Nikola III Zrinski

This article is about the Croatian nobleman. For other people, see Nikola III.

Nikola III Zrinski Zrínyi III. Miklós
Knez
Image of Nikola III Zrinski on a silver thaler minted in Gvozdansko
Predecessor	Petar II Zrinski
Successor	Nikola IV Zrinski
Born	1488 or 1489
Died	1534 Zrin, Kingdom of Croatia.
Buried	Franciscan church of St. Margaret
Noble family	House of Zrinski
Spouse(s)	Jelena née Karlović, sister of Ivan Karlović
Issue	Jelena (m. Ferenc Tahy) Margareta Ivan I Juraj III Nikola IV Petar III
Father	Petar II Zrinski
Mother	Jelena Babonić

Nikola III Zrinski (1488 or 1489? – 1534) was a Croatian nobleman, a member of the Zrinski noble family, influential in the Kingdom of Croatia.

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 of Krbava, a sister of Ivan Karlović, future Ban (Viceroy) of Croatia. They had six children, among them Nikola IV Zrinski, one of the greatest military leaders in Croatian history and a national hero both in Croatia and in Hungary.

Nikola is known for his attendance of the 1527 election in Cetin when Ferdinand I, Archduke of Austria 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 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, and hero of the Siege of Szigetvár (1566).

External links

• Nikola III Zrinski in an essay of the archaeological topography of the regions Kostajnica and Dvor (author: Ivan Mirnik)
• The mining and minting rights of Croatian aristocracy
• The genealogy of Nikola III Zrinski
• The mining and minting rights of Croatian aristocracy