Sigismund Báthory
| Sigismund Báthory | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Transylvania, Wallachia, and Moldavia, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Count of the Székelys and Lord of Parts of the Kingdom of Hungary | |
Portrayal of Sigismund
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| Prince of Transylvania | |
| Reign | 1586–1598 |
| Predecessor | Stephen Báthory |
| Regent | János Ghyczy |
| Duke of Racibórz and Opole | |
| Reign | 1598 |
| Prince of Transylvania | |
| Reign | 1598–1599 |
| Successor | Andrew Báthory |
| Prince of Transylvania | |
| Reign | 1601–1602 |
| Born | 1573 Várad, Principality of Transylvania (now Oradea, Romania) |
| Died | 27 March 1613 (aged 39–40) Libochovice, Kingdom of Bohemia |
| Burial | St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia |
| Spouse | Maria Christierna of Habsburg |
| House | Báthory family |
| Father | Christopher Báthory |
| Mother | Elisabeth Bocskai |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Sigismund Báthory (Hungarian: Báthory Zsigmond; 1573 – 27 March 1613) was Prince of Transylvania several times between 1586 and 1602, and Duke of Racibórz and Opole in Silesia in 1598. His father, Christopher Báthory, ruled Transylvania as voivode (or deputy) of the absent prince, Stephen Báthory. Sigismund was still a child when the Diet of Transylvania elected him voivode at his dying father's request in 1581. Initially, regency councils administered Transylvania on his behalf, but Stephen Báthory made János Ghyczy the sole regent in 1585. Sigismund adopted the title of prince after Stephen Báthory died.
The Diet proclaimed Sigismund to be of age in 1588, but only after he agreed to expel the Jesuits. Pope Sixtus V excommunicated him, but the ban was lifted in 1590, and the Jesuits returned a year later. His blatant favoritism towards the Catholics made him unpopular among his Protestant subjects. He decided to join the Holy League against the Ottoman Empire. Since he could not convince the Diet to support his plan, he renounced the throne in July 1594, but the commanders of the army convinced him to revoke his abdication. At their proposal, he purged the noblemen who opposed the war against the Ottomans. He officially joined the Holy League and married Maria Christierna of Habsburg, a niece of the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolph II. The marriage was never consummated.
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