### Miklós Pálffy from Erdod (10 September, 1552 - 23 April, 1660, Vöröskő)
Besides István Illésházy, he was the most powerful and highly respected Hungarian politician and military commander in Hungary at the end of the 16th century. He was respected partly because he was educated in the imperial court, and partly because his wife was Maria Fugger, who originated from the most powerful banker family of the age. As a descendant of a common noble family from county Poszony, he rose to high positions, and became a baron, then one of the most powerful and wealthy noblemen of the country. First he worked for the Chamber (1581-1600), then he was the captain-in-chief of Komárom (1584-1589), Érsekújvár (1589-1600) and Esztergom (1595-1600). In winter of 1593-94 he reoccupied the Turkish fortresses of county Nógrád, and it was the most important Christian success of the Fifteen Years' war (1591-1606). He gained his European fame by taking back Győr on 29 March, 1598 with count Adolf von Schwarzenberg. He was the only Hungarian nobleman in the 16-17th centuries who was respected by Lower-Austrian and Czech orders, he became an honorary citizen there. PG