 After Rudolph's troops defeated the Ottomans in a series of battles in the autumn of 1593, Sigismund decided to join the Holy League, provided that Rudolph acknowledged the independence of Transylvania from the Hungarian Crown.However, the delegates of the Three Nations refused to declare war against the Ottoman Empire at three consecutive Diets between May and July.Sigismund abdicated, tasking Balthasar Báthory with the government in late July.