János Szapolyai (I.) (1487, Szepesvár- July 22, 1540. jSzászsebes)

King János and Suleiman
Coin of King John I
Known as János 1st, he was the king of Hungary. (1526-1540). He was the main intercessor of the lesser nobility at National Diets at the beginning of the 16th century and played a major role in the suppression of the peasant revolt led by György Dózsa in 1514. He did not participate in the Battle of Mohács, the result of which was that the only combat-ready army of the country that survived was at his disposal. Due to this fact and that of his previous influential power he was elected and later crowned as king of Hungary in November 1526. However, he could not defeat the troops of Ferdinand I. (1526-1566) and this pushed him to alley himself with the great rival of the Habsburg ruler, - sultan Suleiman I. (1520-1566). Although in real terms his power only extended to the eastern part of the country and Transylvania, his rule of Hungary significantly contributed towards the formation of an internally independent Transylvanian Principality under the kingship of his successor and son Zsigmond János, even though it still had vassal dependence on the Turks

PG