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Béla II of Hungary

February 13, 2023

Béla the Blind (Hungarian: Vak Béla; Croatian: Bela Slijepi; Slovak: Belo Slepý; c. 1109 – 13 February 1141) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1131 to 1141. He was blinded along with his rebellious father Álmos on the order of Álmos's brother, King Coloman of Hungary. Béla grew up in monasteries during the reign of Coloman's son Stephen II. The childless king arranged Béla's marriage with Helena of Rascia, who would become her husband's co-ruler throughout his reign.

Béla II
King of Hungary and Croatia
Reign1131–1141
Coronation28 April 1131
PredecessorStephen II
SuccessorGéza II
Bornc. 1109
Died13 February 1141 (aged 31–32)
Burial
Székesfehérvár Basilica
SpouseHelena of Serbia
Issue
more ...
DynastyÁrpád dynasty
FatherÁlmos of Hungary
MotherPredslava of Kiev
ReligionRoman Catholic

Béla was crowned king at least two months after the death of Stephen II, implying that his accession to the throne did not happen without opposition. Two violent purges were carried out among the partisans of his predecessors to strengthen Béla's rule. King Coloman's alleged son Boris tried to dethrone Béla but the king and his allies defeated the pretender's troops in 1132. In the second half of Béla's reign, Hungary adopted an active foreign policy. Bosnia and Split seem to have accepted Béla's suzerainty around 1136.

Early years until 1131

Béla was the only son of Duke Álmos—the younger brother of King Coloman of Hungary—by his wife, Predslava of Kiev.[1] Historians Gyula Kristó and Ferenc Makk write that Béla was born between 1108 and 1110.[2][3] Álmos devised several plots to dethrone his brother.[4] In retaliation, the king deprived Álmos of his ducatus or "duchy" between 1105 and 1108.[5][6] Álmos did not give up his ambitions and King Coloman had him and the child Béla blinded between 1112 and 1115 to secure a peaceful succession for his own son, Stephen.[7][4] According to one of the two versions of these events recorded in the Illuminated Chronicle, the king even ordered that Béla should be castrated but the soldier who was charged with this task refused to execute the order.[3][4]

 
The child Béla and his father, Álmos are blinded on King Coloman's order (from the Illuminated Chronicle)

[The] King took the Duke and his infant son Bela and blinded them. He also gave orders that the infant Bela should be castrated. But the man who was instructed to blind them feared God and the sterility of the royal line, and therefore he castrated a dog and brought its testicles to the King.

— The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle[8]

After their blinding, Álmos lived in the monastery of Dömös, which he had founded.[3] Kristó and Makk write that it is probable that Béla lived with his father in the monastery.[3][2] The Annales Posonienses relates that "the child was growing in the reign of King Coloman's son, Stephen", who ascended the throne in 1116.[9] Having hatched a failed plot against the king, Álmos left the monastery and fled to Constantinople in about 1125.[10][11] For unknown reasons, Béla did not follow his father to the Byzantine Empire.[10] The Illuminated Chronicle narrates that he was kept "concealed in Hungary from the fury"[12] of the king.[10] Béla settled in the Pécsvárad Abbey, whose abbot sheltered him in secret.[10]

Álmos died in exile on 1 September 1127.[13] According to the Illuminated Chronicle, Béla's partisans "revealed to the King, who believed him to have died after his blinding, that Béla was alive".[12][10] On hearing this, King Stephen II "rejoiced with great joy, for he knew beyond doubt that he would have no heir".[12][10] The king even arranged Béla's marriage with Helena of Serbia and granted Tolna to the couple around 1129.[14][15]

King Stephen II died in early 1131.[15] A late source—the Ottoman Turkish chronicle known as Tarih-i Üngürüs or The History of the Hungarians—narrates that Béla ascended the throne after his predecessor's nephew Saul, whom Stephen II had nominated as his heir, had died.[16] Béla II was crowned in Székesfehérvár on 28 April, substantiating the reliability of this report.[10] However, no scholarly consensus on the exact circumstances of Béla's ascension exists. According to Gyula Kristó, Béla was crowned by Archbishop Felician after a civil war between his and Saul's partisans, but Pál Engel does not mention any conflict related to Béla's succession.[10][17]

Reign

Consolidation (1131–1132)

