camp of Maximilian, commanding the bearer to deliver with it this message-"Here is the head of him whom you, with hundreds and thousands collected around you, left to perish alone, and whose death is mourned by his adversaries.” Having interred the remains of Zriny with due and exemplary solemnity, the Turks marched on, pouring precipitately over the other side of the Danube. The intrigues of Constantinople, in consequence of the death of Soliman, saved Maximilian from utter ruin, and he bought a new peace at the hands of Selim II., son of Soliman, for a tribute of 30,000 ducats (1567.) Shortly after, Maximilian was also relieved of his rival John Sigismund Zapolya, who died a sudden death. The diets, held in the small portion of Hungary, of which Maximilian was

the historian attributes, partly to the fatigues of the German troops, but chiefly to the suggestions of General Schwendi, who (vide "Travellers' Library," Ferdinand and Maximilian II., page 91, footnote) laid it down as a rule, that "the general hath to take heed, first, that he expose not his camp, that the enemy turn not his flank, and thus cut off his provisions, or harass his people with constant alarms and skirmishes, or wear them out, or keep them in terror, or throw them into disorder; for such is the practice of the Turkish warfare." It is a pity that Schwendi did not add, as a more safe expedient, the necessity of having the camp defended by an imperial guard, or some Highland regiments. Blucher, hearing the cannon-roar of Waterloo, seems to have forgotten or ignored the wise precepts of Schwendi, as quoted by Professor Ranke.

The defence of Szigeth found its bard in Nicholas Zriny, grandson of the hero, and the foremost Hungarian poet of the 17th century; it called forth a "strain of higher mood" from the German poet Körner, who wrought it up into a tragedy, some specimens of which will be found in Blackwood's Magazine, 1821, No. 42.

JOHN SIGISMUND ZAPOLYA.

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master, continued to vote subsidies for the renewal of energetic wars against the infidels, who, as will be seen, maintained their rule over Hungary long after the death of both Maximilian and Selim II. (1576.)

CHAPTER II.

BEGINNING OF RELIGIOUS

PERSECUTION UNDER

RUDOLPH II.-RISE OF BOCSKAY-RELIGIOUS
LIBERTY SECURED BY THE TREATY OF VIENNA

—MATTHIAS.—(1576-1618.)

RUDOLPH II., the eldest son of Maximilian, was elected king of Hungary even before his father's death, and began his reign in the year 1576. Educated at the court of Spain, he brought with him to the throne all the learning and all the arts of dissimulation acquired from his Jesuitical tutors, along with a natural feeling of distrust in men and an aversion to action. Unwilling to take an active part in public affairs, Rudolph spent his days at Prague, absorbed in the study of alchemy and astrology, altogether forgetting the concerns of his government and the war which was being waged against the Turks in Hungary.

The successful resistance of the United Provinces against Philip II., as well as the progress of the Huguenots in France, led Rudolph to conceal for a while the hatred he bore to the Protestants, which, however, vented itself soon afterwards with double fury. This monarch's reign in Hungary may fairly be said to have been characterized by a total neglect and contempt of all the ancient laws of the country,

PROGRESS OF THE OTTOMANS.

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besides being calculated to excite horror by the religious persecutions which he most wantonly encouraged. The office of palatine, at that time rendered doubly necessary by the continued absence of the king, was purposely kept vacant; the Courts of Chancery and Administration were transferred to Vienna; while the Diets convoked by the sovereign were dissolved as soon as the required subsidies had been voted, no notice being taken of any measures regarding the general welfare of the country. In a word, foreign generals became the real masters of Hungary, sucking out, as it were, the very life-blood of the people, while, owing to the total absence of money, commerce was, during this baleful reign, reduced to the primeval system of barter.

The Hungarian noblemen Francis Nadasdy and Nicholas Palfy, after having succeeded on the emperor's side in resisting for a time Hassan, pasha of Bosnia, succumbed at length, after considerable losses in men and arms. When the intelligence of the successes of the Turks reached Rudolph in his Bohemian capital, he forthwith resorted to his accustomed expedient of ordering a double number of masses to be read in all the churches of the city, which, however, as may readily be imagined, did not much impede Hassan in his triumphant march. While the vizier took the fortified town of Veszprem, the pasha of Buda made diversions along the banks of the Danube, and the Turks were soon enabled to lay siege to Raab. After a bombardment of twenty days, the Austrian general Hardek surrendered; and the Turks thus established a new Ottoman district, with this town as its centre. Emboldened by rapid success, Osman Pasha turned his triumphant arms against Comorn; but he speedily

92

GRAN SURRENDERED BY THE TURKS.

perceived the rashness of his attempt, and withdrew his janizaries from the impregnable walls of that fortress. With the approach of winter, a part of the Ottoman troops retraced their steps to Belgrade and Constantinople, soon to return, however, with increased numbers. Meanwhile the sultan, Amurath III., died, and was succeeded by Mohammed III., a circumstance to which the Austrian empire was indebted for a momentary relief. But no sooner had the new Ottoman ruler offered his first prayers in the mosque at Constantinople, than he proclaimed his determination to prosecute the war, and, with this view, began to pour fresh troops into Hungary. On the renewal of hostilities, however, the vizier Sanin, the ablest commander in the Turkish army, and who operated on Transylvania, received a check at the hands of Batory, ruler of that province, and Rudolph's ally. This favourable circumstance gave time to the Austrian army in Hungary Proper to blockade the Turks in Gran, a commanding position on the Danube which they had shortly before lost. The siege began under the command of the Prince of Mansfeld. The Turks bravely held out for a whole month; but suffering from want of provisions, at last surrendered upon terms agreed upon by the Hungarian generals. "The Turks," says the historian of the Ottoman empire, "had spared the antiquities and pictures of the place they had so long held; while the German soldiers no sooner entered it, than they barbarously mutilated and polluted all they found."

The fortune of war shortly after turned in favour of the Turks, who gained two signal victories at Erlau and Kerestes. Mohammed, on his return after these victories to Constantinople, was received with un