John Zápolya

Type Figure Region Hungary Time 1487–1540 Also known as John Zápolya、Szapolyai János、Ioan Zápolya、扎波尧·约翰

Leader of the Hungarian Zápolya family, he declared himself king of Hungary after the Battle of Mohács in 1526, contesting the throne with the Habsbu…

Timeline

1521–1525Transylvania · TransylvaniaAs one of the most powerful nobles in eastern Hungary, he governed Transylvania, consolidating local military and political resources as the central authority of Louis II weakened, accumulating strength for the post-war struggle over the throne.
1526Mohács · HungaryIn the Battle of Mohács in August 1526 the Ottomans defeated and killed Louis II; János was acclaimed king of Hungary by the nobles at Székesfehérvár and immediately faced Ferdinand I's claim to the throne based on hereditary right.
1527–1530Buda · HungaryFerdinand was crowned at Pressburg at the end of 1526 and civil war broke out between the two sides; János, forced into exile, sought aid from Suleiman, and in 1528 Ottoman reinforcements helped him recover part of his territory, leaving Hungary in a long period of divided rule.

Sources

Encyclopaedia Britannica: John I
The Kingdom of Hungary and the Habsburg Monarchy in the Sixteenth Century — Géza Pálffy (2009)