 
Massacre of Béla II's opponents on the orders of Queen Helena at the assembly of Arad in 1131

Béla's blindness prevented him from administering his kingdom without assistance.[17][18] He put his trust in his wife and her brother Beloš.[18] Both royal and private charters from Béla's reign emphasize Queen Helena's pre-eminent role in the decision-making process, proving that the king regarded his wife as his co-ruler.[19] According to the Illuminated Chronicle, at "an assembly of the realm near Arad"[20] in early to mid-1131, Queen Helena ordered the slaughter of all noblemen who were accused of having suggested the blinding of her husband to King Coloman.[17][21] Béla distributed the goods of the executed magnates between the newly established Arad Chapter and the early 11th-century Óbuda Chapter.[22]

Béla's was on good terms with the Holy Roman Empire, jeopardizing the interests of Boleslaw III of Poland who had been warring with the empire.[23] The Polish monarch decided to support a pretender to the Hungarian crown named Boris.[23] Boris was born to King Coloman's second wife Euphemia of Kiev after his mother was repudiated for adultery.[17] After Boris arrived in Poland, a number of Hungarian noblemen joined him.[24] Others sent messengers to Boris "to invite him that he should come and with their help claim the kingdom for himself",[25] according to the Illuminated Chronicle.[26][24]

Accompanied by Polish and Rus' reinforcements, Boris broke into Hungary in mid-1132.[24] Béla entered into an alliance with Leopold III, Margrave of Austria.[27] Before launching a counter-attack against Boris, Béla convoked a council on the river Sajó.[24] The Illuminated Chronicle relates that the King asked "the eminent men of Hungary" who were present if they knew whether Boris "was a bastard or the son of King Coloman".[25][28] The King's partisans attacked and murdered all those who proved to be "disloyal and divided in their minds"[25] during the meeting.[29] Boris, who thought that the majority of the Hungarian lords supported his claim, in vain sent one of his partisans to Béla's camp to incite the King's retinue to mutiny.[29]

[Samson] proposed to go to the assembly of the King and there openly and publicly insult him. All approved and [Boris] himself, misled by empty hope, gave him great thanks; for he wanted to complete what he had begun, and he thought that after the King had been thus insulted the kingdom would be his. The King had taken up his station near the river [Sajó], and as he sat in his tent with his nobles and soldiers, behold, [Samson] entered and said to the King: "Vile dog, what are you doing with the kingdom? It is better that your lord [Boris] have the kingdom and for your to live in your monastery, as your father did." There was commotion among the nobles of the realm, and Johannes, the son of Otto, the King's notary ... , said to Count Bud: "Why are we waiting? Why do we not seize him?" As they made to seize him, he hastily leapt upon a horse and fled.

— The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle[30]

Béla tried to persuade the Polish monarch to stop supporting the pretender.[31] However, Boleslaw remained loyal to Boris.[32] In the decisive battle, which was fought on the river Sajó on 22 July 1132, the Hungarian and Austrian troops defeated Boris and his allies.[23][33]

Expansion (1132–1139)

Boleslaw III of Poland could not assist Boris after the Battle of the Sajó.[33] Béla's allies—Soběslav I of Bohemia and Volodimirko of Peremyshl—invaded Poland each year between 1132 and 1135.[23][33] Soběslav regularly—in 1133, 1134, 1137, and 1139—visited Béla's court.[34] The Czech monarch even persuaded Lothar III, Holy Roman Emperor to force Boleslaw III to abandon Boris and recognize Béla's rule in Hungary in August 1135.[33][35]

 
The seal of Béla II

Hungary adopted an expansionist policy after Boris's attempts to dethrone Béla.[34] The chronicler Thomas the Archdeacon relates that Gaudius, who became Archbishop of Split in 1136, "enjoyed great favor with the kings of Hungary" and "often visited their court".[36][37] The report suggests that Split accepted Béla II's suzerainty around 1136, but this interpretation of the sources is not universally accepted by historians.[37][34] The exact circumstances surrounding the submission of Bosnia are unknown but the region seems to have accepted Béla's suzerainty without resistance by 1137.[38] Historian John V. A. Fine writes that the northeastern regions of the province formed part of Queen Helena's dowry.[18] The Hungarian army penetrated into the valley of the Rama River, a tributary of the Neretva River, in about 1137.[33][17] Although Béla assumed the title King of Rama in token of the new conquest, the permanent occupation of the region is not proven.[17]

