1672 Pika's revolt and Sporck's reprisalsPikovo povstanie a Sporckove represálie

In 1672, after a failed conspiracy of Hungarian nobles against the Habsburgs, Protestant nobles, soldiers and peasants across Orava rose under Gašpar Pika and held Orava Castle for several weeks. Imperial mercenaries under General Sporck took it back, and the punishment was staged to be watched: Pika was executed, and with him a number of šoltýsi, the hereditary village mayors who had led their people out. How many died, and by what methods, is not actually known — four old depictions of Pika's execution survive and no two agree — and the emperor's own council complained that Sporck had gone too far. What is certain is the message the estate was sending, and it held for a century.V roku 1672, po nezdarenom sprisahaní uhorských šľachticov proti Habsburgovcom, sa na celej Orave vzbúrili evanjelickí zemania, vojaci aj poddaní pod vedením Gašpara Piku a na niekoľko týždňov obsadili Oravský hrad. Cisárski žoldnieri generála Sporcka hrad dobyli späť a trest bol nachystaný tak, aby ho bolo vidieť: Piku popravili a s ním aj viacerých šoltýsov, dedičných richtárov, ktorí svojich ľudí do povstania priviedli. Koľkí zomreli a akým spôsobom, sa v skutočnosti nevie — zachovali sa štyri staré vyobrazenia Pikovej popravy a ani dve sa nezhodujú — a na Sporckovu krutosť sa sťažovala aj cisárska rada. Isté je, aký odkaz panstvo vysielalo, a platil celé storočie.