The Nádasdy, also spelled Nadasdy in English, is a major Hungarian aristocratic family whose roots reach into the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

. Their motto is: "SI DEUS PRO NOBIS QUIS CONTRA NOS" ("If God is for us, who can be against us?"). The Nadasdy family made a large contribution to the development of Hungarian printing. The Nadasdy Hussars, a regiment named after the family, developed a strategy incorporating lightly armed and fast-moving cavalry that was internationally adopted.

Early history

The name is first encountered in the early part of the 13th century, that of Imre (descendent of Darabos de Nádasd) and his sons, Stefánd, Tódor, and Valkomer. Another important member, deceased before 1275, was Simon Nádasdy. Frequently mentioned in family records between 1324-1376 is Pető Gersei, who was married to Margit Hidvégi, is considered the progenitor of the family "Pethő de Gerse". In 1229, Petan sold most of his land to a member of the family Nádasdy. The buyer and his three sons, Vencel/Venceslav, Raszló/Vraslav and László/Ladislav, now partially used the predicate of Pethenegh

Petanjci

Petanjci is a village on the left bank of the river Mura in the Tišina Municipality in the Prekmurje region of northeastern Slovenia.There is a small chapel in the village. It is dedicated to Saint Florian and was built in the early 20th century in the Neo-Gothic style.-External links:*...

. Laszlo Nádasdy of Pethenegh (c. 1236) is the progenitor of main line Nádasdy.

Notable family members

Baron Tamás I Nádasdy

Tamas I Nadasdy

Baron Tamás Nádasdy de Nádasd et Fogarasföld , called the Great Palatine , Hungarian statesman, was the son of Ferenc I Nádasdy and was educated at Graz, Bologna and Rome....

 (1498–1562), was Governor of Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

 and Palatine of Hungary. Countess Elizabeth Báthory

Elizabeth Báthory

Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated...

 married Ferenc Nadasdy II (the "Black Captain"), a general and the son of Tamás I Nádasdy. Ferenc Nadasdy III (d. 1671), grandson of Ferenc Nadasdy II, was a Lord Chief Justice, high steward (Hofrichter) of Hungary, and imperial privy councillor; he created one of the most notable libraries and private art collections in central Europe.

Holdings

Of its many holdings, the family held the Nádasdy Castle in Sárvár, Hungary, the Csejte Castle

Cachtice Castle

The Čachtice Castle is a castle ruin in Slovakia next to the village of Čachtice. It stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and has been declared a national nature reserve for this reason...

, in Čachtice

Cachtice

Čachtice is a village in Nové Mesto nad Váhom District in western Slovakia with a population of 3,630 .The village is situated between the Danubian Lowland and the Little Carpathians. It is best known for the ruins of the nearby Čachtice Castle, home of Elizabeth Báthory who is alleged to be the...

, Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 which is situated on a hill adjacent to a nature reserve, and the Nádasdy Mansion

Nádasdy Mansion

The Nádasdy Mansion is a Tudor-romantic style manor house designed by István Linzbauer and Alajos Hauszmann situated on 24 hectares in Nádasdladány, Hungary. It dates from 1873-1876, and belonged to the Nádasdy family.-See also:...

 in Nádasdladány

Nádasdladány

- External links :*...

, Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

.