„Igazi szerelmesed, Gabriel”. Bethlen Gábor és Károlyi Zsuzsanna története
“Your True Love, Gabriel”: The Story of Gábor Bethlen and Zsuzsanna Károlyi

Summary/Abstract: The prince of Transylvania, Gábor Bethlen (1613-1629), and his first wife,Zsuzsanna Károlyi (1585-1622), have married in 1605. The two youngsters, both orphans, have been introduced by the prince of Transylvania, István Bocskai (1605-1606). The largest part of their correspondence dates from 1619-21, a period in which the prince has waged war against Ferdinand II (1619-1637), and thus had to be far away from the family home. His wife, Zsuzsanna, started feel ill during this period, and she died in Spring 1622. Their letters written to each other point to strong emotional ties between them, even though we cannot be certain that there was any authentic love between the partners. According to the author, the exchanged letters lead us to believe that Zsuzsanna, although she mostly did not deal with larger political issues, could arrange payments – on her own initiative, or at the request of her husband –, issue orders to the office-holders of the manors and castles, and could decide in manners concerned with the household and housekeeping. The sincere, intimate tone of the letters indicate strong emotional ties between the spouses.

• Details
• Contents