyed the experience so much that he joined any hunt that he can, and as he got older he started to host his own hunts that would last for hours. He married Margaret of Austria in 1585, it was an unhappy marriage as John Zapolya spent more time hunting than being with his wife.
When he became King of Hungary-Transylvania in 1615, John Zapolya would force the entire court to join him on his hunts. He also started to host extravagant feasts where everyone ate with their bare hands. One day in 1618, while he was trying to look for a deer during one of his hunts, John Zapolya was shot in the back by a disgruntled courtier. He was succeeded by his eldest son, King Francis.
Francis I, King of Hungary and Transylvania
Unlike his father, a unitarian, Francis became a protestant. During his grandfather's reign, he advocated that Hungary-Translyvania enter the Twenty Years' War and fight against the Habsburgs. However, John Sigismund made most people ignore him, as he wanted a kingdom at peace.
Francis was shocked when he heard the news about the murder of his father. Soon, the courtier who had killed the king was captured and brought to the royal residence and supposedly shot with the rifle that was used to kill the king by Princess Andria, the only daughter of John II,
With a sizable allowance and an ability at spotting talent, he founded a university in Oradea, which later became the kingdom’s future capital under Francis I's reign. Shortly after in 1603, with the purpose of his father and his grandfather. He married Christina Constance von Riesigreas, the illegitimate daughter of a Saxon count. The marriage produced no children as Christina was rendered infertile after being affected by a mild case of smallpox when she was a child.
In 1622, Francis I formed an alliance with the Electorates of Palatinate and Brandenburg to combat the Hapsburgs. The war was a quick affair as Ferdinand III and some of his generals were captured in the Battle of Pozsony by Francis I. From this war, Hungary-Transylvania gained some territory in the east.
In 1633, Francis died after a severe fever. He was succeeded by his nephew, John Stephen.
[4] John Stephen was born on 11th May, 1606, to Prince John Vladislaus (1588-1629), second son of King John II and Margaret Vasa of Sweden (1589-1632) daughter of John III of Sweden and Gunilla Bielke.
Margaret’s half-brother was King Sigismund III of Poland. This marriage had been secured through John Zapolya’s time as heir while collecting allies through betrothing the Royal Families of England, Sweden, and Poland.
Although any normal offspring of a second son, would not be expected to succeed the throne, due to his uncle conceiving no child with his wife, John Stephen, grew up as third in line to his great-grandfather’s throne after his grandfather, uncle and father; meaning he was given an excellent education.
John Stephen was nine when his great grandfather, John Sigismund I died and twelve when his grandfather, John Zapolya II died.
During the reign of his uncle, John Stephen and his father, spent most of their time at court, serving as advisors and confidants of King Francis I.
At the age of 16, John Stephen, would ride beside his father, during the War of 1622, against the Hapsburgs.
During the peace negotiations, the three allies arrange betrothals; two of which were, John Stephen being married to Agnes of Brandenburg (1606–1670) while his brother, (open for others to name) was engaged to Louise of Bohemia and Palatinate, the eldest daughter of Frederick I, King of Bohemia and V, Elector Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart of England.
The marriage between John Stephen and Agnes was a pleasant one, with Agnes giving birth to (number) children.
With the death of his father aged 41, from a heart attack, four years earlier, John Stephen would succeed his uncle peacefully in 1633, aged 27.
For the next 34 years, John Stephen ruled with diplomatic peace.
John Stephen saw the importance of trade, especially with neighbouring Empires of Russia and Ottoman, promoting friendly commerce.
Following the abdication of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor in 1622, John Stephen would support Ferdinand III’s introduction of lenient policies to depart from old ideas of divine rights, allowing for reforms which saw his allies in Palatinate and Brandenburg to elevate from duchies to kingdoms, weakening the Habsburg control of the Holy Roman Empire.
Domestically John Stephen’s reign would see the capital city of Oradea grow through trade to become comparable to Vienna.
King John Stephen III had been suffering from kidney stones and liver failure for some time and was bedridden from 16 June until his death on 1 July 1667, aged 61.
After days of suffering, the court was relieved for the king and for themselves, saved from hearing his agonising screams, that are said to still be hauntingly heard to the present day. He was succeeded by his grandson, George.
George, Prince-Regent of Hungary and Transylvania
The older George was born in 1625 as the second son of King John Stephen III and Princess Agnes of Brandenburg, and the younger brother of Prince Anton. For his whole life, George was characterized by his hyperactivity and his impulsiveness, making him a very difficult person to educate. And as he was the second son, he was never taught the skills to be an effective and efficient ruler.
During the short regency of Prince George, Hungarian and Transylvanian art was heavily promoted through magnificent museums. George also sought to it that his brother’s son received a good education. However, the Prince-Regent’s character led to him making a series of diplomatic blunders that would strain relations with Hungary-Transylvania's protestant allies.
