Ladislaus, Count Esterházy

Count Ladislaus Esterházy de Galánta (31 December 1626 – 26 August 1652) was a Hungarian noble, son of Nikolaus, Count Esterházy, who served as Palatine of Hungary. He was a general in the Imperial Army and fought against the Ottoman Empire.

Ladislaus Esterházy
Count of Galánta
Full name Count László Esterházy de Galánta
Born	31 December 1626
Died	26 August 1652 (aged 25) Vezekény, Kingdom of Hungary (today: Veľké Vozokany, Slovakia)
Noble family	Esterházy
Spouse(s)	Countess Eleonóra Batthyány de Németújvár (1650–1652)
Issue childless
Father	Count Miklós Esterházy de Galánta
Mother	Baroness Krisztina Nyáry de Bedegh
Occupation	Soldier

Life

His older brother, István Esterházy died in 1641, as a result Ladislaus succeeded his father as head of the Esterházy family in 1645. He married Eleonóra Batthyány, daughter of Imperial and Royal Chamberlain Ádám Batthyány, in 1650.[1] However, the marriage remained childless, as Ladislaus was killed in the Battle of Vezekény, along with three other members of the family.[2]

He was succeeded by his younger brother Paul as Count Esterházy of Galánta and inherited the family's vast wealth and landholdings at the age of 17. Paul later became the 1st Prince of Galánta.[3]

Legacy

Coats of arms of House of Esterházy

The four Esterházy brothers were buried on 26 November 1652 in the crypt of Nagyszombat's University Church (today: Trnava, Slovakia). The battlefield was marked by a 5 metre tall obelisk commemorating the victory and the sacrifice of the four brothers, erected in 1734. In 1896 it was replaced by the memorial which is still visible — a white travertine pedestal with a bronze sculpture of a lion crushing a Turkish battle flag. The pedestal bears a Latin inscription that reads: “Hold on, traveller, and read!“.

Ancestors of Ladislaus, Count Esterházy

16. Márton Zerhas de Zerhásház 8. Benedek Zerhas de Zerhásház 17. Erzsébet Wad de Felszász 4. Ferenc Esterházy de Galánta 9. Ilona Bessenyei de Galánta 2. Miklós, Count Esterházy de Galánta 20. György Illésházy de Illésháza 10. Tamás Illésházy de Illésháza 21. Margit Tankházy 5. Zsófia Illésházy de Illésháza 11. Zsófia Földes 1. Ladislaus, Count Esterházy de Galánta 24. Miklós Nyáry de Bedeg et Berencs 12. Lőrinc Nyáry de Bedeg et Berencs 25. Krisztina Kanisay de Kanizsa 6. Baron Pál Nyáry de Bedeg et Berencs 26. Miklós Thúróczy de Túróczszentmihály 13. Márta Thúróczy de Túróczszentmihály 27. Mária Zabláth 3. Baroness Krisztina Nyáry de Bedeg 28. Mihály Várdai 14. Miklós Várdai 29. Erzsébet Sarmasághy 7. Katalin Várday de Kisvárda 30. Antal Losonczi 15. Dorottya Losonczi 31. Klára Báthori de Ecsed

References

1. Marek, Miroslav. "Batthyány family tree". Genealogy EU.
2. Marek, Miroslav. "Esterházy de Galánta family". GENEALOGY.EU. Retrieved 2010-02-23. External link in |publisher= (help)
3. Esterházy Betriebe GmbH. "I. Pál herceg (1635–1713)". Esterházy Betriebe GmbH. Archived from the original on 2007-06-20. Retrieved 2010-02-23. External link in |publisher= (help)

Sources

• Martí, Tibor: Gróf Esterházy László (1626–1652). Fejezetek egy arisztokrata család történetéhez. PhD Dissertation, Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE), 2013.
• Martí, Tibor: "Count László Esterházy: The Military Career of a Young West Transdanubian Aristocrat". In: Identity and Culture in Ottoman Hungary. Eds. Fodor, Pál–Ács, Pál. Berlin, 2017. pp. 123–139.