Odorhei

Odorhei, known in Hungarian as Székelyudvarhely, was a centre of the Székely lands in eastern Transylvania. Its castle became a visible symbol of the struggle between the princes of Transylvania and the Székely communities over their rights and obligations.

In 1562 common Székelys rebelled against the erosion of their freedoms, but Prince John Sigismund suppressed the rising. He strengthened the fortress at Odorhei to keep the district under control, placing a princely garrison among the communities that had risen against him; it was known as Székelytámadt, recalling the rebellion. In 1599 the inhabitants demolished it after the fall of Prince Andrew Báthory. Rebuilt in the seventeenth century, the fortress suffered Ottoman attack in 1661 and was damaged yet again by Kuruc troops in 1704.