Stephen VIII Báthory

For other people of the same name, see Stephen Báthory (disambiguation).

Stephen Báthory
Spouse	Catherine Telegdi
House	Báthory
Father	Nicholas Báthory
Mother	Sophia Bánffy of Losonc
Born	1477
Died	1534 (aged 56–57)

Stephen VIII Báthory (Hungarian: Báthory István, pronounced [ˈbaːtori ˈiʃtvaːn]) (1477–1534) was a Hungarian noble.

He was a son of Nicholas Báthory (1462–1500) of the Somlyó branch of the Báthory family.

In 1521, he was appointed Voivode of Transylvania, serving under the Voivode John Zápolya. After the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Stephen supported Zápolya's claim to the Kingship of Hungary and in 1529 was made Voivode of Transylvania himself.

With his wife Catherine Telegdi, he fathered eight children:

• Nicholas
• Catharine
• Andrew (died 1563)
• Sophia
• Anna (1539–1570), who apparently was born well after her father's death, the mother of the "Blood Countess" Elizabeth Báthory.
• Elizabeth (1557–1562), who apparently was born well after her father's death
• Christopher (1530–1581), who governed Transylvania in the absence of his younger brother Stefan.
• Stephen (1533–1586), who became Voivode (and later Prince) of Transylvania and King of Poland.

Literature

• Farin, Michael, Heroine des Grauens. Elisabeth Báthory. Munich: P. Kirchheim, 2003. ISBN 3-87410-038-3.
• Wertner, Moritz, "Urgeschlechter in Siebenbürgen.", in Archiv des Vereins für siebenbürgische Landeskunde. Neue Folge, Bd. 29, Heft 1 (1899), Hermannstadt 1899, pp. 156–235.