Miklós Zrínyi, the poet and military general (May 1, 1620. Ozaly in Croatia - November 18, 1664 Csáktornya)

One of the most significant Hungarian military generals, politicians and poets of the 17th century, grandson of the hero of Szigetvár. With his brother Peter the was orphaned at a young age. Péter Pázmány became their guardian but the role of their real foster parent was filled by an educated Protestant woman Mrs. Ferenc Batthyány Éva Poppel Lobkowitz. Her husband became a Catholic, so the boys were brought up in an atmosphere of religious tolerance. Miklós Zrínyi studied in Graz, Vienna and Nagyszombat and went on a study tour to Italy. In Rome his reception was made by the pope himself. After returning home, he took an outstanding role in fighting against the Turks in the same way as many of his predecessors. He inherited a property the size of a country which he shared with his brother. He expanded this territory through marriage (Eusebia Maria Draskovich) and by other means. He established his own baronial court in Csáktornya. From 1647 until his death he was governor of Croatia and the captain general of the border fortresses alongside the river Kulpa and of Murakoz. In 1661 on the left side of the Mura river he erected the New Zrínyi Fortress which caused great indignation among the Turks. By his winter military campaign in 1664 he proved personally that it was possible to defeat the Turks. His main objective was the driving out of the Turks from Hungary. By both building the New Zrínyi fortress and his winter military campaign he wished to turn the attention of Europe to the Turkish question. This was a success since from the mid 1660's a growing interest appeared in the Hungarian theatre of war. Unfortunately he himself could not live until the Turks were driven out: in the autumn of 1664 he had a hunting accident on his own property, and was lethally wounded by a wild boar. The public did not believe it was an accident and from the moment the tragedy occurred legends were born about a political assassination, but the supposed murder did not match reality. As a military-scientific writer and poet he was led by the same aim as he was by a politician and a general, which is well reflected in his most significant works: Tábori kis tracta (1646, military-scientific treatise), Szigeti veszedelem (Danger of Sziget) (1647-winter of 1648), Adriai tengernek Syrenaia (Siren of the Adriatic) (Vienna, 1651), Vitéz hadnagy (Valiant general) (1653, military-scientific treatise), Az ido és a hírnév (Time and fame) (1653, epigram cycle), Mátyás király életérol való elmélkedés (Reflection about the life of king Mátyás) (1657), Elégia kisfia halálára (Elegy for his little son's death) (1659), A török áfium ellen való orvosság (Cure for the Turkish poison) (1663, political pamphlet).

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