John II Sigismund
| John II Sigismund | |
|---|---|
 |
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King of Hungary contested by Ferdinand I |
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| Reign | 1540–1551 |
| Predecessor | John I |
| Successor | Ferdinand I |
| Regent | Isabella Jagiellon |
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King of Hungary contested by Ferdinand I (1556–64), and by Maximilian (1564–70) |
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| Reign | 1556–1570 |
| Predecessor | Ferdinand I |
| Successor | (Himself as Prince of Transylvania) |
| Regent | Isabella Jagiellon |
| Duke of Opole and Racibórz | |
| Reign | 1551–1556 |
| Regent | Isabella Jagiellon |
| Prince of Transylvania | |
| Reign | 1570–1571 |
| Predecessor | (Himself as King of Hungary) |
| Successor | Stephen Báthory |
| Born | 7 July 1540 Buda, Kingdom of Hungary |
| Died | 14 March 1571 (aged 30) Gyulafehérvár, Principality of Transylvania (now Alba Iulia, Romania) |
| Burial | St. Michael's Cathedral Gyulafehérvár, Principality of Transylvania |
| House | Zápolya |
| Father | John I |
| Mother | Isabella Jagiellon |
| Religion |
Roman Catholic Lutheran Calvinist Unitarian |
John Sigismund Zápolya or Szapolyai (Hungarian: Szapolyai János Zsigmond; 7 July 1540 – 14 March 1571) was King of Hungary as John II from 1540 to 1551, and from 1556 to 1570, and the first Prince of Transylvania from 1570 to his death. He was the only son of John I, King of Hungary, and Isabella of Poland. John I ruled parts of the Kingdom of Hungary, with the support of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman; the remaining areas were ruled by Ferdinand I, who also claimed Hungary. The two kings concluded a peace treaty in 1538 acknowledging Ferdinand's right to reunite Hungary after John I's death, but shortly after John Sigismund's birth, and on his deathbed, John I bequeathed his realm to his son. The late king's staunchest supporters elected the infant John Sigismund king, but he was not crowned with the Holy Crown of Hungary.
Suleiman invaded Hungary under the pretext of protecting John Sigismund against Ferdinand. The capital of Hungary, Buda, fell to the Ottomans without opposition in 1541, but Suleiman allowed the dowager queen, Isabella, to retain the territory east of the river Tisza on John Sigismund's behalf. Isabella and John Sigismund moved to Lippa (now Lipova in Romania). Before long, they took up residence in Gyulafehérvár in Transylvania (now Alba Iulia in Romania). John Sigismund's realm was administered by his father's treasurer, George Martinuzzi, who wanted to reunite Hungary under the rule of Ferdinand. Martinuzzi forced Isabella to renounce her son's realm in exchange for two Silesian duchies and 140,000 florins in 1551. John Sigismund and his mother settled in Poland, but she continued to negotiate for John Sigismund's restoration with Ferdinand's enemies.
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