Ended Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–1711), restoring Habsburg authority in Hungary while granting amnesty to Kuruc rebels.
Key Facts
- Signed
- 29 April 1711 (ceremony 1 May 1711)
- War duration
- 1703–1711
- Rebel oath-takers
- 12,000 former Rákóczi supporters at Majtény
- Key Habsburg negotiator
- Field Marshal János Pálffy
- Decisive battle
- Battle of Trencsén, 1708
- Rebel commander who signed
- Sándor Károlyi
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following Habsburg conquest of Ottoman Hungary in the Great Turkish War, Hungarian magnates resisted the new rulers. Francis II Rákóczi led a rebellion from 1703 that spread across Upper Hungary, Transylvania, and Carpathian Ruthenia. A decisive defeat at the 1708 Battle of Trencsén weakened the Kuruc rebels, and Rákóczi's departure to seek Russian support left his forces under Sándor Károlyi, who pursued peace against his commander's orders.
Negotiations between Habsburg Field Marshal János Pálffy and Kuruc commander Sándor Károlyi produced a treaty signed at Szatmár on 29 April 1711. Emperor Charles VI, succeeding the recently deceased Joseph I, had strong incentive to secure peace before claiming the Hungarian crown. The accord granted general amnesty to Kuruc insurgents and pledged to maintain the constitutional integrity of the Hungarian and Transylvanian estates.
On 1 May 1711, some 12,000 former followers of Rákóczi swore allegiance to the House of Habsburg at Majtény, formally ending the eight-year rebellion. Rákóczi himself refused the terms and remained in exile in Poland. The treaty stabilized Habsburg rule in Hungary while preserving certain noble privileges, shaping the political relationship between the Habsburgs and the Hungarian estates for decades.
Political Outcome
Peace concluded; Kuruc rebels granted amnesty and swore loyalty to Habsburg Emperor Charles VI, ending Rákóczi's War of Independence.
Rákóczi-led Kuruc rebellion contested Habsburg control of Hungary and Transylvania
Habsburg authority restored; Hungarian and Transylvanian estates subordinated under Charles VI with guaranteed privileges