Editing Gabriel Bethlen

{{Eastern name order|Bethlen Gábor}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=March 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name            = Gabriel Bethlen
| image           = Gabor Bethlen-Hungary National Musem.jpg
| succession      = [[King of Hungary]]
| reign           = 25 August 1620{{spaced ndash}} 31 December 1621
| predecessor     = [[Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor|Matthias II]]
| successor       = [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]]
| succession1     = [[Prince of Transylvania]]
| reign1          = October 1613{{spaced ndash}} 15 November 1629
| predecessor1    = [[Gabriel Báthory]]
| successor1      = [[Catherine of Brandenburg|Catherine]]
| succession2     = [[Duke of Opole]]
| reign2          = 1622{{spaced ndash}} 1625
| predecessor2    = [[Sigismund Báthory]]
| successor2      = [[Władysław IV Vasa|Władysław Vasa]]
| full name       = Gabriel Bethlen de Iktár
| spouse          = [[Catherine of Brandenburg]]
| house           = Bethlen
| house-type      = Family
| father          = 
| mother          = 
| birth_date   = 1580
| birth_place  = Marosillye, [[Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711)|Principality of Transylvania]]
| death_date   = 15 November 1629 (aged 49)
| death_place  = Gyulafehérvár, Principality of Transylvania
| religion     = [[Calvinist]]
}}
{{Campaignbox Gabriel Bethlen's Revolt}}

'''Gabriel Bethlen''' ({{langx|hu|Bethlen Gábor}}; 1580 – 15 November 1629) was [[Prince of Transylvania]] from 1613 to 1629 and [[Duke of Opole]] from 1622 to 1625. He was also [[King of Hungary|King-elect of Hungary]] from 1620 to 1621, but he never took control of the whole kingdom. Bethlen, supported by the Ottomans, led his Calvinist principality against the Habsburgs and their Catholic allies.

== Early life ==

Gabriel was the elder of the two sons of Farkas [[Bethlen|Bethlen de Iktár]] and Druzsiána Lázár de Szárhegy.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=11}}{{sfn|Oborni|2012|p=206}} Gabriel was born in his father's estate, Marosillye (now [[Ilia, Hunedoara|Ilia]] in [[Romania]]), in 1580.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=11}}{{sfn|Oborni|2012|p=206}} Farkas Bethlen was a [[Hungarian nobility|Hungarian nobleman]] who lost his ancestral estate, Iktár (now [[Ictar-Budinț]] in Romania), due to the [[Ottoman Hungary|Ottoman occupation of the central territories of the Kingdom of Hungary]].{{sfn|R. Várkonyi|Campbell|2013|pp=698-699}} [[Stephen Báthory]], [[Prince of Transylvania]], granted Marosillye to him and made him captain-general of the principality.{{sfn|R. Várkonyi|Campbell|2013|p=699}} Druzsiána Lázár was descended from a [[Székelys|Székely]] noble family.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=11}}{{sfn|R. Várkonyi|Campbell|2013|p=699}} Both Farkas Bethlen and his wife died in 1591, leaving their two sons, Gabriel and [[Stephen Bethlen|Stephen]], orphaned.{{sfn|R. Várkonyi|Campbell|2013|p=699}}

The brothers were put under the guardianship of their maternal uncle, András Lázár de Szárhegy.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=11}}{{sfn|R. Várkonyi|Campbell|2013|p=699}} They lived in the [[Lázár Castle]] in Szárhegy in [[Székely Land]] (now [[Lăzarea]] in Romania) for years.{{sfn|R. Várkonyi|Campbell|2013|p=699}} Gabriel's court historian, Gáspár Bojti Veres, described Lázár as a "grumpy and fierce" soldier who did not care much about their formal education.{{sfn|Oborni|2012|p=206}}

According Gabriel's first extant letter (from 1593), [[Sigismund Báthory]], [[Prince of Transylvania]], seized the brothers' estates "at the word of many coaxing people" without paying a compensation to them in 1591 or 1592, but a "few primary kinsmen" convinced the prince to offer restitution or other landed property to them.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=11}}{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=860}} Gabriel also mentioned in the letter that he decided to visit the prince's court in Gyulafehérvár (now [[Alba Iulia]] in Romania).{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=861}}

