Glossary

Brother of Rudolf II who sought to usurp his brother's throne when Rudolf II proved unfit to rule and failed to provide a male heir. Learn more about the fraternal quarrel.

Melchior Klesl, an Austrian statesman born protestant and converted to Catholicism under the influence of the Jesuits. He became bishop of Vienna in 1598; but more important was his association with the archduke Matthias, brother of Rudolph II, which began about the same time. 

In Greek mythology, Clytemnestra was the daughter of Leda and Tyndareus, and the wife of Agamemnon, who led the Greek armies during the Trojan War. While her husband was away fighting, she began an affair with Aegisthus. When Agamemnon returned from the war, Clytemnestra and her lover conspired to kill him. Later, her son Orestes, aided by his sister Electra, murdered Clytemnestra to avenge their father's death.

A crucible is a a container that is used to change the state of a substance through the application of heat. It can also refer to a severe trail (as is the case with the Arthur Miller play and the Salem Witch Trials. 

Location of her Castle in the Little Carpathians. You may also see it spelled Čachtice. 

Deans are clerics that hold authority over certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. 

"German is too much to ask, isn't it?" in German

A meeting of estates or representatives, or even a legislative assembly.

Ecsed is a small village in northern Hungary where Erzsébet grew up.

Desiderius Erasmus was a Hungarian Christian humanist, Catholic priest and theologian, educationalist, satirist, and philosopher.

This is referring to the siege of Esztergom in 1595. There was another siege of Esztergom in 1543 in which the Ottoman's originally took the city. The siege in 1595 was the siege in which a Christian army retook the city from the Ottomans. Monteverdi would have been in the service of Duke Vincenzo I Gonzaga of Mantua at the time, and some sources say he moved to Esztergom after the siege. His early Baroque opera, Vespro, premiered at victory feast. 

In Bram Stoker's Dracula, the Solicitor Johnatan Harker, writes in his journal about having a couple of glasses of Golden Mediasch wine while dining with the Count, “which produces a queer sting on the tongue.” Golden Mediasch is a type of sweet wine named after the Romanian city of Mediaș.

Established in 1608, this alliance of protestant nobility was apposed to the accession of Matthias to the throne.

Sigismund Báthory (1572-1613) was Erzsébet's first cousin and a prince of Transylvania whose unpopular anti-Turkish policy led to civil war.

A high official in the household of a medieval king, prince, or noble.

Mithras was a Roman god around whom grew a popular mystery religion known as Mithraism. Mithras was a demiurgic figure, believed to be the god of oaths and justice, as well as having influence over the sun, water and cattle. The summer solstice was very important in Mithraism. 

Vespers are an evening prayer service in the Catholic Church, and Claudio Monteverdi wrote two famous vespers: the most famous in 1610 and another in 1650. Learn more here.

A book by minister and writer István Magyari that criticized the social and political conditions of his time.

Translates to "Where do you come from?"

The Palatine was the highest ranking official in the Kingdom of Hungary. The holder of this office served as deputy to the king.

Juan Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for the leading the first expedition to Puerto Rico in 1508 and Florida in 1513. Legend had it that he was searching for the fountain of youth. Learn more about the legend here. 

This is a quote from the Bible that translates to "that which is Caesar's, to Caesar." This was Jesus's response when asked if people should pay taxes to Rome.

A quote from Genesis 10 in the Bible which is The Table of Nations. This chapter lists in great detail who is the father of whom. 

Sárvár is a town in Hungary where Erzsébet and Ferenc had one of their many Nádasdy castles. It lies off the bank of the River Rába at Kemeneshát and is known for being swampy. Learn more about the castle here.  

This latin phrase translates to "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Nickname

Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274) was an Italian philosopher and theologian known as the Angelic Doctor. He was known for advocating for the belief in God through reason. He believed that all war was unlawful. 

Tinnitus is a medical term for ringing in the ears. The sound fills your head with ringing, clicking, pulsing, humming or rushing.

This German verb translates as "to chirp," but Erzsébet is using it here like the Yiddish word "Tshepen" which means to annoy or irk. The “chirp” is the pricking on the tongue the wine gives.

This joke refers to the very complicated relationship between different religions at this time. Protestantism was on the rise, spreading throughout Hungary, and Catholicism was discouraged. This joke implies a Catholic village would have less value.

A semi-independent local ruler or governor of Transylvania.

The fair­ies and demons in Hun­garian and Transylvanian be­liefs are known by sev­eral names: fair lady, white lady or fancy lady. Their name is a ta­boo, which means that they were con­sidered so for­mid­able that people did not dare to men­tion their name. They are young, long-haired ladies of al­lur­ing beauty, of­ten dressed in white, gen­er­ally roam­ing in groups, mainly at aban­doned places, along creeks, next to bridges or in the depth of forests. Sometimes synonymous with witches.

In the greek play, Electra by Sophocles, the chorus of women from Argos serves mainly to console Electra who is consumed by grief and rage following the murder of her father by her mother, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus.