Genetic identification of members of the prominent Báthory aristocratic family
Alexandra Gînguță,
Bence Kovács,
Oszkár Schütz,
Balázs Tihanyi,
Emil Nyerki,
Kitti Maár,
Zoltán Maróti,
Gergely I.B. Varga,
Dan Băcueț-Crișan,
Timea Keresztes,
Tibor Török,
Endre Neparáczki
Affiliations
Alexandra Gînguță
Department of Archaeogenetics, Institute of Hungarian Research, Budapest, Hungary
Bence Kovács
Department of Archaeogenetics, Institute of Hungarian Research, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Genetics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
Oszkár Schütz
Department of Archaeogenetics, Institute of Hungarian Research, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Genetics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
Balázs Tihanyi
Department of Archaeogenetics, Institute of Hungarian Research, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Biological Anthropology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
Emil Nyerki
Department of Archaeogenetics, Institute of Hungarian Research, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Health Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
Kitti Maár
Department of Archaeogenetics, Institute of Hungarian Research, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Genetics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
Zoltán Maróti
Department of Archaeogenetics, Institute of Hungarian Research, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Health Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
Gergely I.B. Varga
Department of Archaeogenetics, Institute of Hungarian Research, Budapest, Hungary
Dan Băcueț-Crișan
Department of Archaeology, History and Art Museum Zalău, Zalău, Romania
Timea Keresztes
Department of Archaeology, History and Art Museum Zalău, Zalău, Romania
Tibor Török
Department of Archaeogenetics, Institute of Hungarian Research, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Genetics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary; Ancient and Modern Human Genomics Competence Center, Centre of Excellence for Interdisciplinary Research, Development and Innovation of the University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary; Corresponding author
Endre Neparáczki
Department of Archaeogenetics, Institute of Hungarian Research, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Genetics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary; Ancient and Modern Human Genomics Competence Center, Centre of Excellence for Interdisciplinary Research, Development and Innovation of the University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
Summary: The Báthory family was one of the most powerful noble families in the medieval Hungarian Kingdom. Their influence peaked during the Ottoman occupation of Hungary, when the only partially autonomous region of the country was Transylvania, under Turkish protectorate. Several members of the family became Princes of Transylvania, and one of them, István Báthory, was also the elected King of Poland. We hereby present the first genetic data about this extinct family. Archaeological excavations in Pericei, a settlement now part of Romania, revealed the former family chapel of the Báthory family. Through this work, two Báthory family members were successfully identified among the 13 skeletons found at the site. The presence of Y chromosome haplogroup R-S498 fits the historical account describing the family’s German (Swabian) origins. Their genomic composition also indicates a family of Germanic origin that intermixed with medieval Hungarians.
