he studied in the unitarian academy at kolozsvár (today: "cluj-napoca, romania"). after that his educator was pál keresztúri in the court of george ii rákóczi. he participated in the prince's unsuccessful campaign against the kingdom of poland in 1657. in the next year rákóczi commissioned him to negotiate with habsburg hungary in pressburg and vienna to organize an alliance against the ottoman empire which did not tolerate rákóczi's foreign policy.