== Career ==

=== Beginnings ===

Modern historians try to reconstruct the major events of Gabriel's youth based on sources (primarily memoirs and letters) completed decades later, because only two documents written between 1593 and 1602 mentioned him.{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|pp=861, 863}} One of the later sources is Gabriel's own letter from 1628, in which he stated that [[Stephen Bocskai]] had raised him and "placed great credence" in him.{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=864}} Gabriel also stated that Bocskai was his "kin".{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=864}} Another important source was written by Gabriel's retainer, Pál Háportoni Forró, who stated that Gabriel had held "great and honorable offices" and performed "the greatly laborious duties of emissary" in his youth.{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=864}} Based on these sources, modern historians assume that Bocskai boosted Gabriel's career in Sigismund Báthory's court,{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=12}}{{sfn|Oborni|2012|p=206}} but no contemporaneous document mentioned his presence in the prince's retinue.{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=861}}

Sigismund Báthory joined the anti-Ottoman [[Holy League of Pope Clement VIII]] and broke into Ottoman territory in the summer of 1595.{{sfn|Keul|2009|p=141}} According to historian József Barcza, Gabriel gained his first direct experience of warfare fighting against the Ottomans in the [[Battle of Giurgiu (1595)|Battle of Giurgiu]] in [[Wallachia]] in 1595.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=17}} After a series of Ottoman victories, Báthory abdicated in return for the [[Duchies of Silesia|Silesian duchies]] of [[Duchy of Opole|Opole]] and [[Duchy of Racibórz|Racibórz]] in 1597, enabling the commissioners of the [[Holy Roman Emperor]], [[Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor|Rudolph]] (who was also king of [[Royal Hungary]]) to take possession of Transylvania.{{sfn|Barta|1994|p=295}}{{sfn|Kontler|1999|p=164}}

=== Anarchy ===

Sigismund Báthory regretted his abdication and returned to Transylvania in August 1598.{{sfn|Keul|2009|p=142}}{{sfn|Barta|1994|p=295}} He sent Bocskai to Prague to start negotiations with Rudolph in January 1599.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=17}} According to a scholarly theory, Gabriel Bethlen accompanied Bocskai to Prague.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=17}}{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=862}} Historian József Barcza also says, Gabriel must have realized around that time that the [[Habsburgs|Habsburg]] monarchs were unable to defend Transylvania against the Ottomans.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=17}} Gabriel himself stated that he visited Prague in the retinue of Sigismund Báthory at an unspecified date.{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=862}}

Gabriel supported [[Andrew Báthory]],{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=18}} who mounted the throne with Polish assistance after Sigismund again abdicated in 1599.{{sfn|Kontler|1999|p=164}} [[Michael the Brave]], Prince of Wallachia, broke into Transylvania and defeated Andrew in the [[Battle of Sellenberk]] (at present-day [[Șelimbăr]] in Romania) on 8 October 1599.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=18}} Gabriel received wounds in the battle and his wounds healed slowly.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=18}} Michael the Brave was expelled from Transylvania by Rudolph's commander, [[Giorgio Basta]].{{sfn|Keul|2009|p=143}} During the following years, Transylvania was regularly pillaged both by Basta's unpaid mercenaries, and by Ottoman and [[Crimean Tatars|Crimean Tatar]] troops.{{sfn|Keul|2009|p=143}}{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=18}} Gabriel and his brother, Stephen, divided their inherited estates, with Gabriel receiving Marosillye.{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=861}} Their agreement also refers to the anarchic situation, mentioning the possibility that "either pagan or some godless prince or the governor" would seize Gabriel's property.{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=861}}

Gabriel joined the Transylvanian noblemen who rose up against Basta.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=18}} Sigismund Báthory (who had again returned to Transylvania) granted Gabriel and his brother landed property in [[Arad County]] in June 1602.{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=862}} The army of the rebellious noblemen was annihilated near Tövis (now [[Teiuș]] in Romania) on 2 July 1602.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=18}}{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=862}} After the battle, he swam over the [[Maros River]] and fled to Temesvár in the Ottoman Empire (now [[Timișoara]] in Romania).{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=18}}{{sfn|Erdősi|Lambert|2013|p=862}} He forged letters which suggested that the leading Transylvanian noblemen supported [[Moses Székely]] to persuade the Ottomans to support Székely, according to the contemporaneous [[Ambrus Somogyi]].{{sfn|G. Etényi|Horn|Szabó|2006|p=162}} When Székely broke into Transylvania in March 1603, Gabriel was the commander of his vanguard.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=18}} Székelys' troops conquered most fortresses along the Maros and laid siege to Gyulafehérvár. During the siege, the princely palace burned.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=18}}{{sfn|R. Várkonyi|Campbell|2013|p=700}} Székely was installed as prince in May, but [[Radu Șerban]], Prince of Wallachia, annihilated his army near Barcarozsnyó (now [[Râșnov]] in Romania) on 17 July.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=18}}{{sfn|Keul|2009|p=150}} Székely was killed in the battlefield, and his supporters (among them Gabriel) fled to the Ottoman Empire.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=18}}

