Count Ferenc Rákóczi

Golden Fleece - Knights: Spanish Branch-

• II. Rákóczi Ferenc
• Wikipedia -
• Wikipedia - Francis II Rákóczi - English
• painting - Francis II - in Nagysaros Castle, 1869 - Wikipedia
• statue - Francis II Heros' square, Budapest, Hungary - Wikipedia

Francis II Rákóczi (Hungarian: II. Rákóczi Ferenc, Hungarian pronunciation: [ ˈraːkoːtsi ˈfɛrɛnts]; 27 March 1676 in Borsi, Royal Hungary – 8 April 1735 in Tekirdağ, Ottoman Empire) Hungarian aristocrat, he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince (fejedelem) of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Today he is considered a national hero in Hungary.

His full title was: Franciscus II. Dei Gratia Sacri Romani Imperii & Transylvaniae princeps Rakoczi. Particum Regni Hungariae Dominus & Siculorum Comes, Regni Hungariae Pro Libertate Confoederatorum Statuum necnon Munkacsiensis & Makoviczensis Dux, Perpetuus Comes de Saros; Dominus in Patak, Tokaj, Regécz, Ecsed, Somlyó, Lednicze, Szerencs, Onod.

His name is historically also spelled Rákóczy, in Hungarian: II. Rákóczi Ferenc, in Slovak: František II. Rákoci, in German: Franz II. Rákóczi, in Croatian: Franjo II. Rakoczy.

Childhood

Statue of the young Francis II Rákóczi with his mother Jelena Zrinska (in Mukachevo).

He was the richest landlord in the Kingdom of Hungary and was the count (comes perpetuus) of the Comitatus Sarossiensis (in Hungarian Sáros) from 1694 on. He was the third of three children born to Francis I Rákóczi, elected ruling prince of Transylvania, and Jelena Zrinska (Zrínyi Ilona in Hungarian), who was the daughter of Petar Zrinski (Zrínyi Péter in Hungarian), Ban of Croatia, and niece of the poet Nikola Zrinski (Zrínyi Miklós in Hungarian). His grandfather and great-grandfather, both called George, were Princes of Transylvania. He had a brother, George, who died as a baby before Francis was born, and a sister, Julianna, who was four years older than Francis. His father died when Francis II was four months old.

Upon Francis I's death, his widow requested guardianship of her children; however, the advisors of Emperor Leopold I insisted that he retain guardianship of both Francis and his sister, especially as Francis I had willed this before death. Despite further difficulties, Jelena Zrinska was able to raise her children, while the Emperor retained legal guardianship. The family lived in the castle of Munkács (today Mukacheve, in Ukraine), Sárospatak and Regéc until 1680, when Francis’s paternal grandmother, Sophia Báthory, died. Then, they moved permanently into the castle of Munkács. Rákóczi retained strong affection for this place throughout his life. Aside from his mother, Rákóczi's key educators were György Kőrössy, castellan to the family, and János Badinyi.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Oc5j60dRy90
Dr. Varga Tibor Rákóczyról.