page_title: History of the Székely people
section_title: Ottoman suzerainty
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Székely people / Principality of Transylvania / Ottoman suzerainty
caption_attribution_description: English: Sigismund Báthory defeating the Turks at Giurgiu, October 1595. Sinan Pasha slips from the bridge. Published in Pannoniae historiae hronologica, 1596
context_page_description: The history of the Székely people can be documented from the 12th century. According to medieval chronicles, the Székelys were descended from the Huns who settled in the Carpathian Basin in the 5th century. This theory was refuted by modern scholars, but no consensual view about the origin of the Székelys exists. They fought in the vanguard of the Hungarian army, implying that they had been a separate ethnic group, but their tongue does not show any trace of a language shift.
  Scattered communities of light-armored Székely warriors lived in the Kingdom of Hungary, especially along the western frontier till the 14th century. Their migration to Transylvania began in the 11th or 12th century. They first settled in southern Transylvania, but they moved to present-day Székely Land after the arrival of the Transylvanian Saxons in the late 12th century. They were subjected to a royal official, the Count of the Székelys, from the 1220s. Their military role enabled them to preserve their privileged status. They did not pay tax and the kings of Hungary could not grant landed property in Székely Land.
context_section_description: John Sigismund styled himself "prince of Transylvania" after the Treaty of Speyer in 1570. Shortly after his death, armed Székely commoners marched to Gyulafehérvár to demand the restoration of their freedom from his successor, Stephen Báthory. After Báthory refused them, hundreds of Székelys joined his opponent, Gáspár Bekes. After Báthory defeated Bekes in 1575, more than 60 Székelys were executed or mutilated, and Báthory's supporters received Székely serfs.
  Anti-Trinitarian preachers who discouraged the adoration of Jesus appeared in Székely Land in the late 1570s. Individual interpretation of the Bible became popular in the 1580s. The idea of social equality in the Old Testament corresponded to the Székely traditions, which contributed to the spread of "Judaizing" views among the Székelys. András Eőssi was the first leader of the Szekler Sabbatarians. After the Diet ordered the persecution of radical Protestants in 1595, Benedek Mindszenti, Captain of Udvarhelyszék, forced hundreds of Sabbatarians to leave Transylvania in 1595.
  Stephen Báthory's successor, Sigismund Báthory, joined the Holy League that Pope Clement VIII organized against the Ottoman Empire. After Sigismund promised the restoration of the Székelys' liberties if they took up arms against the Ottomans, more than 20,000 Székelys joined the royal army. The united troops of Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia defeated the Ottomans in the Battle of Giurgiu. Although the Székely serfs' contribution to the victory was undeniable, the landowners refused to grant them freedom. After Sigismund also revoked his promise, the serfs rose up. Stephen Bocskai crushed the revolt with extraordinary brutality during the "Bloody Carnival" of 1596.
  Sigismund abdicated in favor of his cousin, Andrew Báthory, in March 1599. Andrew's pro-Ottoman foreign policy threatened Michael the Brave, Voivode of Wallachia, who decided to invade Transylvania. The Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolph II, who had laid claim to Transylvania, supported him. After Michael presented a fake document in which Rudolph pledged that he would liberate the Székely serfs, thousand of Székelys joined Michael's army, but many Székely noblemen remained faithful to Andrew. Andrew was murdered by Székely peasants after Michael's victory in the Battle of Sellenberk. Michael the Brave restored the Székely commoners' freedom, and they took revenge for the Bloody Carnival.
  Transylvania sank into political anarchy during the following years. Rudolph's general, Giorgio Basta, expelled Michael from Transylvania and abolished the Székelys' liberties. Moses Székely (the only prince of Székely origin) took up arms against Basta in 1603. Most Székelys of Udvarhelyszék, Marosszék and Aranyosszék supported him, but the majority of the Székelys from other seats joined his opponent, Radu Șerban, Voivode of Wallachia. János Petki, Captain of Udvarhelyszék, convoked the general assembly of the Székelys shortly after Stephen Bocskai had risen up against Rudolph in October 1604. The Székely noblemen and commoners unanimously decided to support Bocskai if he was willing to confirm their liberties and to grant a general amnesty for the crimes committed during the anarchy. Bocskai confirmed the Székelys' liberties in a charter on 16 February 1606. Five days later, the delegates of the counties and the Székelys proclaimed him prince.
  The restoration of the Székely liberties included the Székely serfs' exemption from regular taxes. For the serfs did not serve in the royal army, many Székely commoners entered into the service of wealthier landowners. About 44% of the Székelys were serfs, according to the conscription in 1614. Most serfs in Marosszék declared that they had voluntarily chosen serfdom to avoid poverty, starvation and military service.
  The detailed memoire of the Székely nobleman, Ferenc Mikó, is an important source of Transylvanian history between 1594 and 1613. The development of large estates transformed the Székely society. More than a hundred peasants worked on the domains of the wealthiest landowners. They renovated the
caption: Battle of Giurgiu which ended with the victory of the united forces of Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia over the retreating Ottoman army
exif: {"Image XResolution": "800", "Image YResolution": "800", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Picasa", "Image DateTime": "2014:04:19 17:38:05", "Image Artist": "Picasa", "Image ExifOffset": "148", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "416", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "9369", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2014:04:19 17:35:32", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "4300", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3336", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "Interoperability RelatedImageWidth": "4300", "Interoperability RelatedImageLength": "3336", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "280", "EXIF ImageUniqueID": "83ce3e3c4d1812ba6b50d0b3c9b28832"}