The House of Bethlen is the name of two Hungarian ancient noble families, Bethlen de Iktár and Bethlen de Bethlen. Although both families have similar coat of arms, they have no proven mutual ancestry.[1] Both can trace their noble lineage up to 12th and the 13th centuries, and their family members played a significant role in the history of Transylvania and Hungary within the Habsburg Empire.[2]
Bethlen is the Hungarian and adopted German name of two places in Transylvania, Romania, which are both called Beclean in Romanian: the town of Beclean in Bistriţa-Năsăud County, and the commune of Beclean (German: Bethlen or Badlinen, Hungarian: Bethlen), in Braşov County.
Partial, chronological list.