The events leading to the Treaty of 1626

We have to talk about the previous treaty which was signed on 31 December 1621 between Prince Bethlen Gábor and King Ferdinand II in Nikolsburg. The village is now called Mikulov, it is in the Czech Republic. Bethlen Gábor, Prince of Transylvania, led the first campaign against King Ferdinand II between 1619 and 1621, together with the allied Bohemian orders. In the first years of the Thirty Years’ War, however, Bohemia and Transylvania proved insufficient to defeat the mighty Habsburg Empire, although they were at the gates of Vienna by the end of 1619. In November of the following year, however, Ferdinand’s forces defeated the Bohemian orders at White Mountain, forcing Bethlen to fight on alone. Read more about Bethlen’s life here:

https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/essays/prince-bethlen-gabor-of-transylvania/

He found that the estates and people of the country were growing weary of war, and his ally, the Sublime Porte was only waiting to increase the territory of its empire at the expense of Hungary, but he was relieved to find that the Imperial court was inclined to peace. Ferdinand’s real enemies were not the tiny Transylvania, but the principalities of the Protestant Union allied against him, backed by Denmark, Sweden, and France, ever jealous of the Habsburgs’ European power.

Ferdinand was therefore willing to make concessions to keep his eastern adversary at peace. The military setbacks also made Bethlen understand the need for an agreement, so from the summer of 1621, he sent his messages to Vienna more and more often, and even released the Jesuit monks, including Káldi György, who had been imprisoned in Nagyszombat. Their mission was to promote peace.

As a result of this, the peace delegation met in October. Bethlen sent Thurzó Imre, while the Imperialists were represented by Esterházy Miklós, later Palatine, and Pázmány Péter, Archbishop of Esztergom. They were accompanied by Archbishop Dietrichstein, the owner of Nikolsburg Castle. Thurzó was one of the main promoters of peace but sadly died a few days later at a very young age. His place was taken by his relative, Thurzó Szaniszló. 

In the course of the bargaining, Bethlen paid a high price. He had to give up the Hungarian royal title he had won via election in 1620 and the coronation jewels he owned. The positions were slow to converge, and the future of Bethlen’s part of the Kingdom of Hungary was in question, as the prince tried to keep as much of it as possible. Perhaps this was also why he did not push for the inclusion of an article guaranteeing the rights of Protestants in the peace treaty. He did, however, achieve that he could hire as many specialists as he wished from the territory of the Holy Roman Empire. In doing so, he allowed persecuted Anabaptist Christians, who were excellent craftsmen, to leave for Transylvania, where they could enjoy religious freedom. You can read more about them here:

https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/essays/who-were-the-habans-the-swiss-immigrants-fleeing-to-hungary/

The peace ensured Bethlen’s right to the Transylvanian principality, which had previously been disputed in Vienna and Pozsony. For the rest of his life, he was granted seven counties in Upper Hungary (Szatmár, Szabolcs, Bereg, Ugocsa, Zemplén, and Abaúj), together with the city of Kassa. In addition, he was raised to the rank of German Imperial prince, the dukedoms of Opole and Ratibor were granted to his family, and he received the castle of Munkács by hereditary right and Ecsed by pledge. He received 50,000 forints for the maintenance of the outlying castles in his territory.

So Bethlen gained a lot from the peace, instead of the uncertain royal title he received territories and dignities, he could strengthen his treasury and his army, and he made Transylvania a player in European power politics. The Peace of Nikolsburg was confirmed by the Peace of Vienna (1623) and the Peace of Pozsony (1626), which concluded his two further campaigns.

The Treaty of 1626 of Pozsony