(Venduta per $56.0)

1613, Transylvania, Gabriel Báthory. Silver Groschen Coin. Nagybanya mint!

Mint Year: 1613 Mint Place: Nagybanya (N-B)   Reference: KM-72 ($95 in VF!) Condition: Weakly struck areas, otherwise a nice VF! Diameter: 21mm Material: Silver Weight: 1.26gm

Obverse: Ducal crown, splitting date (16-13). Inscription in three lines with name and titles of the Prince of Transylvania below. Legend: GAB BATHO / . D : G : PRIN / . TRAN . 

Reverse: Heraldic eagle with oval arms of the House of Bathory at chest. Mint initials (N-B) split in fields. Legend: GROSSVS . REGNI . TRANSYL : 

Gabriel Báthory (Hungarian: Báthory Gábor; 15 August 1589 – 27 October 1613) was Prince of Transylvania from 1608 to 1613. He was the nephew of Andrew Báthory, who was prince of Transylvania in 1599. After his father died in 1601, the wealthy Stephen Báthory became his guardian, who converted him from Catholicism to Calvinism. He also sent Gabriel to the court of Stephen Bocskai in Kassa in Royal Hungary (now Košice in Slovakia) in early 1605. Gabriel inherited Stephen Báthory's estates, which made him one of the wealthiest noblemen in Bocskai's realm. Bocskai, who was elected prince of both Transylvania and Hungary, allegedly regarded Gabriel as his successor, but Bálint Drugeth was named as his heir in his last will in December 1606.

Gabriel laid claim to Transylvania, but the Diet of Transylvania elected the elderly Sigismund Rákóczi (Bocskai's former governor) prince in February 1606. Gabriel sought assistance from Rudolph, the king of Royal Hungary, promising to strengthen the position of the Roman Catholic Church if he were elected prince. The irregular Hajdú troops rose up in rebellion in the autumn of 1607. Gabriel concluded a treaty with them in February 1608, promising to grant landed property to them and to expel the Catholics and Unitarians from the royal council. Rákóczi abdicated without resistance and the Diet elected Gabriel prince. Both the Sublime Porte, and Rudolph's successor, Matthias II, acknowledged Gabriel's election.

Keeping his promise, Gabriel settled about 30,000 Hajdú warriors in Partium. However, rumours about his promiscuous lifestyle and greed started circulating. A group of mostly Catholic noblemen hired an assassin to murder him in March 1610, but the assassin betrayed them. The Diet confiscated the conspirators' estates. Gabriel captured Szeben (now Sibiu in Romania), which was the wealthiest town of the Transylvanian Saxons, in December. He also invaded Wallachia, but the Ottoman Sultan, Ahmed I, ordered him to return to Transylvania. The invasion of Wallachia outraged both Matthias and Ahmed. Michael Weiss persuaded the burghers of Brassó (now Braşov in Romania) to rise up against Gabriel. Radu Șerban, Prince of Wallachia, broke into Transylvania, forcing Gabriel to withdraw to Szeben in July. Zsigmond Forgách, the commander-in-chief of the royal troops of Upper Hungary, also invaded Transylvania. His invasion provoked the intervention of the Ottomans, forcing Forgách and Radu Șerban to leave Transylvania. However, negotiations between the envoys of Gabriel and Matthias outraged the Ottomans. At the request of Michael Weiss, the sultan decided to replace Gabriel with a Hajdú captain, András Géczi, but Gabriel defeated their united troops in October.

Gabriel signed a treaty with Matthias, promising to support Royal Hungary against the Ottomans. Ahmed appointed Gabriel's former supporter, Gabriel Bethlen, to replace Gabriel. Ottoman, Crimean Tatar, Wallachian and Moldavian troops broke into Transylvania in the autumn of 1613. After Gabriel withdrew to Partium, the Diet of Transylvania dethroned him and elected Bethlen prince. Gabriel was murdered by Hajdú assassins in Várad. He was ceremoniously buried years after his death.