Stephen III Báthory

Stephen III Báthory (Hungarian: "Báthory István"; d. 11 November 1444) was a Hungarian nobleman and commander. His most prestigious position was Palatine of Hungary.

Stephen belonged to the Ecsed branch of the Báthory family. His parents were John V Báthory and Catherine, daughter of John Zanti. His older brother Bartholomew I Báthory fell in 1432 fighting against the Hussites.

Stephen first appears in 1419 as "dapiferorum regalium magister" (mater of the royal stewards), and later as a royal judge.

In 1435 he was appointed Palatine of Hungary by King Sigismund.

Sigismund's short-lived successor, King Albert of Habsburg awarded him with the castle Bujak.

In 1444 he was the flag-bearer of Wladyslaw, King of Poland and Hungary in the Battle of Varna, in which he fell alongside his King.

Stephen was married twice:
#Ursula, daughter of George de Kis Tapolcsa
#Barbara, widowed Csapy

After his death, his second wife Barbara went to court against Christine, the widow of Stephen's younger brother Thomas, with which she disputed a mill's revenue.

Stephen fathered nine children:
*Catherine, who married George of Marczal
*Ladislaus (d. 1474), supreme count of the counties Szatmár and Szarand
*Andrew III Báthory (d. 1495), who was confirmed in his possession of Bujak. He is the only one among Stephen's son to produce male issue.
*Stephen V Báthory (d. 1493), served first as royal judge, excelled as a military commander and was made Voivod of Transylvania, the first of a long line of Báthory rulers of that country.
*Peter Báthory
*Thomas II Báthory, whose daughter married into the Zanoler family
*Paul I Báthory, surnamed "the Mute"
*Nicolaus III Báthory (d. 1506) was bishop first of Syrmia and after 1474 of Vác, renaissance scholar and advisor to King Matthias Corvinus
*Margaretha, who married first Nucgaek Szilággi, and then Paul Banfi.

References

*Moritz Wertner, "Urgeschlechter in Siebenbürgen. 10. Gutkeled: a) Báthory.", in Archiv des Vereins für siebenbürgische Landeskunde. Neue Folge, Bd. 29, Heft 1 (1899), Hermannstadt 1899 - quoted in Michael Farin, "Heroine des Grauens. Elisabeth Báthory". Munich: P. Kirchheim, 2003. ISBN 3-87410-038-3.