Gabriel went to Szeben (now Sibiu in Romania), the wealthiest Saxon town, on 10 December. Although only 50 soldiers accompanied him into the town, his army was stationed on the outskirts. Gabriel stopped at the gate of the town the following day, pretending that he only wanted to study it; while the gate was open, his army unexpectedly marched in and captured the town without resistance. He said that he wanted to secure his entry into Szeben because the Saxons could refuse monarchs entry into their towns. According to the contemporaneous Diego de Estrada, Gabriel wanted to transfer his capital to Szeben from Gyulafehérvár (now Alba Iulia in Romania), which had been destroyed during the Long Turkish War. The Diet declared Szeben capital of the principality on 17 December, limiting its privileges, authorizing noblemen to acquire real estate and Calvinist priests to preach in the town's Lutheran churches.