Hungarian troops participated in a campaign launched by Grand Prince Yaropolk II of Kiev against Vsevolod of Kiev in 1139.[34][39] Béla strengthened his alliance with the Holy Roman Empire.[34] For this purpose, he gave financial support to Otto of Bamberg's missions among the Pomeranians and arranged the engagement of his daughter Sophia with Henry, son of the new German king Conrad III in June 1139.[34]

Last years (1139–1141)

 
Béla's denar

According to the Hungarian chronicles, in the last few years of his life Béla became a drunkard.[17] His courtiers took advantage of his drunkenness to receive grants from him.[40] When he was in an alcoholic stupor, he sometimes ordered the execution of innocent men.[40] Béla died on 13 February 1141, "on the Ides of February, a Thursday".[41][40] He was buried in the Székesfehérvár Cathedral.[40]

After King Bela had been established in his rule of the kingdom, he indulged himself much with wine. His courtiers found that whatever they asked of the King in his drunkenness he would grant, and after his drunkenness he could not take it back. In his drunkenness he delivered Poch and Saul, who were in religious orders, into the hands of their enemies, and they were killed without cause.

— The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle[42]

Family

Béla married Helena of Serbia upon the initiation of his cousin, King Stephen II at the beginning of 1129.[47] Helena was a daughter of Uroš I of Rascia and his wife Anna, whose origin is uncertain.[47] Queen Helena gave birth to at least six children.[48] The first of these, the future King Géza II of Hungary, was born in 1130.[1] Three brothers—Ladislaus, Stephen and Álmos—were born in the early 1130s.[1] Sophia, the first daughter of the royal couple, was born around 1135; she died as a nun in Admont Abbey after her engagement with Henry Berengar of Germany was broken.[49] Béla II's youngest daughter, Elizabeth, who was born in about 1140, married Mieszko III of Poland.[50]

The following family tree presents Béla's ancestors and some of his relatives who are mentioned in the article.[51]

*Whether Géza's first or second wife was his children's mother is uncertain.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Kristó & Makk 1996, p. Appendix 3.
  2. ^ a b Makk 1994, p. 90.
  3. ^ a b c d Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 161.
  4. ^ a b c Cartledge 2011, p. 518.
  5. ^ Bartl et al. 2002, p. 28.
  6. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, pp. 145–146.
  7. ^ Fine 1991, p. 234.
  8. ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 150.106), p. 133.
  9. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 163.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 164.
  11. ^ Engel 2001, p. 49.
  12. ^ a b c The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 157.112), p. 135.
  13. ^ Makk 1989, p. 24.
  14. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 165.
  15. ^ a b Makk 1989, p. 29.
  16. ^ Makk 1989, pp. 29, 135, 182.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Engel 2001, p. 50.
  18. ^ a b c Fine 1991, p. 236.
  19. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, pp. 166–167.
  20. ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 160.114), p. 136.
  21. ^ Makk 1989, p. 31.
  22. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 171.
  23. ^ a b c d Manteuffel 1982, p. 115.
  24. ^ a b c d Makk 1989, p. 32.
  25. ^ a b c The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 161.115), p. 136.
  26. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 172.
  27. ^ Makk 1989, pp. 32–33.
  28. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 168.
  29. ^ a b Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 169.
  30. ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 161.115–116), pp. 136–137.
  31. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, pp. 169–170.
  32. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 170.
  33. ^ a b c d e Makk 1989, p. 33.
  34. ^ a b c d e f Makk 1989, p. 35.
  35. ^ Manteuffel 1982, p. 116.
  36. ^ Archdeacon Thomas of Split: History of the Bishops of Salona and Split (ch. 19.), p. 105.
  37. ^ a b Stephenson 2000, p. 227.
  38. ^ Makk 1989, pp. 33, 136.
  39. ^ Dimnik 1994, p. 344.
  40. ^ a b c d Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 174.
  41. ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 163.117), p. 137.
  42. ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 162.117), p. 137.
  43. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, pp. Appendices 1–2.
  44. ^ Wiszewski 2010, pp. 29–30, 60, 376.
  45. ^ Makk 1994, p. 585.
  46. ^ Dimnik 1994, p. Tables 1, 3.
  47. ^ a b Makk 1994, p. 281.
  48. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 173.
  49. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, pp. 177, Appendix 3.
  50. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, pp. 173, Appendix 3.
  51. ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. Appendix 2.

