Michael II Teleki

Michael II. Count Teleki de Szék (* 1634 in Großwardein , Principality of Transylvania ; † August 21, 1690 in Zernescht , Fogarasch County , Transylvania), Chancellor of Transylvania and advisor to Prince Michael I. Apafi .

Michael II. Graf Teleki on a contemporary painting

Life

Michael Teleki ( ung. Teleki Mihály) came from the noble family of Telekis . He was the only son of Johann Teleki (* 1614, † 1662) and his wife Anna Bornemisza (the elder). Through the protection of Prince Apafi, he achieved a considerable fortune, and later he was appointed general of the regional groups. On the maternal side he was also related to Apafi, since Apafi's wife Anna Bornemisza (* 1630, † 1688) was a cousin of his, with whom he maintained very close contact as Chancellor. Prince Apafi was a very weak ruler, so the principality was actually led by his wife in cooperation with Teleki.

From 1657 onwards, Teleki was a henchman and captain of the bodyguard of George II. Rákoczi , after which he was sent to the camp of Prince of Transylvania, Johann Kemény . In the battle of Groß-Alisch near Schäßburg on January 23, 1662 Teleki fought at Kemény's side, which is why he was sentenced to death and his property should be confiscated. But since he swore the oath of allegiance to the new Prince Michael I. Apafi, he was pardoned. And so from 1663 he came to his court where he gained considerable political influence. After the Treaty of Eisenburg in 1664, Teleki negotiated with the envoy of the Viennese court, Johann von Rottal, and tried to achieve more favorable results for Hungary . Later he negotiated with Palatinus Franz Wesselenyi who tried to include Transylvania in his magnate conspiracy . After their suppression he fled back to Transylvania and in 1672 became the leader of the Kuruc in Transylvania; he negotiated himself with the French King Louis XIV , from whom he asked for financial support for the rebellious Kuruc. After the unsuccessful siege of Eperjes , his star among the rebels began to decline, and the Kurucs chose Emmerich Thököly as their leader. After that Teleki completely turned away from the Kuruc and began a new policy.

Under the influence of Johann Sobieski's victory and the imperial troops in the Battle of Kahlenberg near Vienna in 1683, Michael Teleki fundamentally changed his policy. When he saw that Thököly had concluded an alliance with the Ottoman Sultan , he began secret negotiations with Emperor Leopold I in 1685. In these negotiations Teleki undertook to bring Transylvania under the suzerainty of the Emperor, although he wanted to retain the sovereignty of Transylvania. After the reconquest of Ofen in 1686, Field Marshal Antonio von Caraffa occupied Transylvania in 1687 . Teleki as well as the leading nobles of Transylvania sided with Caraffa.

After turning away from the rebellious Kuruzen, Teleki, an outspoken power politician, who knew that the Austrian Empire would now represent the decisive political power in Central Europe, became a supporter of Imperial Austria. For this donation he was raised to the rank of Count of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation by Emperor Leopold I in 1685 .

Teleki's death and burial

In August 1690 Emmerich Thökoly broke into Transylvania at the head of an army that consisted of Kurucs and Turks. On August 15th he led his mixed army in a breakneck action over the pass of Türzdorf ( Kronstadt county ) and fell on August 21st to the imperial troops, which were commanded by Michael Teleki and the Austrian field marshal Donat Johann Heißler von Heitersheim Move. In the ensuing battle, which was fought near the town of Zernescht , Thököly's army defeated the imperial troops. Teleki fell in the battle and Heissler was taken prisoner.

Gothic reformed church (1456) in Kertzing. Michael Teleki was buried in the crypt of this church.

At Thököly's behest, Teleki's body was recovered by his secretary János Komáromy the day after the battle. Thököly sent the body accompanied by some soldiers from his widow, who was at the Görgen Castle (also Sankt-Emrich, Hungarian Görgény) in Maros-Torda County . The funeral of Michael Teleki was delayed by the troubled and warlike times. This could only take place on January 4th, 1691 in the Evangelical Reformed Church (Teleki was Calvinist faith) in Kertzing (ung. Gernyeszeg) in Maros-Torda County - in the presence of numerous mourners. The funeral service was held by four Calvinist preachers (sermons: József Nagyvári, Mihály Nánasi). After the consecration by the preachers Márton Dési and István Kolosvári, the coffin was laid to rest in the crypt of the Gothic church in Kertzing.

