Portrait of Miklós Zrínyi by Jan Thomas van Ieperen
Count, a Hungarian soldier, born in 1518, killed at Sziget, near the Brave, Sept. 7, 1566.
When only 12 years old, Charles V. gave him a gold chain for his conduct during the siege of Vienna. He afterward became ban of Croatia, and at the siege of Sziget with 8,000 men he resisted Solyman the Magnificent and Mohammed Sokolovich, his grand vizier, at the head of 65,000 men, for more than a month.
After the Turks had taken the city, Zrinyi, setting it on fire, threw himself into the castle, and there maintained the defence, fighting day and night, and refusing to surrender though Solyman threatened to kill his son, whom he pretended to have in his power.
Solyman died of rage, but Sokolovich kept up the siege, and during the final assault the defenders, reduced to 600, rushed forth and fell fighting. In this siege the Turks lost more than 20,000 men.
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The American Cyclopædia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge (New York, D. Appleton & Co., 1881), Vol. 16, pp. 835-836
