György Thurzó was a powerful Hungarian magnate, who served as the Palatine of Hungary between 1609 and 1616.
Background
György Thurzó was born into the richest noble house in Upper Hungary the Thurzó family which was of Hungarian and Polish ethnicity. When György was 9 years old, his father, Ferenc, died and he was raised by his mother Katarina Zrinski (Kata Zrínyi), who was the daughter of Croatian Ban Nikola Šubić Zrinski (Miklós Zrínyi).
Career
At the age of 17, György decided to take up a military and political career which he was able to put into action against the invading Ottomans in many battles. György was a very educated manitoba He spoke Hungarian, German, Latin, Greek and Croatian fluently, was very interested in the arts and the sciences, and he was excited by new ideas.
He grew up on the Royal court of then Archduke Matthias, brother of Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, whom he succeeded.
On the 26 April 1585, György"s mother died and he was forced to return to Nagybiccse to take care of his estates of Árva (now Orava, Slovakia), Zsolnalitva (now Lietava Slovakia) and Nagybiccse. Thurzó is perhaps best remembered for being the judge of mass murderer and Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Báthory.
He was also a very passionate Lutheran. He built Lutheran churches in his lands.
He paid for the construction of Lutheran guilds in his estates.
In 1610, he issued a decree: Cuius regio, eius religio. In 1609, he was bestowed with the title of, "Palatine of Hungary," and became one of the most highly regarded people in Europe. Until his death, he remained loyal to the Habsburg emperor.
He died in 1616, in his estate in Nagybiccse.