The Transylvanian refugees started to regard Gabriel as their leader.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=20}} They sent a delegation to [[Constantinople]] in August, asking the permission of the [[List of Ottoman Grand Viziers|Ottoman grand vizier]] to elect Gabriel prince and seeking Ottoman assistance to their return to Transylvania.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=20}} The grand vizier granted the permission, but one of the refugees, Boldizsár Szilvási, prevented Gabriel's election, pointing out that a prince could not be elected by a group of refugees, but by the Diet of Transylvania.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=20}}

=== Bocskai's supporter ===

Gabriel decided to persuade the wealthy Stephen Bocskai to rise up against Rudolph's commissioners.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=21}} After royal troops attacked the refugees' camp near Temesvár on 13 September 1604, rumours about the capture of a secret correspondence between Bethlen and Bocskai began circulating.{{sfn|G. Etényi|Horn|Szabó|2006|p=162}} Fearing reprisals, Bocskai withdrew to his fortress at Sólyomkő (now Şoimeni in Romania) and make preparations to resist.{{sfn|G. Etényi|Horn|Szabó|2006|p=162}} He hired irregular [[Hajduk (Kingdom of Hungary)|Hajdú]] troops and defeated a royal army on 15 October.{{sfn|G. Etényi|Horn|Szabó|2006|pp=167-169}}{{sfn|Barta|1994|p=298}}

Bocskai took possession of Kassa (now [[Košice]] in Slovakia) on 11 November.{{sfn|Barta|1994|p=298}} Soon after, Gabriel gave the ''[[ahidnâme]]'' (or charter) in which the [[Ottoman Sultan]], [[Ahmed I]], styled Bocskai as prince of Transylvania.{{sfn|Barta|1994|p=298}} The delegates of the noblemen and the [[Székelys]] elected Bocskai prince on 21 February 1605.{{sfn|G. Etényi|Horn|Szabó|2006|p=191}} According to a letter of Bethlen, Bocskai ordered him to capture "certain castles", for which he had to postpone his marriage in May.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=21}}

Gabriel finally married his bride, Zsuzsanna [[Károlyi]], in August 1605.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=21}} Bocskai granted the domain of Vajdahunyad (now [[Hunedoara]] in Romania) to him.{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=21}} The prince also made him the [[perpetual ispán]] (or head) of [[Hunyad County]].{{sfn|Barcza|1987|p=21}}

Bethlen was a [[Calvinism|Calvinist]]. He helped [[György Káldy]], a [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]], translate and print the [[Bible]]. He composed hymns and from 1625, employed [[Johannes Thesselius]] as kapellmeister.

=== Prince of Transylvania ===
{{See also|Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711)}}
{{Css Image Crop|Image = Transylvania 1616 10 Ducat gold coin.jpg|bSize = 410|cWidth = 200|cHeight = 200|oTop = 5|oLeft = 3|Location = left||Description =1616 ten-[[ducat]] gold coin depicting Gabriel Bethlen as [[Prince of Transylvania]]}}
In 1605, Bethlen supported [[Stephen Bocskay]] and his successor [[Gabriel Báthory]] (1608–1613). Bethlen later fell out with Báthory and fled to the [[Ottoman Empire]].

In 1613, after Báthory was murdered, the Ottomans installed Bethlen as [[Prince of Transylvania]] and this was endorsed on 13 October 1613 by the [[Transylvanian Diet]] at Kolozsvár ([[Cluj-Napoca]]). In 1615, after the [[Peace of Tyrnau]], Bethlen was recognised by [[Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor]].<ref>Varkonyi A. [http://www.matud.iif.hu/2013/10/08.htm Az Europai jelenlet alternativai, Bethlen Gabor fejedelemme valasztasanak evfordulojara."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506120944/http://www.matud.iif.hu/2013/10/08.htm |date=6 May 2022 }} Magyar Tudomány October 2013. Accessed 15 October 2013. In Hungarian.</ref>

