### the Batthyány family
Ferenc Batthyány, Croatian ban (1497-1566) was the most powerful lord in western Hungary who supported Ferdidnand. As he did not have a child, he made his court a school for his family and young people in his neighbourhood. Among others he made Hungarian correspondence popular in the times around the disaster of Mohács. Boldizsár Batthyány - who was one of the most educated patrons of the century - (1538-1590) was also educated at his court, and met his future wife, Dorica Zrínyi, there. Boldizsár Batthyány travelled to France and Germany, he made friends with Viennese humanists, supported Carolus Clusius's botanical collecting work in Hungary, such as music, kept famous musicians at this court, and had a very modern library. His son, Ferenc Batthyány (1569 or 1573-1625) was a keen reader of Balassi's works, he also collected his books. His friends were János Rimay, Demeter Náprágyi and Kristóf Lackner, the great writers of late renaissance. He also supported Protestantism, for example, he employed Albert Szenczi Molnár as court priest for a short period of time. His son, Ádám Batthyány (1609-1659) converted to Catholicism under the influence of Péter Pázmány, his friend was the poet Miklós Zrínyi, and he contributed to the development of baroque literature. ÁP-SzJú