Stephen Báthory
Stephen Báthory (Hungarian: Báthory István; Polish: Stefan Batory; Lithuanian: ⓘ; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576), Prince of Transylvania (1576–1586), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586).
| Stephen Báthory | |
|---|---|
A 19th-century copy of a portrait attributed to Martin Kober representing Stephen Báthory in decorative Sarmatian attire | |
| King of Poland Grand Duke of Lithuania | |
| Reign | 1 May 1576 – 12 December 1586 |
| Coronation | 1 May 1576 Wawel Cathedral |
| Predecessor | Henry of Valois |
| Successor | Sigismund III |
| Co-monarch | Anna Jagiellon |
| Prince of Transylvania | |
| Reign | 1576–1586 |
| Predecessor | John Sigismund Zápolya |
| Successor | Sigismund Báthory |
| Born | 27 September 1533 Szilágysomlyó, Eastern Hungarian Kingdom |
| Died | 12 December 1586 (aged 53) Grodno, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth |
| Burial | May 1588 |
| Spouse | |
| House | Báthory |
| Father | Stephen Báthory of Somlyó |
| Mother | Catherine Telegdi |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature | |
The son of Stephen VIII Báthory and a member of the Hungarian Báthory noble family, Báthory was a ruler of Transylvania in the 1570s, defeating another challenger for that title, Gáspár Bekes.
In 1576 Báthory became the husband of Queen Anna Jagiellon and the third elected king of Poland. He worked closely with chancellor Jan Zamoyski. The first years of his reign were focused on establishing power, defeating a fellow claimant to the throne, Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and quelling rebellions, most notably, the Danzig rebellion.
He reigned only a decade, but is considered one of the most successful kings in Polish history, particularly in the military realm. His signal achievement was his victorious campaign in Livonia against Russia in the middle part of his reign, in which he repulsed a Russian invasion of Commonwealth borderlands and secured a highly favorable treaty of peace (the Peace of Jam Zapolski).