Annales Collegii Nobilium Opolienses 8 (2019) Ferenc Tóth* Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary The Voivode Józef Potocki and the Prince Francis Rákóczi II Abstract: The recent revival of studies on the Hungarian War of Independence led by Francis Rákóczi II (1703-1711) since the last international conferences on this topic encouraged research on the most important events of European diplomacy in the period of the Spanish Succession War. The importance of the Hungarian War of Independence consists in its capacity of forcing the Habsburg Empire to open a secondary war in Hungary and thus improving France’s military dispositions. Prince Francis Rákóczi II, who is internationally by far the best-known member of his family, is one of the most popular national heroes. Keywords: Francis Rákóczi II, Hungarian War of Independence, Spanish Suc- cession War The recent revival of studies on the Hungarian War of Independence led by Francis Rákóczi II (1703–1711) since the last international confer- ences1 on this topic encouraged research on the most important events of European diplomacy in the period of the Spanish Succession War. The importance of the Hungarian War of Independence consists in its capacity of forcing the Habsburg Empire to open a secondary war in *
[email protected], Tóth, F. (2019). The Voivode Józef Potocki and the Prince Francis Rákóczi II. Annales Collegii Nobilium Opolienses, 8, pp. 43–57. 1 The most important event was the international conference “Europe and Hungary in the Age of Ferenc II Rákóczi” organized by the University of Reformed Church Gáspár Károli of Budapest on 24–26th September 2003 (published in Studia Caroliensia 2004/3–4).