Europe · Reformation to revolution
Principality of Transylvania
1570–1711
1570–1711. An autonomous, largely Protestant principality, Ottoman vassal but self-governing, based on the "Union of Three Nations" (Hungarian nobles, Székelys, Saxons) and famed for its religious tolerance (Edict of Torda, 1568).
- Existed
- 1570–1711
- Shown on the map
- 1572–1599, 1602–1695 (2 periods)
- Peak area
- 112k km²
- Region
- Europe
Overview
1570–1711. An autonomous, largely Protestant principality, Ottoman vassal but self-governing, based on the "Union of Three Nations" (Hungarian nobles, Székelys, Saxons) and famed for its religious tolerance (Edict of Torda, 1568). Stephen Báthory (prince 1571–1586) became also King of Poland. Under Gabriel Bethlen (r. 1613–1629) the principality reached its cultural and political zenith, intervening in the Thirty Years' War. After the Ottoman defeat at Vienna (1683), the Habsburgs took over (Diploma Leopoldinum, 1691); the principality's autonomy effectively ended with the suppression of Rákóczi's War of Independence (1711).
Common questions
- What was the Principality of Transylvania?
- 1570–1711. An autonomous, largely Protestant principality, Ottoman vassal but self-governing, based on the "Union of Three Nations" (Hungarian nobles, Székelys, Saxons) and famed for its religious tolerance (Edict of Torda, 1568).
- When did the Principality of Transylvania exist?
- The Principality of Transylvania existed 1570–1711. On this map it is drawn 1572–1599, 1602–1695.
- How large was the Principality of Transylvania?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Principality of Transylvania covered about 112,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each territory as the primary basis, with Encyclopædia Britannica, the World History Encyclopedia, academic works (John Fine on the Balkans, Halperin and Martin on Muscovy, Rady and Veszprémy on Hungary) and, for a few entries, the medieval Livonian Chronicle of Henry itself. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Principality of Transylvania (1570-1711) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Transylvania_(1570-1711)
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
See the Principality of Transylvania in its world
Open the atlas at 1649 and every neighbour, rival and successor is on screen with it — then drag the slider and watch what happens next.
Open the map at 1649 →