Antal Ligeti

The castle Divin was built at the end of the 13th or early 14th century. At first it belonged to the Tomaj and Lossonczy families, which gradually expanded it. Divín was mentioned for the first time in written sources in 1329, eight years after the death of the rebellious magnate Matthew III Csák, who also seized Divín for some time. After the rebellion of nobles in 1469, castle came under the control of King Matthias Corvinus, who gave it to Michael Orszagh. Soon, however, it switched to Jan Nádasda Ongor, and after the death of his daughter Catherine, Sigismund Balassa seized Divín by force.
The castle played an important role in the system of defense of Central Slovak cities against the Turks, especially in the 16th century. After the capture of Fiľakovo by the Turks in 1554, it was expanded and fortified. Despite new fortifications, it was captured by the Turks in 1575. They have made Divín a base for plundering raids to the surrounding areas. The castle returned to the Balass family after a successful siege in 1593.
In the second half of the 17th century, the owner of Divín was Imrich Balassa, who was infamous for his attacks and plunder of the surrounding villages. To bring him to court in 1666, the castle was besieged by the Palatine Wesselényi’s army. Seeing no chance for effective defense, the garrison of the castle handed Imrich, but he soon thanks to familiarity and bribes was released and settled in the estate under the castle. What’s more, he defeated the imperial garrison and took his main seat again. In 1674, there was another, six-week siege, and the next after only five years, which this time finally ended in the capture and destruction of the castle. It was later handed over to the Zichy family, but it was never rebuilt again.