BOCSKAY, STEPHEN (IsTvAN) prince of Transylvania, the most eminent member of the ancient Bocskay family, son of Gyorgy Bocskay and Krisztina Sulyok, was born at Kolozsvar (Cluj) Transylvania. He advised Prince Zsigmond Bathory to contract an alliance with the emperor instead of holding to the Turk, and was sent on frequent missions to Prague and Vienna. The later Bathory princes of Transylvania con fiscated his estates, and he sought protection at the imperial court ; but he was alienated by the attempts of the emperor Rudolph II. to deprive Hungary of her constitution and the Protestants of their religious liberties, and by the outrages in flicted on the Transylvanians by the imperial generals Basta and Belgiojoso from 1602 to 1604. To save the independence of Transylvania, Bocskay assisted the Turks; and as a reward for his part in driving Basta out of Transylvania, the Hungarian diet, assembled at Modgyes, elected him prince (1604). The Ottoman sultan sent a special embassy to congratulate him, and a splendid jewelled crown made in Persia. Bocskay refused the royal dignity, but made skilful use of the Turkish alliance. To save the Austrian provinces of Hungary, the archduke Matthias, setting aside his semi-lunatic imperial brother Rudolph, entered into negotiations with Bocskay, and ultimately the peace of Vienna was concluded (June 23, 16o6), which guaranteed all the constitutional and religious rights and privileges of the Hungarians both in Transyl vania and imperial Hungary. Bocskay was acknowledged as prince of Transylvania and the right of the Transylvanians to elect their own independent princes in future was officially recognized. The fortress of Tokaj and the counties of Bereg, Szatmar and Ugocsa were ceded to Bocskay, with reversion to Austria if he should die childless. Soon after, at Zsitvatorok, a peace, confirma tory of the Peace of Vienna, was concluded with the Turks. Bocs kay is said to have been poisoned (Dec. 29, 1606) by his chan cellor, Mihaly Katay, who was hacked to bits by Bocskay's ad herents in the market-place of Kaschau.