Béla II of Hungary
Encyclopedia
Béla II the Blind (c. 1110 – 13 February 1141), King of Hungary
and Croatia (1131–1141). Still as a child, Béla was blinded by his uncle, King Coloman who wanted to ensure the succession of his own son, the future King Stephen II. During his childhood, Béla lived in different monasteries of the kingdom till the childless King Stephen II invited him to his court. Following King Stephen's death, Béla ascended the throne, but during his reign he had continuously struggle with King Coloman's alleged son, Boris who tried to acquire the crown with the military assistance of the neighbouring countries.
, the younger brother of King Coloman of Hungary. His mother was Predslava of Kiev. Duke Álmos led several rebellions against his brother, but finally, he and Béla were blinded in 1115. Father and son were living together in the Premonstratensian
Monastery of Dömös
till 1126, when Duke Álmos tried to organise a conspiracy against King Stephen II
, King Coloman's son and heir, but he failed and had to escape to the Byzantine Empire
. Following his father's escape, Béla was taken secretly to the Monastery of Pécsvárad
by his father's partisans.
In 1128, after the death of Duke Álmos, King Stephen was informed that his blind cousin was still living in Hungary, and he invited Béla to his court. Upon the king's request, Béla married Jelena
, a daughter of Serbian
Duke Uroš I of Raška, and the king granted the couple estates near Tolna
.
On 1 March 1131, the childless king died, and on 28 April, Béla was crowned in Székesfehérvár
, although King Stephen II had designated his sister's son, Saul his successor in 1126, but Saul had died before his uncle, or Béla's partisans managed to defeat him.
. She implaced her brother, Beloš, as the count palatine, giving him supreme command over the Hungarian Army and a commendable place in the Hungarian Royal Court.
Béla's entire reign was overshadowed by a conflict with Boris
, a son of King Coloman of doubtful legitimacy, in which Boris was supported by Poland
and Rus'
. In 1132, King Boleslaus III of Poland led a campaign with Rus' and Polish troops on Boris' behalf. When Béla were informed that the Polish and Rus' armies entered to Hungary, he assembled a meeting of the barons where all the participants were killed who did not want to declare Boris bastard. King Boleslaus and Boris were defeated near the Sajó
River on 22 July, but Boris was to prove a persistent claimant for a number of years to come.
respectively, thereby allying Hungary with two previously inimical states. His brothers-in-law convinced Emperor Lothair III
, who had been struggling against Poland, to include into the terms of the Peace of Merseburg with Boleslaw III that the Polish king would not support Boris against Béla any more.
In 1136, Béla managed to recover parts of Dalmatia
from the control of the Republic of Venice
, and sent an expedition into Bosnia
. In 1137, he gave the title of Duke of Bosnia, with acceptance from the entire country, to his younger son Ladislaus
.
Béla died from the effects of an overindulgence of alcohol.
(after 1109 – after 1146), daughter of duke Uroš I of Raška and his wife, Anna
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King of Hungary
The King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...
and Croatia (1131–1141). Still as a child, Béla was blinded by his uncle, King Coloman who wanted to ensure the succession of his own son, the future King Stephen II. During his childhood, Béla lived in different monasteries of the kingdom till the childless King Stephen II invited him to his court. Following King Stephen's death, Béla ascended the throne, but during his reign he had continuously struggle with King Coloman's alleged son, Boris who tried to acquire the crown with the military assistance of the neighbouring countries.
Early years
Béla was the only son of Duke ÁlmosPrince Álmos
Álmos was a Hungarian prince, the son of King Géza I of Hungary, brother of King Kálmán. He held several governmental posts in the Kingdom of Hungary....
, the younger brother of King Coloman of Hungary. His mother was Predslava of Kiev. Duke Álmos led several rebellions against his brother, but finally, he and Béla were blinded in 1115. Father and son were living together in the Premonstratensian
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
Monastery of Dömös
Dömös
Dömös is a village in Komárom-Esztergom County in Hungary.- Setting, geography :Dömös is located on the right side of the Danube, 16 kilometers from Esztergom and 45 km from Budapest. The also beautiful town, Visegrád is located 5 km east from Dömös. The highway No. 11 cross the village...
till 1126, when Duke Álmos tried to organise a conspiracy against King Stephen II
Stephen II of Hungary
Stephen II , King of Hungary and Croatia, ruled from 1116 until 1131. He was crowned as a child during his father's lifetime who wanted to ensure Stephen's succession against his brother, Duke Álmos. Stephen's reign was characterized by frequent struggles with neighbouring countries...
, King Coloman's son and heir, but he failed and had to escape to the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. Following his father's escape, Béla was taken secretly to the Monastery of Pécsvárad
Pécsvárad
-Sightseeings:Among the most significant Hungarian heritage from the Middle Ages is the castle built on a Benedictine monastery commissioned by King St Stephen. The building complex is now used as a museum and a hotel.-External links:*...
by his father's partisans.
In 1128, after the death of Duke Álmos, King Stephen was informed that his blind cousin was still living in Hungary, and he invited Béla to his court. Upon the king's request, Béla married Jelena
Helena of Raška
Helena of Serbia was Queen consort of Hungary through her marriage with Béla II, who ruled 1131–1141.-Life:Helena was the daughter of Duke Uroš I of Rascia and his wife, Anna Diogene-Vukanović...
, a daughter of Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
Duke Uroš I of Raška, and the king granted the couple estates near Tolna
Tolna
Tolna is a town in Tolna county, Hungary. It lies about north of Szekszárd and south of Budapest....
.