Sources

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Béla II of Hungary.

Primary sources

  • Archdeacon Thomas of Split: History of the Bishops of Salona and Split (Latin text by Olga Perić, edited, translated and annotated by Damir Karbić, Mirjana Matijević Sokol and James Ross Sweeney) (2006). CEU Press. ISBN 963-7326-59-6.
  • The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle: Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum (Edited by Dezső Dercsényi) (1970). Corvina, Taplinger Publishing. ISBN 0-8008-4015-1.

Secondary sources

  • Bartl, Július; Čičaj, Viliam; Kohútova, Mária; Letz, Róbert; Segeš, Vladimír; Škvarna, Dušan (2002). Slovak History: Chronology & Lexicon. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Slovenské Pedegogické Nakladatel'stvo. ISBN 0-86516-444-4.
  • Cartledge, Bryan (2011). The Will to Survive: A History of Hungary. Hurst & Company. ISBN 978-1-84904-112-6.
  • Dimnik, Martin (1994). The Dynasty of Chernigov, 1054–1146. Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. ISBN 0-88844-116-9.
  • Engel, Pál (2001). The Realm of St Stephen: A History of Medieval Hungary, 895–1526. I.B. Tauris Publishers. ISBN 1-86064-061-3.
  • Fine, John V. A. Jr. (1991) [1983]. The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-08149-7.
  • Kristó, Gyula; Makk, Ferenc (1996). Az Árpád-ház uralkodói [=Rulers of the House of Árpád] (in Hungarian). I.P.C. Könyvek. ISBN 963-7930-97-3.
  • Makk, Ferenc (1989). The Árpáds and the Comneni: Political Relations between Hungary and Byzantium in the 12th century (Translated by György Novák). Akadémiai Kiadó. ISBN 963-05-5268-X.
  • Makk, Ferenc (1994). "II. (Vak) Béla; Ilona; Rurikok". In Kristó, Gyula; Engel, Pál; Makk, Ferenc (eds.). Korai magyar történeti lexikon (9–14. század) [=Encyclopedia of the Early Hungarian History (9th–14th centuries)] (in Hungarian). Akadémiai Kiadó. pp. 90–91, 281, 583–589. ISBN 963-05-6722-9.
  • Manteuffel, Tadeusz (1982). The Formation of the Polish State: The Period of Ducal Rule, 963–1194 (Translated and with an Introduction by Andrew Gorski). Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1682-4.
  • Stephenson, Paul (2000). Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900–1204. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-02756-4.
  • Wiszewski, Przemysław (2010). Domus Bolezlai: Values and Social Identity in Dynastic Traditions of Medieval Poland (c. 966–1138). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-18142-7.
Béla II of Hungary
Born: c. 1109 Died: 13 February 1141
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Hungary and Croatia
1131–1141 		Succeeded by

