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Ilona Zrínyi

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CountessIlona Zrínyi(Croatian:Jelena Zrinska,Hungarian:Zrínyi Ilona) (1643,Ozalj– 18 February 1703,Izmit) was a noblewoman and heroine. She was one of the last surviving members of theCroatian-HungarianZrinski/Zrínyinoble family. She was the daughter ofPetar Zrinski,Ban (viceroy) of Croatia,the niece of bothMiklós ZrínyiandFran Krsto Frankopanand the wife ofFrancis Rákóczi IandImre Thököly,as well as the mother ofFrancis Rákóczi II.She is remembered in history for her Defense of Palanok Castle against the Imperial army in 1685-1688, an act for which she was regarded a heroine in Hungary.

Jelena Zrinska
Zrínyi Ilona
Zrínyi Ilona (1643–1703), portrait from the Hungarian National Museum
Born1643
Ozalj,Kingdom ofKingdom of Croatia
Died18 February 1703
Izmit,Ottoman Empire
Burial
St Elisabeth Cathedral, Kassa(present-dayKošice, Slovakia)
SpouseFrancis I Rákóczi,
Imre Thököly
IssueGyörgy (Juraj),
Julianna Borbála (Julijana Barbara),
Ferenc (Franjo),
Erzsébet (Elizabeta)
HouseHouse of Zrinski
FatherPetar Zrinski,Ban (viceroy) of Croatia
MotherKatarina ZrinskanéeFrankopan
SignatureJelena Zrinska Zrínyi Ilona's signature
Ilona Zrínyi, as painted by Károly Jakobey
Ilona Zrínyi in the Munkács Castle(Zrínyi Ilona Munkács várában),painted by Victor Madarász

Life

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Early years and family

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Ilona was born Ilona Zrínyi inOzalj,present day Croatia. She was the eldest child ofCroatian Ban,Peter Zrinyi,and his wifeKatarina ZrinyinéeFrankopan,a Croatianpoet.Later her parents had two daughters, Judita Petronila (1652-1699), and Aurora Veronika (1658-1735), as well as a son,Ivan Antun(1651-1703). Ilona and her siblings were the last generation of descendants of the once-powerful Zrinski family.

From her childhood, she was known for her beauty and good education. There is little information on her schooling; it is known though that she acquired a high level of knowledge within her family, not only from her father and mother,Croatianwriters and erudite persons but from her uncleNikola VII Zrinskias well.

Marriages

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On 1 March 1666, she marriedFrancis Rákóczi,with whom she had three children: György, born in 1667, who died in infancy; Julianna, born in 1672; and Ferenc (commonly known asFrancis Rákóczi II), born in 1676. On June 8, 1676, not long after Francis II's birth, the elder Francis died. The widowed Ilona requested guardianship of her children and was granted it, against the advice ofEmperor Leopold I's advisers and against Francis I's will. In this way she also retained control over the vast Rákóczi estates, which included among them the castles of Regéc,Sárospatak,Makovica, andMunkács.In 1682 she marriedImre Thökölyand became an active partner in her second husband'sKurucuprising against theHabsburgs.

Defense of Munkács (Palanok) Castle

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After their defeat at the 1683Battle of Vienna,both the Ottoman forces and Thököly's allied Kuruc fighters had no choice but to retreat, and Thököly quickly lost one Rákóczi castle after another. At the end of 1685, the Imperial army surrounded the last remaining stronghold,Munkacs Castleintoday's Ukraine.Ilona Zrínyi alone defended the castle for three years (1685–1688) against the forces of GeneralAntonio Caraffa.

Internment, exile and death

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After the recapture of Buda, the situation became untenable, and on 17 January 1688, Ilona had no choice but to surrender the castle, with the understanding that the defenders would receive amnesty from the Emperor, and that the Rákóczi estates would remain in her children's name. Under this agreement, she and her children traveled immediately to Vienna, where in violation of the pact the children were taken from her. Ilona lived until 1691 in the convent of the Ursulines, where her daughter Julianna was also raised. Her son Francis was immediately taken to the Jesuit school in Neuhaus.

At the time, her husband, Thököly, was still fighting with his Kuruc rebels against the Habsburg army inUpper Hungary.When Habsburg General Heisler was captured by Thököly, a prisoner exchange was arranged, and Ilona joined her husband in Transylvania. In 1699, however, after theTreaty of Karlowitzwas signed, both spouses, having found themselves on the losing side, had to go into exile in theOttoman Empire.The countess lived inGalata,district ofConstantinople,and later inIzmit,where she died on 18 February 1703. She was buried in the Frenchchurch of Saint Benoitin Galata.

Descendants

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From her first marriage with Francis Rákóczi, Ilona had three children:

From her second marriage with Imre Thököly, Ilona had three children, all of whom died at a young age (including one she was pregnant with during the siege of Munkács).

Legacy

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Ilona Zrínyi is celebrated inCroatiaandHungaryas one of the greatest nationalheroines,patriots and fighters for freedom, who opposed, although unsuccessfully, the autocracy andabsolutismaspirations of theHabsburgs.Her even more famous sonFrancis II Rákóczicontinued the struggle for the independence ofHungary(1703–1711).

In October 1906 the remains of the Croatian countess were reinterred with her son's in theSt Elisabeth Cathedralin present-dayKošice, Slovakia.

Honors

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  • Postage stamp issued by Hungary on 28 September 1952.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Stamp › Zrínyi Ilona (1643-1703) defender of Munkács Fortress".colnect.

Further reading

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Sources in English:

Sources in Hungarian:

  • KöpecziBéla – R.VárkonyiÁgnes: II. Rákóczi Ferenc. 3. javított kiadás Bp., 2004. Osiris Kiadó. (ISBN963-389-508-1)
  • Gyöngyösi István: Thököly Imre és Zrínyi Ilona házassága + Palinódia (Kesergõ nimfa) (Balassi Kiadó Kft., 2000)
  • Szentmihályiné Szabó Mária: Zrínyi Ilona (Kriterion Könyvkiadó, 1994)
  • Passuth László: Sasnak körme között (Athenaeum 2000 Kiadó)
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