The Bathory Family

The Bathory Family

The Báthory family is a Hungarian noble family that rose to prominence in central Europe during the late Middle Ages. The family belonged to the Gutkeled clan of Hungarian nobles which traced its descent to Swabian brothers Gut and Kelad, who immigrated into Hungary in the early 1000’s. King Ladislaus IV, King of Hungary and Croatia, rewarded the relatives of Andrew of Rakoméz (brother Hados and sons George, Benedict, and Briccius) for their military service by granting them the estate of Bátor in 1279.

The estate became the sole possession of Briccius in 1310; subsequently, Briccius and his descendants took the name “of Bátor” or Báthory. The descendants of Briccius divided into two major branches: the Báthory of Somlyó (descended from John, the first-born son of Briccius) and the Báthory of Ecsed (descended from Luke, the youngest son of Briccius). John’s older son, Ladislaus, received Somlyó, while John’s younger son, George II, became the ancestor of the Simolin family, later called Báthory of Simolin after their estate Simolin.

Members of the Simolin branch served Russian Empresses Catherine and Elizabeth as diplomats and maintained large estates in Courland and Prussia. The great-grandsons of Ladislaus further divided the family in the latter half of the 15th century: John and Stephen dropped the Báthory name and founded the Szaniszlófi family, while Nikolaus continued the Somlyó branch.

The Báthory of Ecsed branch retained possession of Bátor and are sometimes called “of Bátor” or “Nyírbátor (New Bathory).” Both branches had many notable members who held high military, administrative, and ecclesiastical positions in Hungary. Members of the two branches played important roles in the 15th-century battles between rival royal claims of the Habsburgs and János Szapolyai. The Somlyó branch had several Kings of Transylvania, including Stephen IX who became Prince of Transylvania and King of Poland. The Ecsed branch contained several royal judges, counts, and military commanders as well as princes of Transylvania.

The Báthory coat of arms, granted in 1325 to the sons of Briccius, consists of three horizontally placed teeth surrounded by a dragon biting its own tail. It is based on a legendary account of a god-fearing warrior named Vitus who killed a dragon in the swamps near the Ecsed castle with three thrusts of his lance. The grateful people of the surrounding countryside bestowed on him the name Bathory, meaning good hero. Few members of the family survive today and live in central Europe. Only a true descendant of this family who carries the surname can visit the guarded Báthory Cemetery, home to the graves of the family.