February 13, 2023
béla, hungary, béla, blind, hungarian, béla, croatian, bela, slijepi, slovak, belo, slepý, 1109, february, 1141, king, hungary, croatia, from, 1131, 1141, blinded, along, with, rebellious, father, Álmos, order, Álmos, brother, king, coloman, hungary, béla, gre. Bela the Blind Hungarian Vak Bela Croatian Bela Slijepi Slovak Belo Slepy c 1109 13 February 1141 was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1131 to 1141 He was blinded along with his rebellious father Almos on the order of Almos s brother King Coloman of Hungary Bela grew up in monasteries during the reign of Coloman s son Stephen II The childless king arranged Bela s marriage with Helena of Rascia who would become her husband s co ruler throughout his reign Bela IIBela in the Illuminated ChronicleKing of Hungary and CroatiaReign1131 1141Coronation28 April 1131PredecessorStephen IISuccessorGeza IIBornc 1109Died13 February 1141 aged 31 32 BurialSzekesfehervar BasilicaSpouseHelena of SerbiaIssuemore Geza II of Hungary Ladislaus II of Hungary Stephen IV of Hungary Sophia Elizabeth Duchess of PolandDynastyArpad dynastyFatherAlmos of HungaryMotherPredslava of KievReligionRoman CatholicBela was crowned king at least two months after the death of Stephen II implying that his accession to the throne did not happen without opposition Two violent purges were carried out among the partisans of his predecessors to strengthen Bela s rule King Coloman s alleged son Boris tried to dethrone Bela but the king and his allies defeated the pretender s troops in 1132 In the second half of Bela s reign Hungary adopted an active foreign policy Bosnia and Split seem to have accepted Bela s suzerainty around 1136 Contents 1 Early years until 1131 2 Reign 2 1 Consolidation 1131 1132 2 2 Expansion 1132 1139 2 3 Last years 1139 1141 3 Family 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 6 1 Primary sources 6 2 Secondary sourcesEarly years until 1131 EditBela was the only son of Duke Almos the younger brother of King Coloman of Hungary by his wife Predslava of Kiev 1 Historians Gyula Kristo and Ferenc Makk write that Bela was born between 1108 and 1110 2 3 Almos devised several plots to dethrone his brother 4 In retaliation the king deprived Almos of his ducatus or duchy between 1105 and 1108 5 6 Almos did not give up his ambitions and King Coloman had him and the child Bela blinded between 1112 and 1115 to secure a peaceful succession for his own son Stephen 7 4 According to one of the two versions of these events recorded in the Illuminated Chronicle the king even ordered that Bela should be castrated but the soldier who was charged with this task refused to execute the order 3 4 The child Bela and his father Almos are blinded on King Coloman s order from the Illuminated Chronicle The King took the Duke and his infant son Bela and blinded them He also gave orders that the infant Bela should be castrated But the man who was instructed to blind them feared God and the sterility of the royal line and therefore he castrated a dog and brought its testicles to the King The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle 8 After their blinding Almos lived in the monastery of Domos which he had founded 3 Kristo and Makk write that it is probable that Bela lived with his father in the monastery 3 2 The Annales Posonienses relates that the child was growing in the reign of King Coloman s son Stephen who ascended the throne in 1116 9 Having hatched a failed plot against the king Almos left the monastery and fled to Constantinople in about 1125 10 11 For unknown reasons Bela did not follow his father to the Byzantine Empire 10 The Illuminated Chronicle narrates that he was kept concealed in Hungary from the fury 12 of the king 10 Bela settled in the Pecsvarad Abbey whose abbot sheltered him in secret 10 Almos died in exile on 1 September 1127 13 According to the Illuminated Chronicle Bela s partisans revealed to the King who believed him to have died after his blinding that Bela was alive 12 10 On hearing this King Stephen II rejoiced with great joy for he knew beyond doubt that he would have no heir 12 10 The king even arranged Bela s marriage with Helena of Serbia and granted Tolna to the couple around 1129 14 15 King Stephen II died in early 1131 15 A late source the Ottoman Turkish chronicle known as Tarih i Ungurus or The History of the Hungarians narrates that Bela ascended the throne after his predecessor s nephew Saul whom Stephen II had nominated as his heir had died 16 Bela II was crowned in Szekesfehervar on 28 April substantiating the reliability of this report 10 However no scholarly consensus on the exact circumstances of Bela s ascension exists According to Gyula Kristo Bela was crowned by Archbishop Felician after a civil war between his and Saul s partisans but Pal Engel does not mention any conflict related