Michael I Apafi

1681 25 Ducat gold coin, depicting Michael I Apafi as Prince of Transylvania
1681 25 Ducat gold coin, depicting Michael I Apafi as Prince of Transylvania
Portrait of Michael Apafi by Cornelis Meyssens

Michael Apafi (1632 – 15 April 1690) was a Hungarian Prince of Transylvania.

He was elected by the nobles of Transylvania on 14 September 1661, with the support of the Ottoman Empire, as a rival to the Habsburg-backed ruler John Kemény. Kemény died in 1662 in the battle of Nagyszőllős, leaving Apafi as uncontested ruler of Transylvania.

Opposed to the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, he supported the Ottomans and Hungarian rebels until the Ottoman defeat at the Battle of Vienna on 12 September 1683. Following this, Michael opened talks with Leopold and concluded a treaty with the Austrians on 27 September 1687, obtaining their recognition of his authority in Transylvania.[1]

He died at Fogaras in 1690 and was succeeded by his son Michael II Apafi.[2]

A manor house in Mălâncrav belonging to Michael I Apafi has recently been restored by The Mihai Eminescu Trust.[3]

Apafi coat of arms

Notes

  1. Vico, Giambattista (2004) Statecraft : the deeds of Antonio Carafa (De rebus gestis Antonj Caraphaei) (translated and edited by Giorgio A. Pinton) P. Lang, New York, note 29, pages 413414, ISBN 0-8204-6828-2
  2. Tamás Tarján. "1690 - The Death of Michael Apafi" (in Hungarian). Rubicon. Archived from the original on September 9, 2011. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 22, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2010.

References

Preceded by
János Kemény
Prince of Transylvania
1662-1690
Succeeded by
Michael II Apafi


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