In 1671, the twelve year old King George died from an illness that was hidden from court. He was succeeded his older sister, Sophia.
She was first under the regency of her uncle Prince George, who was forced to resign after several diplomatic blunders, and would later spend the rest of his life sketching many of Hungary-Transylvania's natural wonders, and he also composed several collections of poems. Sophia would get a new regent and begin ruling on her own in 1676.
As the Queen of Hungary-Transylvania, Sophia's reign would be marked by a renewed war against the Ottoman Empire which saw the rest of Hungary controlled by the Ottomans taken with Hungary, divided between Hungary-Transylvania and the Ottomans for so long, being a united realm once more.
Domestically, Sophia would be a ruler who would prove to be a patron of the arts and a supporter of strengthening the realm by any means possible. To this end, she encouraged Protestants/Huguenots who left France to move to Hungary with these Protestant emigres helping with the economy of the Kingdom with many Hungarians into modern times having French surnames as a result of said action.
In her personal life, Sophia would marry a cousin of hers in 1684 with the couple having three children. Sophia would die in 1711 from what appeared to be a stroke and was succeeded by her son Louis.
Louis III of Hungary-Transylvania
In 1711, while he was still in Sweden, Louis recevied news that his mother died and that he was the new King of Hungary-Transylvania. Thus he returned to Hungary and was crowned as Louis III. During his reign, Louis started the Hungarian East India Company in 1722 for the establishing of colonies in Asia, and helping his brother John become the new King of Bohemia following it's revolt against the Austrians.
Louis III married an Hungarian noblewoman and had five children with her. Louis died in 1740 at the age of 55 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Prince Francis.
In 1734, his father arranged his marriage to Princess Christina Catherine of Sweden youngest daughter of Charles XII, whom King Louis III had fought for in the War of the Swedish Succession (1697-1711).
Their arranged marriage was also a happy one, Francis was a devoted husband, remarkably never taking a mistress, which was common practice among nobility.
Together they would have 15 children—nine sons and six daughters, with Francis spending at least an hour of his day to interact with them.
In 1740, 27 year old Francis heard the heartbreaking news of his father’s death and called for a period of mourning, during the first month, Francis would have his mother and siblings, stay with him and his family at Oradea Palace.
He would go as far as postpone the wedding of his eldest sister, Sophia to Charles IV of England and Scotland until six months later.
As a ruler, he was know for his tolerant ways, promoting safety to the Jews and fellow Protestants, whom had been forcefully expelled from Western European countries, advocating for religious pluralism.
Peace would be felt across his lands, with the four neighbouring empires (Austrian, Ottoman, Poland-Lithuanian and Russian) were too weak and ill equipped to consider any military actions.
The marriage of his three sisters to King of England & Scotland, King of Brandenburg and their cousin, King of Bohemia, also benefited the Hungarian kingdom militarily and financially.
His reign spanned 34 years and would come to an end when at the age of 61, he would succumb to wasting sickness that modern doctors have declared to be cancer. He was succeeded by his oldest son, Stephen.
In 1765 the marriage took place and the young couple spent their time between both courts. Stephen fought in the 1771-1772 War against Poland-Lithuania in which Bohemia and Hungary-Transylvania joined with the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Brandenburg-Prussia to conquer Poland-Lithuania and annex great areas of it so that only two rump states of Poland and Lithuania survived. Silesia and Slovakia were added to Bohemia. Western Poland went to Brandenburg-Prussia. The Ukraine and White Russia went to Russia and Moldovia was annexed to the Romanian provinces of Hungary-Transylvania.
Prince Stephen became a national hero in the war due to his courage and skills in leading men in battle.
He succeeded to the throne of Hungary-Transylvania on his father's death in 1774 and a year later inherited Greater Bohemia on the death of his cousin once removed, who also was his father-in-law, King John Wenceslaus I.
Stephen was a warrior King and immediately went to war with the Ottomans. He described the war as a Crusade to liberate the upper Balkans from the Turks. The catalyst for the war was the abandonment of Slovenia by the Venetians in 1776. Slovenia declared itself a Principality but the Ottomans invaded. Stephen countered that and not only fought the Turks there but also in Serbia and Croatia. On the conclusion of the war in 1779 northern Serbia, Slovenia, and parts of northern Croatia were added to Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia.
Throughout the 1780s and into the 1790s, Stephen focused on building his multi-ethnic kingdom. Religious freedom was not only extended to all kinds of Christians and Jews, but also to Muslims. Roads were built and royal palaces established in various parts of the kingdoms. Stephen established a new Royal Postal service and a Royal Navy with ports on both the Adriatic and the Black Sea.
