Moses Székely the Younger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Temeşvar, Temeşvar Eyalet, Ottoman Empire
(today Timișoara, Romania)
Rhodes (?), Ottoman Empire
(today Greece)
Moses Székely | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1603 Temeşvar, Temeşvar Eyalet, Ottoman Empire (today Timișoara, Romania) |
| Died | c. 1658 Rhodes (?), Ottoman Empire (today Greece) |
| Noble family | Székely de Siménfalva |
| Spouse(s) | Judit Lónyay |
| Issue | Sigismund |
| Father | Moses, Sr. |
| Mother | Anna Kornis |
Moses Székely (the Younger) de Siménfalva (Hungarian: siménfalvi ifjabb Székely Mózes; July 1603 – c. 1658) was a Székely nobleman, the posthumous son of Moses Székely, Sr. who briefly served as Prince of Transylvania in 1603.
Days after her husband was killed in the Battle of Kronstadt on 17 July 1603, Anna Kornis gave birth to a son in Temesvár, which then belonged to the Ottoman Empire and was capital of the Temeşvar Eyalet (today Timișoara, Romania). Historian István Szamosközy preserved the details of his early life in his work Rerum Transylvanarum Pentades és Hebdomades.[1] Later that year Anna Kornis died of plague in Temesvár, orphaning Moses at a few months of age. His maternal grandmother Krisztina Bethlen, the widow of diplomat Farkas Kornis took care the infant. Her son-in-law János Petki, who had earlier opposed Prince Moses' political orientation, arbitrarily seized Moses the Younger's inherited estates and possessions. Krisztina Bethlen turned for protection to Prince Stephen Bocskai. Moses was ten years old when his grandmother died. Following that he came under the patronage of Prince Gabriel Bethlen, his distant relative.[1] Moses Székely attended the newly established Academicum Collgeium seu Gymnasium Illustre in Gyulafehérvár (today Alba Iulia, Romania). After years he became a familial at the princely court and after years of service, he functioned as master of the stewards there.[2]
Gabriel Bethlen appointed Székely as judge of Udvarhelyszék and donated Marosújvár Castle (today Ocna Mureș, Romania) and the surrounding villages to him in 1620. At the age of 25 Székely married Judit Lónyay, on 13 February 1629. His wife was the widow of András Geréb, the last member of the once-powerful noble house. Through the marriage Székely received Fiátfalva (today part of Cristuru Secuiesc), Szederjes and four other villages (today part of Vânători) and several other domains in Udvarhelyszék, Aranyosszék and Torda County.[2]