Sigismund Bathory became Prince of Transylvania in 1581 on the death of his father. As a child of only nine years old, he reigned under a regency until 1588. He was to adopt an aggressively anti-Ottoman foreign policy, in contrast to Transylvania's conventional stance of balancing the claims of the Ottomans and Holy Roman Emperor. He was also militantly Catholic in contrast to the majority of Transylvanian nationalists, who favoured Protestantism, and in 1599 decided to abdicate in favour of a monastic life. He later tried to reclaim his throne but failed in the attempt, and died in Prague in 1613.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Sigismund Bathory becomes Prince of Transylvania". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 February 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=15272, accessed 06 May 2024.]
