Sándor Károlyi
Baron, and later Count, Alexander Karolyi, known in Hungarian Sándor Károlyi de Nagykároly (2 July 1669 – 8 September 1743) was one of the generals of Francis II Rákóczi during the Rákóczi's War of Independence. Later he joined the Habsburg Army and signed the Treaty of Szatmár.
He earned note as part of the victory at the Battle of Dolha, taking several standards from the enemy Turks.
Origin of conflict with Habsburgs
In 1691, Louis, also called TürkenLouis, the Margrave of Baden, was returning from Transylvanian victories and Karolyi rode to meet him, to pay his respects. Together they inspected a fortress at Szathmar, where the Margrave found fault with the fortifications. Its commander, General Loeffelholz, claimed that the fortifications were in disrepair because Karolyi had not furnished appropriate quota of labor, and Karolyi told the Margrave that his county had redeemed its obligation in payment of hard cash. His speech was interpreted as signs of disrespect and rebelliousness, traits the Habsburg notables deplored in their dealings with Hungarian nobles. Although he remained in good stead with the King and the courts in Vienna.[1]
1708 Uprising
See also Rákóczi's War of Independence
While Karolyi was in Vienna negotiation with Imperial ministers over excessive taxation, conscription, and extraction of war contributions, his wife remained at the family estate. Imperial commanders threatened her with county-wide devastation unless she provide war contributions; she refused, and the German garrison of the family's primary fortress surrendered without consulting her or their Hungarian commanders. Karolyi's wife and daughter were turned out into the countryside. Karolyi, on his trip to his home, was refused lodging at town after town controlled by Imperial War office. After a series of attempts to recover his property, locate his family, and complete negotiations for fairer extractions, he was pushed into rebellion with several other Hungarian nobles. After the lost battle of Trencsén (present-day Trenčín), on August 4, 1708, Rákozci fled to Poland and Count Károlyi started negotiations with Johann Pálffy, commander of the Austrian Army in Upper Hungary. On 30 April 1711, peace was concluded at Szatmár. The rest of the Kurucz army (around 10,000 men) under Károlyi surrendered at Majtény on 1 May 1711.[2]