He and Queen Anna Christine had many children and in 1783 he married his oldest daughter to the King of France and his oldest son, Prince George, in 1787 married the oldest daughter of the King of Brandenburg-Prussia, Princess Fredericka. It seemed that things were going good for the kingdoms when everything changed in 1793 when France erupted in a Revolution, his daughter was beheaded by the mob, and war followed between the French Republic and the rest of Europe.
For the rest of Stephen's reign he was at war with the ever-expanding French Republic Empire. The Italian Republic, a puppet of France, took back Slovenia and all of Croatia in 1797. The Rhenish Republic, another puppet of France, invaded Bohemia and took the Sudeten region in 1803. The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved and the Hapsburg Austrian Kingdom allied with France. Austria invaded Hungary and conquered the Hungarian Royal Capital of Budapest in 1806. Stephen and his court were in the Grand Capital of Oradea and never were in danger.
Stephen was busy working to form a Grand Alliance with the kingdom of Naples, Brandenburg-Prussia, Russia, and Great Britain when he died of a heart attack. His heir inherited the kingdoms still at war and the Grand Alliance not yet formed.
Katalin I, Queen of Hungary and Transylvania
At the decision of Princess Fredericka, Katalin was raised and educated in Berlin, she made sure that all of her children were taught by the best tutors that were available. Katalin excelled in history, geography, and mathematics, and she learned many languages including Italian, Polish, and Lithuanian.
As France continued its expansion into Germany, many nobles fled to Brandenburg-Prussia. The new ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, Augustus II arranged Katalin’s marriage to the young Prince Karl Louis of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld. The marriage was unhappy, Katalin and Karl Louis did not share any interests, and they had no children.
In late 1806, Prince George was killed in battle, and Albert died a few weeks after contracting pneumonia. When Katalin received the news she went to Hungary-Transylvania, without her husband. There she aided King Stephen VI with his preparations to wage war on France and its allies, once more. However, when the King unexpectedly died from a heart attack, Katalin ascended to the throne of Hungary-Transylvania. As Bohemia still followed Salic law, Katalin’s cousin, Otto became King Otto II of Bohemia.
A grand coalition was formed consisting of Hungary-Transylvania, Bohemia, Brandenburg-Prussia, Great Britain, Russia, Naples, and Spain, which finally defeated France in 1810. For the rest of her reign, Katalin worked to improve her realm and promote the sciences in it.
In 1838, Katalin died due to unknown gastrointestinal problems and was succeeded by her cousin, Alexandra.
As Queen, Alexandra I would be moderate in terms of her policies as while she would maintain most of her political power, her reign would see a constitution signed with provisions which abolished serfdom and provided for an elected legislature, albeit one elected by wealthy and literate men and with largely advisory powers. Her reign would also see the start of the industrial revolution in Hungary with her reign seeing Hungary being an industrial power in her reign.
However, her reign would be cut short for on September 2, 1859, when she didn't turn up in a meeting, she would be found by a guard in her bed, having died from a sudden seizure in her sleep with her successor being another distant cousin.
[12] John Francis was a distant cousin of both Katalin and Alexandra, as the son of King Otto II of Bohemia, the son of John Louis, the second oldest son of King Francis I.
Born in 1799, his father became king of Bohemia in 1807 as the last male descendant in the Salic law, as all of his uncle Stephen's male line had died before Stephen's death. so at the age of 7, John Francis became heir and was raised as such.
While growing up, there were talks about trying to arrange a marriage between John Francis and Alexandra, however these never led to anything. His father died in 1821, with John Francis being crowned king a few months before his 22nd birthday.
In 1822, John Francis married Natalia Nikolaievna, the last of eleven children and sixth daughter of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia and Eleanor of Sweden.
During his reign as king of Bohemia, he became renowned for his reorganisation of the army and would see the smaller industrial Revolution.
On September 2, 1859, John Francis was leading a military drill when news of his cousins death reached him, it was for this reason he had no time to change and entered Oradea in full military uniform, showing a complete change in rule from the two previous monarchs.
He would carry his military reforms and service by greatly increasing the navy and armed forces to become the military power in Europe under his rule, training for a war that wouldn’t materialise.
He died in 1869, two weeks after his 70th birthday and was buried in full military uniform in a funeral which included a cortège using all the current serving service men, and a 70 gun salute.
He would be succeeded by the Crown Prince, his oldest son, Stephen.
