Nikola III Zrinski (1488 or 1489? – 1534) was a

Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...

ian nobleman, a member of the

Zrinski Zrinski () was a Croatian- Hungarian noble family, a cadet branch of the Croatian noble tribe of Šubić, influential during the period in history marked by the Ottoman wars in Europe in the Kingdom of Croatia's union with the Kingdom of Hun ...

noble family, influential in the

Kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of Croatia may refer to: * Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102), an independent medieval kingdom * Croatia in personal union with Hungary (1102–1526), a kingdom in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary * Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg) (152 ...

Life

Nikola was born as the son of Petar II Zrinski (1435–1493) and Jelena Babonić. His father had fallen in the battle of Krbava field, and as such Nikola lived on his large Zrin estate in central Croatia. He was married to Jelena Karlović, the

princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subs ...

Krbava Krbava (; ) is a historical region located in Mountainous Croatia and a former Catholic bishopric (1185–1460), precursor of the diocese of Modruš an present Latin titular see. It can be considered either located east of Lika, or indeed as t ...

, a sister of

Ivan Karlović Ivan Karlović (c. 1485 – 9 August 1531), also known as by his Latin name ''Johannes Torquatus'', was the Count of Krbava, and Ban of Croatia from 1521 to 1524 and again from 1527 to 1531. In defense against Ottoman Empire expansion, he lost mo ...

, future Ban (Viceroy) of Croatia. She bore him six children, among them Nikola IV Zrinski, one of the greatest military leaders in

Croatian history At the time of the Roman Empire, the area of modern Croatia comprised two Roman provinces, Pannonia and Dalmatia. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the area was subjugated by the Ostrogoths for 50 years, bef ...

and a national hero both in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

and in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

. Nikola is known for his attendance of the

1527 election in Cetin The 1527 election in Cetin ( hr, Cetinski / Cetingradski sabor, meaning Parliament on Cetin(grad) or Parliament of Cetin(grad), or ) was an assembly of the Croatian Parliament in the Cetin Castle in 1527. It followed a succession crisis in the Kin ...

when

Ferdinand I, Archduke of Austria Ferdinand I ( es, Fernando I; 10 March 1503 – 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.Milan Kruhek: Cetin, grad izbornog s ...

was elected the new king of Croatia. Among the seals of six Croatian noblemen on the charter confirming the election, there is also his seal. Moreover, some historians believe that Zrinski was the one who played a crucial role in Ferdinand's choice. In his Gvozdansko Castle, not far from Zrin, he had his own silver coins minted, as his father had done before. There were silver, gold, and lead ore mines, smelteries, foundries and mints in his property. In the time of the threatening Ottoman danger, Nikola III Zrinski died in Zrin and was buried in the neighboring

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

church of St. Margaret (according to some historians: church of St. Mary Magdalene). He was succeeded by his son Nikola IV, future

Ban of Croatia Ban of Croatia ( hr, Hrvatski ban) was the title of local rulers or office holders and after 1102, viceroys of Croatia. From the earliest periods of the Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by bans as a ruler's representative (viceroy) an ...

, and hero of the

Siege of Szigetvár The siege of Szigetvár or the Battle of Szigeth (pronunciation: �siɡɛtvaːr hu, Szigetvár ostroma, hr, Bitka kod Sigeta; Sigetska bitka, tr, Zigetvar Kuşatması) was a siege of the fortress of Szigetvár, Kingdom of Hungary, that block ...

(1566).

External links

Nikola III Zrinski in an essay of the archaeological topography of the regions Kostajnica and Dvor (author: Ivan Mirnik)

mining">The mining
and minting rights of Croatian aristocracy
The genealogy of Nikola III Zrinski

The mining and minting rights of Croatian aristocracy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zrinski, Nikola 03 Zrinski Croatian Roman Catholics 16th-century Croatian people 15th-century Croatian people 1534 deaths 16th-century Croatian military personnel 15th-century Croatian nobility 16th-century Croatian nobility 1520s in Croatia