Bethlen's rule was one of [[enlightened absolutism]]. He developed mines and industry and nationalised many branches of Transylvania's foreign trade. His agents bought goods at fixed prices and sold them abroad at profit. In his capital, in Gyulafehérvár ([[Alba Iulia]]), Bethlen built a grand new palace. Bethlen was a patron of the arts and the [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] church, giving hereditary nobility to Protestant priests. Bethlen also encouraged learning by founding the [[Aiud#Historical Colleges|Bethlen Gabor College]], encouraging the enrollment of Hungarian academics and teachers and sending Transylvanian students to the Protestant universities of [[England]], the [[Dutch Republic]], and the Protestant principalities of [[Holy Roman Empire|Germany]]. He also ensured the right of serfs' children to be educated.

=== Anti-Habsburg insurrection ===
[[File:Budapest Heroes square Bethlen Gábor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Statue of Gábor Bethlen, by [[György Vastagh (sculptor)|György Vastagh]], [[Hősök tere|Heroes' Square]], [[Budapest]], Hungary]]
[[File:Gabriel Bethlen.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Bethlen on horseback (print)]]
Bethlen maintained an efficient standing army of mercenaries. While keeping relations with the [[Sublime Porte]] (the Ottoman Empire), he sought to gain lands to the north and west. During the [[Thirty Years' War]], he attacked the Habsburgs of Royal Hungary (1619–1626). Bethlen opposed the [[autocracy]] of the Habsburgs; persecution of Protestants in Royal Hungary; the violation of the [[Treaty of Vienna (1606)|Peace of Vienna]] of 1606; and Habsburg alliances with the Ottomans and George [[Drugeth]] (1633-1661), the captain of [[Upper Hungary]].

In August 1619, Bethlen invaded Royal Hungary. In September, he took Kassa ([[Košice]]) where Protestant supporters declared him the leader of Hungary and protector of Protestants. He gained control of Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia). In September 1619, after refusing to convert to Calvinism, the Jesuits [[Marko Krizin|Marko Križevcanin]], [[Stephen Pongracz]] and [[Melchior Grodziecki|Melchior Grodeczki]] were martyred under Bethlen's authority."<ref>Barti J. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3orG2yZ9mBkC&pg=PA66 "Slovak History: Chronology & Lexicon."] Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, p. 66, 2002. {{ISBN|0865164444|9780865164444}}.</ref> The three were later canonized by the Catholic Church.

In October 1619, Bethlen took Pressburg (Pozsony, today's [[Bratislava]]), where the [[Palatine of Hungary]] ceded the [[Holy Crown of Hungary]]. However, Bethlen, together with [[Jindřich Matyáš Thurn|Jindřich Matyáš of Thurn-Valsassina]], count of the Moravian and Czech estates, did not take Vienna and, in November, the forces of George Drugeth and Polish mercenaries ([[lisowczycy]]) won the [[Battle of Humenné]] and forced Bethlen to leave Austria and Upper Hungary.

Bethlen negotiated for peace at Pressburg, Kassa (now [[Košice]]) and Besztercebánya (now [[Banská Bystrica]]). In January 1620, without the Czechs, Bethlen received 13 counties in the east of Royal Hungary. On 20 August 1620, he was elected [[King of Hungary]] at the Diet of Besztercebánya and in September 1620, war with the Habsburgs resumed.

After defeating the Czechs on 8 November 1620 at the [[Battle of White Mountain]], Ferdinand II persecuted the Protestant nobility of Bohemia. Between May and June 1621, he regained Pressburg and the central mining towns. Bethlen again sued for peace and on 31 December 1621, the [[Peace of Nikolsburg]] was made. Bethlen renounced his royal title on the condition that Hungarian Protestants were given religious freedoms and were included in a general diet within six months. Bethlen was given the title of ''Imperial Prince'' (of Hungarian Transylvania), seven counties around the Upper [[Tisza]] River and the fortresses of [[Tokaj]], [[Munkács]] (now [[Mukacheve]]), and Ecsed ([[Nagyecsed]]), and a duchy in [[Silesia]].