Prince Stephen in 1859 when he became Crown Prince of Hungary-Transylvania
Stephen never married and had no mistresses, but he did have several close male friends who were his constant companions. Stephen's main accomplishment as King of the kingdoms was to increase the power of the various democratic bodies in the kingdoms and making the kingdoms constitutional monarchies. Relieved of the duty of governing, he spend most of his time at his various hunting lodges with his companions. He and his closest friend at that time, Duke Conrad of Koscise, were found dead in the Winter of 1876 in the King's hunting lodge in the Carpathians from gunshot wounds. It is considered a murder suicide, with Conrad killing the King and then himself. The motive has never been determined and it remains a mystery if King Stephen was a willing victim or not.
Duke Conrad of Koscise
Of course now historians consider that Conrad was the King's lover. Having no children, Stephen was succeeded by his brother John Nicholas.
[14] No one is entirely sure where John Nicholas’s great dislike of ruling came from. Neither his father nor his brother seemed to have unduly suffered due to their role as monarch. And as third son (Stephen, Louis, and then John Nicholas) there was little likelihood that he would end up on the throne. But however this opinion came to be John Nicholas did not want to be King or even be greatly involved with the royal business.
So, after a rather idyllic childhood, John Nicholas would leave Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia and begin to travel the world. While he would visit his mother’s family in Russian regularly, most of the time he traveled incognito with only an aide/bodyguard as company. Many outlandish stories are attributed to John Nicholas during these years, but few have ever been substantiated.
After almost twenty years of freedom, John Nicholas was recalled back home when his brother Louis died leaving John Nicholas as his brother’s Stephen’s heir. It would take several messages and several messengers before John Nicholas would agree. Some think that many of Stephen’s increases of power to the parliament were to accommodate John Nicholas’s great fear of ruling and lure him back.
And in time John Nicholas would return. And when he did return he brought back with him a hereto unknown rather unsuitable brand new bride.
Katherine Zapolya was young, barely eighteen, and American. What’s more she was new money, her father having made his fortune in shipping and textiles. Though there was no doubt why John Nicholas had forgone years of bachelorhood to wed, as Katherine was beautiful, vivacious, extremely well educated and very clever. (She already fluent in the requisite languages by the time she arrived in Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia)
There was some talk of the future children of John Nicholas and Katherine not being eligible for the throne due to her not being of significant lineage. Katherine’s father addressed this by buying the Duchy of Thiva. (The Duchy of Thiva having been created just for Katherine’s father by the new Greek government for a very large sum of money.) There were no further serious objections. John Nicholas and Katherine would have thirteen children and despite their age difference seem to have been very happy.
John Nicholas was 42 when he assumed the throne of Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia. He would be crowned side by side with Katherine and their oldest two children would feature heavily in the ceremonies. He would spend the majority of his reign letting parliament do all the work, residing primarily in various townhouses throughout Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia. (He would move once his neighbors realized their eccentric neighbor was their sovereign. And to give his children an exposure to the whole of their home)
John Nicholas would only once significantly involve himself in governance once. In 1904, the Summer Squall War broke out. John Nicholas would insist that Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia stay out of it. He would point out that thanks to his father’s efforts their army was perfectly capable of keeping trouble out of their home. As Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia was geographically smack dab in the middle of the conflict, their insistent neutrality would cause the war to fizzle and die out, leading to it’s name.
John Nicholas would live to the ripe old age of 94 where he would die in his sleep surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and a few great-grandchildren. He would be succeeded by Marie, his granddaughter.
Marie I as a young girl.
[15]
Queen Marie I was the only child of Crown Prince George, being born on March 7, 1887 with Prince George doting heavily on his only child with the granddaughter of King John Nicholas being born to a happy and joyful world, even with the knowledge that she would be Queen one day. While Marie would be a well-read and intelligent young woman, she would inherit her grandfather's disinterest in intervening in politics, even if her liberal-leaning political leanings would influence that as well.
Upon her father's death in 1924 from a sudden stroke, Marie would become the heir to the Hungarian throne, becoming Queen four years later. As Queen, she would take a largely hands-off approach to politics, continuing her grandfather's policies and presiding over Hungary becoming a thriving constitutional monarchy during her reign, especially as Marie would be a ruler who would largely serve as a unifying figure.
Marie I would die at the age of 63 from cancer with her successor being her son, George.
George II in 2001
George would ascend to the throne of Hungary-Transylvania-Bohemia in 1950 upon the death of his mother and became George II. Like his mother, George had liberal-leaning political views and left the governing of Hungary to his Prime Minsters. However, he had an hands-on approach when it came to foreign policy, being a mediator for many conflicts during his reign. He also opened the Budapest Olympics in 1976.
On his 80th birthday in 1992, George II announced his abdication and the passing of the crown to _____. For the rest of his life George traveled the world, painting some of the landscapes he saw on his travels. He died in 2007 at the age of 95, surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. His wife Marianne would outlive him by six years, living to the ripe old age of 101.
