1. Francis II Rákóczi and the Rákóczi's War of Independence

2. Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi was born on 27 March 1676 in Borsi, and died on 8 April 1735 in Rodostó.
He was a Hungarian aristocrat, the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania. Today he is considered a national hero in Hungary.

3. Francis II Rákóczi
He was one of the richest landlords in the Kingdom of Hungary. He was the third of three children born to Francis I Rákóczi, elected ruling prince of Transylvania. Ilona Zrínyi was his mother, who was the daughter of Péter Zrínyi, Ban of Croatia. Francis II Rákóczi’s grandfather and great-grandfather, both called George, were Princes of Transylvania. He had a brother, George, who died as a baby before Francis was born, and a sister, Julianna, who was four years older than Francis. His father died when Francis II was four months old.
In this picture you can see Francis II Rákóczi when he was eight years old.

4. Francis II Rákóczi
He married Amália Sarolta. She was the Hessen-Wanfried princess. They held the wedding on 26. September 1694 in the Dome of Köln. They had three children: Lipót Rákóczi, Joseph Rákóczi and George Rákóczi.

5. The Rákóczi War of Independence
This uprise started in 1703 and ended in 1711.
In 1686, Hungary was liberated from the Turks, but came under Habsburg rule and the suffering of the people continued. The young Francis Rákóczi, the wealthiest landowner in the country, had learnt the oppressive methods of the Viennese court through personal experience. The Habsburgs separated him from his family in his youth and deprived him of his freedom, but Rákóczi escaped from the prison in Wiener Neustadt and managed to reach Poland before his threatened trial for treason.

6. The Rákóczi's War for Independence
As a consequence, under the leadership of Prince Francis Rákóczi, the Hungarians started their first significant freedom fight against the Habsburg domination. In a short time, he had an army of seventy thousand which soon swelled to one hundred thousand.

7. The Rákóczi's War of Independence
With this army at his disposal, he quickly occupied the greater part of the country. By this time the war of independence - which began as a popular uprising - was joined by large numbers of the nobility.
In 1705 the Diet elected Rákóczi as the ruling prince of the confederation of insurgent Hungarian nobles, announced the dethronement of the Hapsburgs, and in 1707 proclaimed the independence of Hungary.

8. The Rákóczi's War of Independence
Independence could not be obtained and economic and cultural development was hemmed by the subsequent oppression. Nevertheless the country was rebuilt. Later Count István Széchenyi had a leading role in the spiritual and economic “regeneration” of Hungary.