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Batthyány

Hungarian magnate family

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
6 min read
Source updated July 1, 2026
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The House of Batthyány (Hungarian: [ˈbɒcːaːɲi]) is an ancient and distinguished Hungarian noble magnate family. The Head of the family bears the title Prince (Fürst) of Batthyány-Strattmann, while other members of this family bear the title Count/Countess (Graf/Gräfin) Batthyány von Német-Ujvár respectively. A branch of the family (Croatian: Baćan) was notable in Bosnia and Croatia as well, producing several Bans (viceroys) of Jajce in the 15th and 16th century and later Bans of Croatia in the 16th, 17th and 18th century.

01History

The Batthyány family can trace its roots to the founding of Hungary in 896 CE by Árpád. The family derives from a chieftain called Örs. Árpád had seven chieftains, one by the name of Örs, which later became Kővágó-Örs. In 1398, Miklós Kővágó-Örs married Katalin Battyány. King Zsigmond (Sigismund) gave Miklós the region around the town of Battyán (now called Szabadbattyán) and he took the name Batthyány (lit. "from Battyán"). The family were first mentioned in documents in 1398 and have had their ancestral seat in Güssing in the Austrian region of Burgenland since 1522.

In 1570, Boldizsár Batthyány transformed the seat of the family, Güssing, into the center of Protestantism in the region. His descendant Ádám Batthyány (1610-1659), however, was Catholic and founded a Franciscan monastery in Güssing. On 3.1.1764 Count Karl Josef Batthyány was created Prince of the Holy Roman Empire. As he didn't have surviving sons, his princely title was inherited by his nephew Count Adam Wenzel (1722-1787). Count Lajos Batthyány became the first Prime Minister of Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and was executed in Pest in 1849. After 1945, the Batthyány family's property was largely expropriated in Hungary and other countries under Communist rule, although they retained their property in Austria.

Coat of arms of the princes Batthyány in Vienna, Austria
Coat of arms of the princes Batthyány in Vienna, Austria

02Modern era

Currently, the family has about 60 name bearers who live mainly in Austria, but also in Hungary, Germany, United States and Uruguay. The current head of the family is Prince Laszlo Edmund Christof Maximilian Eugen Anton von Batthyány-Strattmann, son of Prince Laszlo Pascal von Batthyány-Strattmann (1938-2015) and his wife Veronika Hauschka von Treuenfels (born 1942). Prince Laszlo lives with his wife and children in Austria.

Károly József, 1st Prince Batthyány
Károly József, 1st Prince Batthyány

03Princes Batthyány (later Batthyány-Strattmann)

Boldizsár Batthyány, 1590, Güssing
Boldizsár Batthyány, 1590, Güssing

04Notable members

Family tree

Batthyány family members
Watch videos about BatthyányExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Batthyány”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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Related topics

List of titled noble families in the Kingdom of Hungary

The following is a list of titled noble families in the Kingdom of Hungary.