Family and offspring

Michael Teleki was married twice. His first marriage was to Sophia Pekry de Petrovina et Kutyfalva (* 1638, † January 28, 1660) (year of marriage 1859?).

His second wife (from 1662?) Was Judith Weér de Köröstarcsa (* 1641, † February 4, 1707) with whom he had 13 children:

• Katharina (* 1658) ⚭ with Pál Bánffy de Losoncz (* 1646, † 1703)
• János (* 1662, † 1681)
• Anna (2) (* / †?)
• Zsuzsanna (* 1664, † 1712) ⚭ Mihály Vay de Vaja (* 1660, † 1707)
• László (* 1668, † 1714) ⚭ with Anna Vay de Vaja (* ~ 1671, † ~ 1713)
• Judith (* 1670) ⚭ with János Pongrácz de Nagymihály (* ~ 1640, † ~ 1700)
• Mihály (born January 15, 1671 in Sorostély, † January 1, 1720 in Szentpéter) ⚭ with Katalin Thoroczkay de Toroczkószentgyörgy (* 1679, † 1722)
• Krisztina (* 1672, † 1721) ⚭ 1st with Pál Kendeffy (* 1668), 2nd with Abraham Barcsay de Nagy-Barcsa (* 1638, † 1716)
• József (* 1674, † 1732) ⚭ 1. with Kata Bethlen (* 1700, † 1759), 2. with Borbála Kún de Osdola (* ~ 1676)
• Pál (* 1677, † 1731) ⚭ with Katalin Vay de Vaja (* 1684, † 1750)
• Sándor (* 1679, † 1754) ⚭ 1. with Júlia Bethlen (* 1686, † 1722), 2. with Zsuzsanna Nagy de Pete (* 1707, † 1748)
• Borbála (* 1679) ⚭ with László Vay de Vaja et Luskod
• Erzsébet (* 1681) ⚭ 1st with László Macskási (* 1677), 2nd with István Jósika de Branyicska (* ~ 1651)

An Anna Teleki de Szék (* February 16, 1661 at the earliest / February 26, 1663 at the latest, † March 31, 1720) is mentioned in the genealogical directory, presumably from an extramarital relationship with Michael Telekis. A mother's name was not given. Her first marriage was Anna Miklós Apafi (* 1625, † 1685), the nephew of Prince Mihály I. Apafi, and her second marriage was János Kemény (* 1664, † 1701). Anna Teleki de Szék is said to have been engaged to Emmerich Thököly for a while, but the latter broke off the engagement because he fell in love with Ilona Zrinyi . By breaking off this engagement, Anna's father, Michael Teleki, became one of Thököly's most relentless enemies.

literature

• Béla Posta, Lajos Kelemen, István Biás: Teleki Mihály temetkezése. Kolozsvár 1913. (Hungarian)
• Magyar Életrajzi Lexicon. Volume II, Budapest 1982, ISBN 963-05-2499-6 , pp. 836f. (Hungarian)

Web links

• BLKÖ (biography) BLKÖ: Teleki, Michael (II.)
• Teleki Mihály gróf (széki) arcanum.hu (Hungarian)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ After his death, in view of his great services to the Viennese court on December 1, 1696, an order was made to extend the title to all members of the Teleki family born after 1685. (Hereditary imperial count: document dated September 20, 1697)
2. ↑ After two years of imprisonment, he was exchanged in 1692 for Thököly's wife Ilona Zrinyi. (Prisoner exchange)
3. ↑ The village belonged to the Teleki family, Michael acquired the estate in 1685, which served as the family seat.
4. ↑ Teleki's wife Judith Weér was also buried on April 10, 1707 in the crypt of this church.
5. ↑ Judith Weér was the daughter of György I. Weér de Köröstarcsa (* 1609, † 1651) and his wife Zsuzsanna Bogathy (* 1612)
6. ↑ There is no information about Anna (2).
7. ↑ The information in the genealogical directories is often confusing. Allegedly there was also an Anna (2) who is said to have come from Teleki's marriage to Judith Weér. However, the two people are often confused or mixed up in the literature.
8. ↑ Miklós Apafi was the son of István Apafi and his wife Katalin Lórántffy. Miklós was the brother of Prince Mihály I. Apafi.