Even before his death, Bocskai's partisans regarded his uprising as a war for the independence of Hungary.
The archivist János S. Debreceni described him as a new Gideon in December 1604.
Most modern historians also regard him as the leader of a national movement which was an antecedent of Rákóczi's War of Independence and the Hungarian Revolution of 1848.
Others state, Bocskai who was the Ottomans' ally did not take up arms for the restoration of an independent Kingdom of Hungary, because he could only hope to rule a country under Ottoman suzerainty.
For instance, Géza Pálffy emphasizes, most Hungarian noblemen remained loyal to the Habsburg monarch, thus Bocskai's uprising should be described as a civil war.

Bocskai was also described as a champion of religious freedom.
The Hajdús who joined him on 14 October 1604 emphasized that they wanted "to defend Christianity, our country and dear homeland, and especially the one true faith" (that is Calvinism).
Shortly after Bocskai's death, Drugeth's priest, Menyhárt Bornemissza Váci, described him as a new Moses who could not enter the Promised Land.
Bocskai was the first Calvinist prince of Transylvania.
His statue can be found on the Reformation Wall in Geneva.

Although the Peace of Vienna and the laws of 1608 were eroded and partially neutralised as time went on by the pressures of Habsburg absolutism, they nevertheless represented an important landmark in Hungary's development and a valuable set of precedents for a people adept in the use of precedents.
The new laws maintained and strengthened Hungary's claim to special treatment among the lands ruled by the Habsburg Monarchy; they established, for Hungary, the principle of religious freedom and ensured that Hungary would once again – for the time being, at least – be governed by Hungarian officers of state through the Hungarian Diet, and a Hungarian treasury.
István Bocskai's achievement, of which he did not live to see the fruits, was substantial.

— Bryan Cartledge: The Will to Survive: A History of Hungary
Even before his death, Bocskai's partisans regarded his uprising as a war for the independence of Hungary. The archivist János S. Debreceni described him as a new Gideon in December 1604. Most modern historians also regard him as the leader of a national movement which was an antecedent of Rákóczi's War of Independence and the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Others state, Bocskai who was the Ottomans' ally did not take up arms for the restoration of an independent Kingdom of Hungary, because he could only hope to rule a country under Ottoman suzerainty. For instance, Géza Pálffy emphasizes, most Hungarian noblemen remained loyal to the Habsburg monarch, thus Bocskai's uprising should be described as a civil war.
Bocskai was also described as a champion of religious freedom. The Hajdús who joined him on 14 October 1604 emphasized that they wanted "to defend Christianity, our country and dear homeland, and especially the one true faith" (that is Calvinism). Shortly after Bocskai's death, Drugeth's priest, Menyhárt Bornemissza Váci, described him as a new Moses who could not enter the Promised Land. Bocskai was the first Calvinist prince of Transylvania. His statue can be found on the Reformation Wall in Geneva.
Although the Peace of Vienna and the laws of 1608 were eroded and partially neutralised as time went on by the pressures of Habsburg absolutism, they nevertheless represented an important landmark in Hungary's development and a valuable set of precedents for a people adept in the use of precedents. The new laws maintained and strengthened Hungary's claim to special treatment among the lands ruled by the Habsburg Monarchy; they established, for Hungary, the principle of religious freedom and ensured that Hungary would once again – for the time being, at least – be governed by Hungarian officers of state through the Hungarian Diet, and a Hungarian treasury. István Bocskai's achievement, of which he did not live to see the fruits, was substantial.
— Bryan Cartledge: The Will to Survive: A History of Hungary
Stephen Bocskai