Written by József Paál, heritage conservation engineer
I imagine it may come as a surprise that the following lines are about an unknown lady — but if I introduce her as the wife of Bálint Török, her identity becomes far more recognisable. Bálint Török, whom we know as a famous historical figure, counted Szigliget among his estates. His wife spent a long period in the castle, and her life was movingly tragic. Her story reveals a woman of remarkable dignity — steadfast even in the face of adversity.
The Pemfflinger family originated from the area around Regensburg; they were nobles and merchants who appeared first in Vienna and later in Buda. Katalin's father, János Pemfflinger, lived in Buda from 1477 as a renowned merchant and elected chief magistrate. Katalin herself was one of the most favoured ladies-in-waiting of Mary of Habsburg, wife of King Louis II.
She married Bálint Török on 9 October 1524. They had two sons, János and Ferenc.
Bálint Török took part in and survived the Battle of Mohács, after which he became a supporter of King Ferdinand, defending his own estates in the process. He later sided with János Szapolyai, fighting against the Habsburgs and the landowning nobility with Ottoman support during the desperately turbulent years between 1526 and 1541.
As a noblewoman, she lived the life expected of her station — managing the vast estate and its countless burdens during her husband's long absences, all under his protection. That protection vanished in 1541, when the Ottomans "liberated" the Buda Castle besieged by the Habsburgs and, with true Eastern cunning, captured Bálint Török, who had been invited as a guest. The news was brought to his wife — who was staying in Somogyvár at the time — by Imre Martonfalvay, the clerk.
Left to fend for herself, she bore the burden of defending the estate against greedy and violent neighbours. She moved every stone and spent every coin in her efforts to secure her husband's release, but the gates of the Tower of Blood never opened. Raising her two still-underage sons — an endeavour also noted by the chronicler Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos — was naturally among her most important duties as a mother. Records show that she spent an extended period at Szigliget, which was then in her possession, where she had the well-known fortification works carried out with the assistance of clerk Martonfalvay. It was at this time that the women's house was demolished, its stones used to build the roundel. In her situation, she had no choice but to turn to King Ferdinand for pardon and assistance — for her own protection and that of her children. The negotiations were taken in hand by Ferenc Batthyány, who also became the guardian of her children. The royal charter recording the agreement was issued in Nuremberg in September 1542. Under its terms, she was required to surrender several significant castles in her possession to the King — including Szigetvár — along with other estates that had previously been unlawfully seized. It is worth noting that Szigliget was not returned to its original owner, Gáspár Lengyel, at this time.
Her life was filled with harassment, court proceedings, pleas for her husband's release, and mounting financial hardship. Those who had suffered at the hands of her husband's bloody land acquisitions now took their revenge on his wife. The family was driven from Csurgó and found refuge in Szigliget for a time, before being forced to move to Németújvár, then to Pápa, and finally to Debrecen, on their former estate. Every effort she made to secure her husband's release — whether through the Ottomans, Queen Isabella, Friar George, or the Habsburgs on multiple occasions — proved fruitless. In the political power game, no one had any interest in seeing a strong, wealthy, and experienced leader return to Hungary.
After her husband's death in 1550, Katalin Pemfflinger died in 1553 at the age of 47. Both of her sons went on to become celebrated warriors against the Ottomans.