[[File:Transylvanian Thaler of Gabriel Bethlen 1621.jpg|thumb|left|Transylvanian [[Thaler]] of Gabriel Bethlen showing his portrait and coat of arms (1621)]]
In 1623 - 1624 and 1626, Bethlen, allied with the anti-Habsburg Protestants, made campaigns against Ferdinand in Upper Hungary. The first campaign ended with the [[Peace of Vienna (1624)]], the second by the [[Peace of Pressburg (1626)]]. After the second campaign, Bethlen offered as rapprochement to the court of Vienna an alliance against the Ottomans and his marriage to an archduchess of Austria, but Ferdinand rejected his overtures. On his return from Vienna, Bethlen wed [[Catherine of Brandenburg]], the daughter of [[John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg]]. His brother-in-law was [[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden]].
[[File:Bethlen Gábor fejedelemsége.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Principality of Gabriel Bethlen]]

== Death ==
[[File:Bethlen Gábor királyi címere.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Coat of arms of Bethlen]]
Bethlen died on 15 November 1629. His second wife, Catherine of Brandenburg, became Princess Regnant of Transylvania.
 
His first wife, {{ill|Zsuzsanna Károlyi|hu|Károlyi Zsuzsanna}}, had died in 1622. 

Bethlen's state correspondence survives as a historical document.
{{-}}

==Ancestors==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
|1= 1. '''Gabriel Bethlen de Iktár'''<ref>[https://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/bethlen1.html#G Gábor Bethlen in the Bethlen de Iktár family]</ref>
|2= 2. Farkas Bethlen de Iktár (+1590)<ref>[https://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/bethlen1.html#FR Farkas Bethlen in the Bethlen de Iktár family]</ref>
|3= 3. Druzsianna Lázár de Szárhegy<ref>[https://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/lazar1.html#DI Druzsianna Lázár in the Lázár family]</ref>
|4= 4. Gabriel Bethlen de Iktár
|5= 5. ''unknown woman from the'' Kinizsi ''family''
|6= 6. Stephen Lázár de Szárhegy<ref>[https://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/lazar1.html#IS Stephen Lázár in the Lázár family]</ref>
|7= 7. Borbála Bogáthy de Bogáth<ref>[https://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/bogathy.html#BJA Borbála Bogáth in the Bogáthy family]</ref>
|8= 8. Peter Bethlen de Iktár
|12= 12. János Lázár de Szentanna
|13= 13. Klára Apafi de Apanagyfalu
|14= 14. János Bogáthy de Bogáth<ref>[https://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/bogathy.html#JA János Bogáth in the Bogáthy family]</ref>
|15= 15. Magdolna Bánffy de Losoncz (+1545)<ref>[https://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/banffy3.html#ML Magdolna Bánffy in the Bánffy de Losoncz family]</ref>
|16= 16. Domokos Bethlen de Iktár
|17= 17. Christina ''(from unknown family)''
|24= 24. András Lázár de Szárhegy
|26= 26. György Apafi de Apanagyfalu<ref>[https://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/apafi2.html Apafi family]</ref>
|27= 27. Anna Bánffy de Losoncz
|28= 28. András Bogáthy de Bogáth
|30= 30. László Bánffy de Losoncz<ref>[https://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/banffy3.html#LL László Bánffy in the Bánffy de Losoncz family]</ref>
|31= 31. Anna Dobokai
}}

