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Hard times for the Crown, hard times for Trenčín

                                             - Long live the King !

Since the end of the 16th century, Trenčín was being afflicted by fires, plague, and frequent floods of the river Váh. Neither did the city escape global political problems – most of all a lengthy war with the Turks lasting almost 15 years with a number of shorter intermissions, and, of course, consequences of the reformation movement coming from Europe. This gave rise to a great tension between the high-ranked nobles who were in favour of the new faith, and the Catholic power. The Ileąházis were strong advocates of the Protestant faith. In the twenties of the 17th century almost the whole population of the city had already been Lutheran. The Catholic Hapsburgs were never at ease with the spread of the reformation. It was the more decisive Emperor Rudolf II who took advantage of the war with the Turks in Hungary in order to confiscate the property of the protestant nobles.  In order to get their property back, the nobles rose to a defiant opposition. Such anti-Hapsburg uprisings continued until the beginning of the 18th century. It was during the uprising in 1622 when the nobles even took the Hungarian crown and were hiding it at the Trenčín castle for three months. Czech nobles were harshly calmed at the Battle of Biela Hora in 1620, followed by a violent re-catholicizing and expulsion of the non-Catholics from the country. It was in Trenčín where many of them found their refuge and settled down.