John II Sigismund Zápolya

John II Sigismund Zápolya (Hungarian: Zápolya/Szapolyai János Zsigmond, Croatian: Ivan Žigmund Zapolja) (18 July 1540 in Buda, Hungary – 14 March 1571, Gyulafehérvár, Transylvania) was King of Hungary from 1540 to 1570 and Prince of Transylvania from 1570–1571.

Family

The son of King János I and Isabella Jagiełło, daugther of the Polish King Sigismund I the Old. John Sigismund succeeded his father as an infant. For much of his reign the country was governed by his mother, Isabella, with the support of the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The early years of the reign were troubled by conflict between Isabella and the regent, the Catholic cleric George Martinuzzi, principal counselor of the king's father, János I. It was Martinuzzi who negotiated the balance between Austrian and Turkish interests in Hungary, until he was murdered as a traitor by the Austrians in 1551.

Reign

He passed the Edict of Torda, the first broad decree of religious freedom in the modern history of Europe (1568), and supported the establishment of the Unitarian Church of Transylvania. John encouraged respect for and open dialogue between all religious viewpoints; he sponsored a public debate between Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, and Unitarians.^[1] Other religious groups, including Jews, Orthodox, and Muslims, were granted tolerance but not legal guarantees of freedom.^[2]

Abdication

John II abdicated as King of Hungary in favor of the Habsburgs in 1570. He then became the first Prince of Transylvania (1570–1571). His will left the throne of Transylvania to his treasurer, the pro-Habsburg Gáspár Békés, but the nobles did not honor his wishes and elected István Báthory as their prince. This led to a brief civil war, which ended in Báthory's victory.

Ancestors

References

1. ^ http://www.readthespirit.com/interfaith_heroes/2009/01/2nd-annual-interfaith-heroes-month-no-12-queen-isabella-king-john.html
2. ^ Miklós Molnár, A Concise History of Hungary, Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 110.