Editing Christopher Báthory (section)

== Reign ==
[[Image:Partium1570.PNG|thumb|right|alt=Transylvania and the neighboring regions|[[Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711)|Principality of Transylvania]] in 1570]]

Stephen Báthory was elected King of Poland on 15 December 1575.{{sfn|Barta|1994|p=260}} He adopted the title of Prince of Transylvania and made Christopher voivode on 14 January 1576.{{sfn|Markó|2006|p=101}}{{sfn|Szegedi|2009|p=101}} An Ottoman delegation confirmed Christopher's appointment at the Diet in Gyulafehérvár (now [[Alba Iulia]] in Romania) in July.{{sfn|Szabó|2012|p=182}}{{sfn|Granasztói|1981|p=404}} The sultan's charter (or ''[[ahidnâme]]'') sent to Christopher emphasized that he should keep the peace along the frontiers.{{sfn|Felezeu|2009|p=54}} Stephen set up a separate chancellery in Kraków to keep an eye on the administration of Transylvania.{{sfn|Barta|1994|p=263}}{{sfn|Felezeu|2009|p=27}} The head of the new chancellery, Márton Berzeviczy, and Christopher cooperated closely.{{sfn|Szabó|2012|p=182}}

[[Nontrinitarianism|Anti-Trinitarian]] preachers began to condemn the worshiping of Jesus in [[Partium]] and [[Székely Land]] in 1576, although the Diet had already forbade all doctrinal innovations.{{sfn|Keul|2009|pp=119, 121}} Ferenc Dávid, the most influential leader of the Unitarian Church of Transylvania, openly joined the dissenters in the autumn of 1578.{{sfn|Keul|2009|p=121}} Christopher invited [[Fausto Sozzini]], a leading Anti-Trinitarian theologian, to Transylvania to convince Dávid that the new teaching was erroneous.{{sfn|Barta|1994|p=260}} Since Dávid refused to obey, Christopher held a Diet and the "[[Unio Trium Nationum|Three Nations]]" (including the Unitarian delegates) ordered Dávid's imprisonment.{{sfn|Barta|1994|p=260}}{{sfn|Szegedi|2009|pp=106–107}} Christopher also supported his brother's attempts to strengthen the position of the Roman Catholic Church in Transylvania.{{sfn|Szabó|2012|p=182}}{{sfn|Barta|1994|p=260}} He granted estates to the Jesuits to promote the establishment of a college in Kolozsvár (now [[Cluj-Napoca]] in Romania) on 5 May 1579.{{sfn|Granasztói|1981|p=405}}

Christopher fell seriously ill after his second wife, Elisabeth Bocskai, died in early 1581.{{sfn|Szabó|2012|p=182}} After a false rumor about Christopher's death reached Istanbul, [[Koca Sinan Pasha]] proposed Transylvania to [[Pál Márkházy]] whom Christopher had been forced into exile.{{sfn|Papp|2004|p=61}} Although Christopher's only surviving son [[Sigismund Báthory|Sigismund]] was still a minor, the Diet elected him as voivode before Christopher's death, because they wanted to prevent the appointment of Márkházy.{{sfn|Markó|2006|p=101}}{{sfn|Szabó|2012|p=182}}{{sfn|Papp|2004|p=61}} Christopher died in Gyulafehérvár on 27 May 1581.{{sfn|Markó|2006|p=101}} He was buried in the Jesuits' church in Gyulafehérvár, almost two years later, on 14 March 1583.{{sfn|Szabó|2012|p=182}}