The 378th fortification on my site is Sztropkó (Slovak: Stropkov, German: Stropko) which is in Slovakia, it was once famous for its pentagonal castle. It was built in 1245 by one of the most distinguished families of our country, the Zudar family, as a border fortress, at the urging of King Béla IV after the Mongol invasion, to protect the Kingdom of Hungary. Location: https://tinyurl.com/3srhsf2s
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Historical sources tell us that the castle was built in the 13th century, and once it had an old tower and a palace wing, where the noble assemblies of the county were often held. It can be assumed that the settlement around the castle was also established at the same time as the castle.
Sztropkó stands in the northern part of the former Zemplén County, along the old road to Poland. Sztropkó Castle was once located in the center of the town, surrounded by a Baroque church of Gothic origin in the rectangular main square.
The castle building and adjoining foundation walls, which have been partially converted, are located behind the church. Apart from the castle church, this is all that remains of the once extensive and important fortress.
In the Middle Ages, Sztropkó was a market town and manorial center with customs collection rights, and 39 villages belonging to it. Its Gothic church, dedicated to St. Anna, dates back to the 14th century. The town had a school as early as the late 14th century.
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In 1473, it was briefly occupied by the Poles, but King Matthias Hunyadi expelled them. In that year, the castle was mentioned again as the center of the manor, which included 37 villages. The castle was returned to the Perényi family. However, as Perényi Miklós continued to plunder merchants by raiding from the castle, in 1483 Matthias commissioned the city of Kassa to seize the fortress.
As the royal envoys were attacked by Miklós’ brother Perényi István, the king besieged the castle of Sztropkó by Lábatlan András. After it was successfully captured, it was held for a time by Lábatlan András, and then, through the intercession of Perényi Imre, his family regained it from Matthias.
In 1491, it was captured by the Polish Prince Albert in a bloody siege, during which two members of the Perényi family died. Albert invaded the country but could not keep the castle of Sztropkó for long, and in 1492 Zudar Simon burnt the town and the castle.
After the terrible destruction, Perényi Imre handed the castle over to Archbishop Bakócz Tamás of Esztergom for 20,000 gold coins in 1493. The Archbishop took Sztropkó and its estates to the care of his brother Miklós and his relatives, the Erdődy family.
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️️In my article, you can read more about the history of Sztropkó:
https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/sztropko/
