Radical Protestant Propaganda of the Thirty Years' War

Ferdinand was able to direct his attention to Hungary. He re-conquered Royal Hungary and
weakened Bethlen’s position, who then initiated peace negotiations. Bethlen used the title
of the King of Hungary, which had been offered to him by the Hungarian estates in 1620, as
a bargaining tool. He agreed to relinquish the title in exchange for the Emperor’s promise to
re-affirm the 1606 Peace of Vienna, a treaty which among other things affirmed the
Hungarian Protestants’ right to worship. Their agreement became known as the Treaty of
Nikolsburg, and in its conclusion Bethlen achieved one of his primary aims when he had
launched his initial offensive against the anti-Protestant Ferdinand II. 77
In the time following 1621, Bethlen fought as part of an alliance of anti-Habsburg powers, 78
including Denmark, England, and the Netherlands. 79 This resulted in two further offensives
against Ferdinand II which although daring, did not secure any lasting achievement. His
campaign of 1623 to 1624 and of 1626 only resulted in further confirmations of the Peace of
Nikolsburg, although they were known as the Peace of Vienna and the Peace of Pressburg
respectively. 80 Although the Prince still had ambitious plans to continue his assault on
Habsburg authority in Hungary in the next couple of years, he contented himself in the short
term with plans to strengthen his authority through a careful choice of bride.
Matrimony and Death
The death of Bethlen’s first wife Zsuzsanna Károlyi in 1622 presented the Prince with
opportunities to improve his dynastic and military position. Unsurprisingly in an age in which
marriage was used to cement relationships between dynasties and to strengthen power,
77
For details on these years see Tóth, pp. 266-70.
78
Kósary, p. 172.
79
Ronald G. Asch, The Thirty Years War; The Holy Roman Empire and Europe, 1618-1648
(Basingstoke: Palgrave, 1997), pp. 70-1, 86-90. Henceforth Asch.
80
Péter, pp. 324-5.
38