Bocskai organized the revolt and persuaded the Hungarian military Hajduks to join, defeating the imperial forces and foreign mercenaries.

Bocskai was declared Prince of Transylvania and Hungary, but recognized that total Hungarian independence impossible against the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire.

He blazed a political trail for his supporters: the preservation of an independent Transylvania, a potential base for the unification of Hungary.

The Kingdom of Hungary (which had lost territory) was governed by the Hofkriegsrat, the Hofkammer [de], the Hofkanzlei and the Secret Council, based in Vienna.

Complaints in the national parliaments included the behavior of foreign officials and mercenaries and the fact that the Habsburgs spent little time in Hungary.

The Habsburg Monarchy (Austria, Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, and Moravia) joined the Transylvanian and Ottoman vassal states of Moldavia and Wallachia.

The Tatar auxiliary of the Ottoman army wrought havoc in Hungary, and several thousand men died of hunger and disease.

Most of the Transylvanian Assembly feared that Turkish troops would loot Transylvania before the Christian army arrived, however, and the prince's plan was not adopted.

Others were imprisoned because prince Sigismund Bathory had pardoned János Gerendi, Albert Lónyai, György Szalánczi and Boldizsár Szilvásy.

[4] At the turn of the 17th century, the Long Turkish War led to the empire accumulating millions of Rhine forints in annual debt.

Infringement (high treason) and betrayal lawsuits were brought against the wealthiest Hungarian barons and families, usually with the loss of property and goods.

Legal proceedings were even brought against soldiers in the Long Turkish War: Sigismund Rákóczi, Tamás Nádasdy, Mihály Telekessy, and the Alaghy, Balassa, Drugeth and Kállay families from Homonna.

Bocskai had to hire former Hajduks to defend himself from an imperial attempt to prevent his arrest for treason and save his property from consfication.

[18] After his victory in Osgyán, Basta marched to Edelény and the valley near Ládbesenyő; he was surrounded by Bocskai's armies and Turkish auxiliary troops.

Headquartered in Kassa, he carefully organized his army, dissolved opposition from the Hajduks, serfs and nobility, and formulated plans for the operation with Ferenc Rhédey.

The region had a tradition of anti-Turkish sentiment due to the devastation brought by Akinji raids, and Némethy was unable to conquer the western cities protecting Vienna.

The emperor's armies counterattacked in the districts of Komárom, Érsekújvár and Esztergom, and Mátyás Somogyi transferred his three thousand western-Hungarian troops to the imperial side.

A battle for Transylvania began in October; Szatmar was besieged, falling to the insurgents at the end of January after the imperial supply line was cut.

On September 24, Rudolf issued a proclamation that he would hand over Ugocsa, Bereg, Szatmár and Szabolcs counties, Tokaj castle, and the market towns of Tarcal, Bodrogkeresztúr and Olaszliszka to Bocskai.