Bocskai, Stephen

(1557 –1606) was Prince of Transylvania and Hungary from 1605 to 1606. He was born to a Hungarian noble family. His father’s estates were located in the eastern regions of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, which developed into the Principality of Transylvania in the 1570s. He spent his youth in the court of the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian, who was also the ruler of Royal Hungary.
He led the Transylvanian army to Wallachia, which had been occupied by the Ottomans. The Christian troops liberated Wallachia and defeated the retreating Ottoman army in the Battle of Giurgiu.
Bocskai was elected prince of Transylvania and prince of Hungary in 1605. In his last will, Bocskai emphasized that only the existence of the Principality of Transylvania could secure the special status of Royal Hungary within the Habsburg Monarchy.