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Gusztáv, 5th Prince Batthyány-Strattmann (December 8, 1803 – April 25, 1883) was a Hungarian nobleman who bred horses in England where he was commonly known as Count Batthyány.
Biography
Batthyány was the son of Count Antal Batthyány de Németújvár and of his wife, Countess Mária Anna Festetics de Tolna. His family seat was Németújvár in western Hungary (now in Austria). The Batthyány family can trace its roots to the founding of Hungary in 896 AD by Árpád to one of seven princes called Urs.
As a young man Batthyány emigrated to England where he became well known as an owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. In 1843 he established his own stud operation and in 1859 was elected to the Jockey Club. He hired trainer John Dawson to condition his horses at Newmarket. In 1875 his horse Galopin won the Epsom Derby and went on to be the Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1888, 1889 and 1898. Galopin was the damsire of Bayardo and of the 1886 U.K. Triple Crown Champion, Flying Fox.
Batthyány was involved in the Magyar national movement as a member of the constitutional Hungarian Ministry of 1848. In 1851 he signed a letter together with Count Kázmér Batthyány, Bertalan Szemere, and Prince Paul Esterházy to his old friends, the Duke of Wellington and Lord Melbourne accusing Lajos Kossuth of high treason and terrorism. This letter exposed the divisions in the Magyar national movement to English supporters.
In 1838 Batthyány donated his entire library including the Rohonc Codex to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
In 1870 Batthyány's second cousin Philipp, 4th Prince Batthyány-Strattmann died without children. Batthyány succeeded as the 5th Prince Batthyány-Strattmann.
Batthyány died in 1883 after suffering a heart attack while attending a luncheon at the Jockey Club. His heirs sold off his bloodstock at the Tattersalls July Sale at Newmarket.
Marriage and family
On December 14, 1828 Batthyány married Freiin Wilhelmine von Ahrenfeld. They had two sons:
- Edmund, 6th Prince Batthyány-Strattmann (20 November 1826 - 29 October 1914)
- Count Gustav Batthyány (3 September 1828 - 27 August 1906)