to Bela s succession 10 17 Reign EditConsolidation 1131 1132 Edit Massacre of Bela II s opponents on the orders of Queen Helena at the assembly of Arad in 1131 Bela s blindness prevented him from administering his kingdom without assistance 17 18 He put his trust in his wife and her brother Belos 18 Both royal and private charters from Bela s reign emphasize Queen Helena s pre eminent role in the decision making process proving that the king regarded his wife as his co ruler 19 According to the Illuminated Chronicle at an assembly of the realm near Arad 20 in early to mid 1131 Queen Helena ordered the slaughter of all noblemen who were accused of having suggested the blinding of her husband to King Coloman 17 21 Bela distributed the goods of the executed magnates between the newly established Arad Chapter and the early 11th century obuda Chapter 22 Bela s was on good terms with the Holy Roman Empire jeopardizing the interests of Boleslaw III of Poland who had been warring with the empire 23 The Polish monarch decided to support a pretender to the Hungarian crown named Boris 23 Boris was born to King Coloman s second wife Euphemia of Kiev after his mother was repudiated for adultery 17 After Boris arrived in Poland a number of Hungarian noblemen joined him 24 Others sent messengers to Boris to invite him that he should come and with their help claim the kingdom for himself 25 according to the Illuminated Chronicle 26 24 Accompanied by Polish and Rus reinforcements Boris broke into Hungary in mid 1132 24 Bela entered into an alliance with Leopold III Margrave of Austria 27 Before launching a counter attack against Boris Bela convoked a council on the river Sajo 24 The Illuminated Chronicle relates that the King asked the eminent men of Hungary who were present if they knew whether Boris was a bastard or the son of King Coloman 25 28 The King s partisans attacked and murdered all those who proved to be disloyal and divided in their minds 25 during the meeting 29 Boris who thought that the majority of the Hungarian lords supported his claim in vain sent one of his partisans to Bela s camp to incite the King s retinue to mutiny 29 Samson proposed to go to the assembly of the King and there openly and publicly insult him All approved and Boris himself misled by empty hope gave him great thanks for he wanted to complete what he had begun and he thought that after the King had been thus insulted the kingdom would be his The King had taken up his station near the river Sajo and as he sat in his tent with his nobles and soldiers behold Samson entered and said to the King Vile dog what are you doing with the kingdom It is better that your lord Boris have the kingdom and for your to live in your monastery as your father did There was commotion among the nobles of the realm and Johannes the son of Otto the King s notary said to Count Bud Why are we waiting Why do we not seize him As they made to seize him he hastily leapt upon a horse and fled The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle 30 Bela tried to persuade the Polish monarch to stop supporting the pretender 31 However Boleslaw remained loyal to Boris 32 In the decisive battle which was fought on the river Sajo on 22 July 1132 the Hungarian and Austrian troops defeated Boris and his allies 23 33 Expansion 1132 1139 Edit Boleslaw III of Poland could not assist Boris after the Battle of the Sajo 33 Bela s allies Sobeslav I of Bohemia and Volodimirko of Peremyshl invaded Poland each year between 1132 and 1135 23 33 Sobeslav regularly in 1133 1134 1137 and 1139 visited Bela s court 34 The Czech monarch even persuaded Lothar III Holy Roman Emperor to force Boleslaw III to abandon Boris and recognize Bela s rule in Hungary in August 1135 33 35 The seal of Bela II Hungary adopted an expansionist policy after Boris s attempts to dethrone Bela 34 The chronicler Thomas the Archdeacon relates that Gaudius who became Archbishop of Split in 1136 enjoyed great favor with the kings of Hungary and often visited their court 36 37 The report suggests that Split accepted Bela II s suzerainty around 1136 but this interpretation of the sources is not universally accepted by historians 37 34 The exact circumstances surrounding the submission of Bosnia are unknown but the region seems to have accepted Bela s suzerainty without resistance by 1137 38 Historian John V A Fine writes that the northeastern regions of the province formed part of Queen Helena s dowry 18 The Hungarian army penetrated into the valley of the Rama River a tributary of the Neretva River in about 1137 33 17 Although Bela assumed the title King of Rama in token of the new conquest the permanent occupation of the region is not proven 17 Hungarian troops participated in a campaign launched by Grand Prince Yaropolk II of Kiev against Vsevolod of Kiev in 1139 34 39 Bela strengthened his alliance