== See also ==
* [[Magna Curia]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Barcza |first=József |year=1987 |title = Bethlen Gábor, a református fejedelem |language = hu |trans-title = Gabriel Bethlen, the Reformed Prince |publisher=Magyarországi Református Egyház Sajtóosztálya |location=Budapest |isbn=963300246X }}
* {{cite book |last=Barta |first=Gábor |editor1-last=Köpeczi |editor1-first=Béla |editor2-last=Barta |editor2-first=Gábor |editor3-last=Bóna |editor3-first=István |editor4-last=Makkai |editor4-first=László |editor5-last=Szász |editor5-first=Zoltán |editor6-last=Borus |editor6-first=Judit | title=History of Transylvania |edition=English |volume=pt. 3. The Principality of Transylvania |publisher=Akadémiai Kiadó |location=Budapest |year=1994 |pages=247–300 |chapter=The Emergence of the Principality and its First Crises (1526–1606) |isbn=9630567032 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Erdősi |first1=Péter |last2=Lambert |first2=Sean |title = The Theme of Youth and Court Life in Historical Literature Regarding Gábor Bethlen and Zsigmond Báthory |journal=The Hungarian Historical Review |volume=2 |number=4 |pages=856–879 |publisher=MTA Történettudományi Intézet |year=2013 |jstor=43264470 |issn=2063-8647  }}
* {{cite book |last1=G. Etényi |first1=Nóra |last2=Horn |first2=Ildikó |last3=Szabó |first3=Péter |year=2006 |title=Koronás fejedelem: Bocskai István és kora |trans-title = A Crowned Prince: Stephen Bocskai and his Time |publisher=General Press Kiadó |location=Budapest |language=hu |isbn=963-9648-27-2 }}
* {{cite book |last=Keul |first=István |year=2009 |title=Early Modern Religious Communities in East-Central Europe: Ethnic Diversity, Denominational Plurality, and Corporative Politics in the Principality of Transylvania (1526–1691) |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |isbn=978-90-04-17652-2 }}
* {{cite book |last=Kontler |first=László |year=1999 |title=Millennium in Central Europe: A History of Hungary |publisher=Atlantisz Publishing House |location=Budapest |isbn=963-9165-37-9 }}
* {{cite book |last=Oborni |first=Teréz |editor1-last=Gujdár |editor1-first=Noémi |editor2-last=Szatmáry |editor2-first=Nóra |title=Magyar királyok nagykönyve: Uralkodóink, kormányzóink és az erdélyi fejedelmek életének és tetteinek képes története |trans-title=Encyclopedia of the Kings of Hungary: An Illustrated History of the Life and Deeds of Our Monarchs, Regents and the Princes of Transylvania |publisher=Reader's Digest |location=Budapest |year=2012 |pages=206–209 |chapter=Bethlen Gábor |isbn=978-963-289-214-6 |language=hu }}
* {{cite book |last=Péter |first=Katalin |editor1-last=Köpeczi |editor1-first=Béla |editor2-last=Barta |editor2-first=Gábor |editor3-last=Bóna |editor3-first=István |editor4-last=Makkai |editor4-first=László |editor5-last=Szász |editor5-first=Zoltán |editor6-last=Borus |editor6-first=Judit |title = History of Transylvania |publisher=Akadémiai Kiadó |location=Budapest |year=1994 |pages=301–358 |chapter=The Golden Age of the Principality (1606–1660) |isbn=963-05-6703-2 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=R. Várkonyi |first1=Ágnes |last2=Campbell |first2=Alan |title = Gábor Bethlen and His European Presence |journal=The Hungarian Historical Review |volume=2 |number=4 |pages=695–732 |publisher=MTA Történettudományi Intézet |year=2013 |jstor=43264465 |issn=2063-8647 }}
* {{cite book |last=Settonv |first=Kenneth |author-link=Kenneth Setton |title = Venice, Austria, and the Turks in the Seventeenth Century |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=XN51y209fR8C&pg=PA34 |year=1991 |publisher=American Philosophical Society |location=Philadelphia, PA |isbn=978-0-87169-192-7 }}
* {{cite book |last=Sturdy |first=David J. |title=Fractured Europe: 1600 - 1721 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Y8_mapl_JS0C&pg=PA45 |date=1 February 2002 |series=Blackwell History of Europe series |publisher=Blackwell |location=Oxford, England |isbn = 978-0-631-20513-5 }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{commonscatinline}}
* {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Bethlen-Gabor |short=x |year=1920}}
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Bethlen, Gabriel|volume=3|last= Bain |first= Robert Nisbet |author-link= Robert Nisbet Bain|pages=829-830|short= 1}}
* [https://www.angelfire.com/sk3/quality/Part_of_Hungary_II.html History of Slovakia: Part of Historic Hungary II - Modern Times (1526–1918)]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Bethlen|House of Bethlen]]}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Gabriel Báthory]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prince of Transylvania]]|years=1613–1629}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Catherine of Brandenburg]]}}
{{Succession box|
 title=[[King of Hungary]]<br><small>contested by [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]]</small>|
 before=[[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]]|
 after=[[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]]|
 years=1620–1621
}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Sigismund Báthory]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Duke of Opole]]|years=1622–1625}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Wladislaus IV of Poland]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bethlen, Gabriel}}
[[Category:1580 births]]
[[Category:1629 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Hunedoara County]]
[[Category:Bethlen family|Gabor]]
[[Category:Princes of Transylvania]]
[[Category:Dukes of Opole]]
[[Category:Kings of Hungary]]
[[Category:Hungarian nobility]]
[[Category:People of the Thirty Years' War]]
[[Category:17th-century Hungarian people]]
[[Category:People of the Long Turkish War]]
[[Category:Hungarian_Calvinist_and_Reformed_Christians]]