Hont County
István Koháry was the eldest son of István Koháry (1616–1664) and the Hungarian noble woman Judith of Balsassa. His father died when he was 15. After studying at the Jesuit university of Trnava he became the hereditary commander of Fülek castle. During the uprise of Imre Thököly he was sieged there in the year 1682 for several weeks and finally taken hostage by Thököly. Koháry refused to side with him and stayed loyal to the Habsburg king Leopold. For the next three years he remained imprisoned by the Kuruc. After the Battle of Vienna 1683 the Turks and with them also Thököly were driven out of Hungary and 1685 István became free. He was received with all honours at the Imperial court of Vienna. Emperor Leopold called him "Speculum Fidelitatis", the mirror of loyalty and awarded him the title Count and the hereditary headship of Hont County. 1714 he became Judge royal, the second-highest judge, preceded only by the palatine, in the Kingdom of Hungary.