On 1 March 1131, the childless king died, and on 28 April, Béla was crowned in Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
, although King Stephen II had designated his sister's son, Saul his successor in 1126, but Saul had died before his uncle, or Béla's partisans managed to defeat him.
Struggles with Boris
As Béla was blind, his wife played a decisive role in governing his kingdom. Shortly after ascending the throne, Queen Helena ordered the massacre of the people she considered responsible for her husband's blinding at an assembly in AradArad, Romania
Arad is the capital city of Arad County, in western Romania, in the Crişana region, on the river Mureş.An important industrial center and transportation hub, Arad is also the seat of a Romanian Orthodox archbishop and features two universities, a Romanian Orthodox theological seminary, a training...
. She implaced her brother, Beloš, as the count palatine, giving him supreme command over the Hungarian Army and a commendable place in the Hungarian Royal Court.
Béla's entire reign was overshadowed by a conflict with Boris
Boris Kalamanos
Boris Kalamanos was a pretender who claimed the Hungarian throne. He desperately tried to assert his claims with the assistance of Poland, the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire, but he failed and died in exile.-His descent:...
, a son of King Coloman of doubtful legitimacy, in which Boris was supported by Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
. In 1132, King Boleslaus III of Poland led a campaign with Rus' and Polish troops on Boris' behalf. When Béla were informed that the Polish and Rus' armies entered to Hungary, he assembled a meeting of the barons where all the participants were killed who did not want to declare Boris bastard. King Boleslaus and Boris were defeated near the Sajó
Sajó
The Sajó is a river in Slovakia and Hungary.Its length is 229 km, of which 110 km is in Slovakia. Its source is in the Stolica Mountains range of the Slovak Ore Mountains. It flows through the Slovak town Rožňava and the Hungarian city Miskolc. In Hungary it flows through the county of...
River on 22 July, but Boris was to prove a persistent claimant for a number of years to come.
His policy
Béla's reign was notable for his foreign policy - his sisters Hedwig and Adelaide were married to a son of Margrave Leopold III of Austria and to Duke Sobeslav I of BohemiaSobeslav I of Bohemia
Sobeslaus I was Duke of Bohemia from 1125 until his death. He was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, the youngest son of Vratislaus II , the first Bohemian duke to also rule as king, with his third wife Svatava of Poland.-Life:...
respectively, thereby allying Hungary with two previously inimical states. His brothers-in-law convinced Emperor Lothair III
Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III of Supplinburg , was Duke of Saxony , King of Germany , and Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 to 1137. The son of Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia...
, who had been struggling against Poland, to include into the terms of the Peace of Merseburg with Boleslaw III that the Polish king would not support Boris against Béla any more.
In 1136, Béla managed to recover parts of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
from the control of the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, and sent an expedition into Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
. In 1137, he gave the title of Duke of Bosnia, with acceptance from the entire country, to his younger son Ladislaus
Ladislaus II of Hungary
Ladislaus II , King of Hungary. As a younger son, he was able to ascend to the throne only with the assistance of the Byzantine Empire against his nephew, King Stephen III after his brother's death...
.
Béla died from the effects of an overindulgence of alcohol.
Marriage and children
# c. 1129: Helena of RaškaHelena of Raška
Helena of Serbia was Queen consort of Hungary through her marriage with Béla II, who ruled 1131–1141.-Life:Helena was the daughter of Duke Uroš I of Rascia and his wife, Anna Diogene-Vukanović...
(after 1109 – after 1146), daughter of duke Uroš I of Raška and his wife, Anna
- ElisabethElisabeth of Hungary (1128–1154)Elisabeth of Hungary , was a Hungarian princess member of the House of Árpád and by marriage Duchess of Greater Poland.She was the eldest child of King Béla II of Hungary by his wife Helena, daughter of Duke Uroš I of Raška, Grand Župan of Serbia...
(c. 1129 – before 1155), wife of duke Mieszko III of PolandMieszko III the OldMieszko III the Old , of the royal Piast dynasty, was Duke of Greater Poland from 1138 and High Duke of Poland, with interruptions, from 1173 until his death.... - King Géza II of HungaryGéza II of HungaryGéza II , , King of Hungary, King of Croatia, Dalmatia and Rama . He ascended the throne as a child and during his minority the kingdom was governed by his mother and uncle...
(c. 1130 – 3 May 1162) - King Ladislaus II of HungaryLadislaus II of HungaryLadislaus II , King of Hungary. As a younger son, he was able to ascend to the throne only with the assistance of the Byzantine Empire against his nephew, King Stephen III after his brother's death...
(1131 – 14 January 1163) - King Stephen IV of HungaryStephen IV of HungaryStephen IV , King of Hungary . In his youth, he rebelled against his brother, King Géza II of Hungary and had to flee to the Court of the Byzantine Emperor, Manuel I Komnenos...
(c. 1133 – 11 April 1165) - Sophia (c. 1136 – ?), nun at AdmontAdmontAdmont is a town in Styria, Austria, with a population of 2775 . It is historically most notable for Admont Abbey, a monastery founded in 1074.-External links:* *...
Sources
- Engel, Pat. Realm of St. Stephen : A History of Medieval Hungary, 2001
- Kristó Gyula - Makk Ferenc: Az Árpád-ház uralkodói (IPC Könyvek, 1996)
- Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9-14. század), főszerkesztő: Kristó Gyula, szerkesztők: Engel Pál és Makk Ferenc (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1994)
- Magyarország Történeti Kronológiája I. – A kezdetektől 1526-ig, főszerkesztő: Benda Kálmán (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1981)
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