In the dynastic succession struggles after the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Dobó was consistently on the side of the Habsburg King Ferdinand I rather than that of John Zápolya.

There were six children from the marriage: Ferenc, László, István, Domokos, Anna and Katalin.

He became famous as a result of his successful defence of the castle during the 1552 Siege of Eger, in which 2,100 defenders were able to withstand the onslaught of 80,000 Ottoman soldiers.

When Transylvania was separated from Hungary in 1556, Dobó was given ownership of the castle of Léva (now: Levice, Slovakia) in compensation.

[2] Accused of treason against the King, Dobó spent several years imprisoned in the castle of Pozsony (now Bratislava, Slovakia).