Batthyány family

Batthyány (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈbɒcːaːɲi]) is the name of an old distinguished Hungarian Magnate family. The members of this family bear the title count or countess (Graf/Gräfin) respectively prince or princess (Fürst/Fürstin) Batthyány von Német-Ujvár. A branch of the family (Croatian: Baćan) was notable in Croatia as well, producing several Bans (viceroys) of Croatia in the 16th, 17th and 18th century.

The Batthyány family can trace its roots to the founding of Hungary in 896 CE by Árpád. The family derives from a chieftain called Örs. Árpád had seven chieftains, one by the name of Örs, which later became Kővágó-Örs. In 1398 Miklós Kővágó-Örs married Katalin Battyány. King Zsigmond (Sigismund) gave Miklós the region around the town of Battyán (now called Szabadbattyán) and he took the name Batthyány (lit. "from Battyán"). The family were first mentioned in documents in 1398 and have had their ancestral seat in Güssing in the Austrian region of Burgenland since 1522. There the family meets once a year for a so-called "Familientag" (family gathering). Currently, the family has about 60 name bearers who live mainly in Austria, but also in Hungary, Germany, USA and South America. The family is headed by Prince Laszlo Pascal Batthyány-Strattmann, who lives in Vienna.

In 1570, Boldizsár Batthyány transformed the seat of the family, Güssing, into the center of Protestantism in the region. His descendant Ádám Batthyány (1610–1659), however, was Catholic and founded a Franciscan monastery in Güssing. Lajos Batthyány became the first Prime Minister of Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and was executed in Pest in 1849. After 1945 the Batthyány family's property was largely expropriated in Hungary and other countries under Communist rule, although they retained their property in Austria. Of course the current family members have strong ties to Hungary currently.

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