„Summáját írom Egör várának…”
“I Have Been Writing the Summary of Eger Castle”

Historical Information on the Heroes of Gárdonyi’s Novel

Summary/Abstract: One of the most famous Hungarian historical novels is Egri csillagok (Eclipse of the Crescent Moon) written by Géza Gárdonyi in 1899. It covers the story of the 1552 siege of Eger Castle, where nearly two thousand defenders repelled the attack and defended the castle successfully against the Ottoman army. The captain of the castle was István Dobó (around 1505-1573), who – in return for the victory – received donations and the title of baron from King Ferdinand I.Then he came to Transylvania as the voivode of Ferdinand in 1553. Later on,following the time when he served again the Kingdom of Hungary, he was charged of conspiracy against King Maximilian and imprisoned in 1569. Although he denied the charges, historical sources point to a different theory. It is almostproven that he had a close relationship with the Transylvanian court of John Sigismund, and he was likely to go over to that side. This paper aims to briefly introduce the historical back-ground of the siege of 1552 and to highlight the role of István Dobó throughout his carrier,based on historical sources. It also provides additional background information about Isabella, the Hungarian Queen, and Gergely Bornemissza, the most famous defender of the siege in Eger Castle.

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