with the Holy Roman Empire 34 For this purpose he gave financial support to Otto of Bamberg s missions among the Pomeranians and arranged the engagement of his daughter Sophia with Henry son of the new German king Conrad III in June 1139 34 Last years 1139 1141 Edit Bela s denar According to the Hungarian chronicles in the last few years of his life Bela became a drunkard 17 His courtiers took advantage of his drunkenness to receive grants from him 40 When he was in an alcoholic stupor he sometimes ordered the execution of innocent men 40 Bela died on 13 February 1141 on the Ides of February a Thursday 41 40 He was buried in the Szekesfehervar Cathedral 40 After King Bela had been established in his rule of the kingdom he indulged himself much with wine His courtiers found that whatever they asked of the King in his drunkenness he would grant and after his drunkenness he could not take it back In his drunkenness he delivered Poch and Saul who were in religious orders into the hands of their enemies and they were killed without cause The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle 42 Family EditAncestors of Bela II of Hungary 43 44 45 46 16 Vazul8 Bela I of Hungary17 A lady of the Tatony clan4 Geza I of Hungary18 Mieszko II Lambert of Poland9 Richeza or Adelaide of Poland19 Richeza of Lotharingia2 Almos of Hungary5 Sophia1 Bela II of Hungary24 Yaroslav of Kiev12 Iziaslav I of Kiev25 Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden failed verification 6 Sviatopolk II of Kiev3 Predslava of Kiev Bela married Helena of Serbia upon the initiation of his cousin King Stephen II at the beginning of 1129 47 Helena was a daughter of Uros I of Rascia and his wife Anna whose origin is uncertain 47 Queen Helena gave birth to at least six children 48 The first of these the future King Geza II of Hungary was born in 1130 1 Three brothers Ladislaus Stephen and Almos were born in the early 1130s 1 Sophia the first daughter of the royal couple was born around 1135 she died as a nun in Admont Abbey after her engagement with Henry Berengar of Germany was broken 49 Bela II s youngest daughter Elizabeth who was born in about 1140 married Mieszko III of Poland 50 The following family tree presents Bela s ancestors and some of his relatives who are mentioned in the article 51 Sophia Geza Iunnamed Synadene Felicia of SicilyColomanEufemia of KievAlmosPredslava of Kiev SophiaStephen IIBoris KalamanosBela the BlindHelena of RasciaSaulGeza IILadislaus IIStephen IVAlmosSophiaElizabethMieszko III of PolandKings of Hungary Whether Geza s first or second wife was his children s mother is uncertain See also EditList of deaths through alcoholReferences Edit a b c Kristo amp Makk 1996 p Appendix 3 a b Makk 1994 p 90 a b c d Kristo amp Makk 1996 p 161 a b c Cartledge 2011 p 518 Bartl et al 2002 p 28 Kristo amp Makk 1996 pp 145 146 Fine 1991 p 234 The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle ch 150 106 p 133 Kristo amp Makk 1996 p 163 a b c d e f g h Kristo amp Makk 1996 p 164 Engel 2001 p 49 a b c The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle ch 157 112 p 135 Makk 1989 p 24 Kristo amp Makk 1996 p 165 a b Makk 1989 p 29 Makk 1989 pp 29 135 182 a b c d e f g Engel 2001 p 50 a b c Fine 1991 p 236 Kristo amp Makk 1996 pp 166 167 The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle ch 160 114 p 136 Makk 1989 p 31 Kristo amp Makk 1996 p 171 a b c d Manteuffel 1982 p 115 a b c d Makk 1989 p 32 a b c The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle ch 161 115 p 136 Kristo amp Makk 1996 p 172 Makk 1989 pp 32 33 Kristo amp Makk 1996 p 168 a b Kristo amp Makk 1996 p 169 The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle ch 161 115 116 pp 136 137 Kristo amp Makk 1996 pp 169 170 Kristo amp Makk 1996 p 170 a b c d e Makk 1989 p 33 a b c d e f Makk 1989 p 35 Manteuffel 1982 p 116 Archdeacon Thomas of Split History of the Bishops of Salona and Split ch 19 p 105 a b Stephenson 2000 p 227 Makk 1989 pp 33 136 Dimnik 1994 p 344 a b c d Kristo amp Makk 1996 p 174 The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle ch 163 117 p 137 The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle ch 162 117 p 137 Kristo amp Makk 1996 pp Appendices 1 2 Wiszewski 2010 pp 29 30 60 376 Makk 1994 p 585 Dimnik 1994 p Tables 1 3 a b Makk 1994 p 281 Kristo amp Makk 1996 p 173 Kristo amp Makk 1996 pp 177 Appendix 3 Kristo amp Makk 1996 pp 173 Appendix 3 Kristo amp Makk 1996 p Appendix 2 Sources Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bela II of Hungary Primary sources Edit Archdeacon Thomas of Split History of the Bishops of Salona and Split Latin text by Olga Peric edited translated and annotated by Damir Karbic Mirjana Matijevic Sokol and James Ross Sweeney 2006 CEU Press ISBN 963 7326 59 6 The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum Edited by Dezso Dercsenyi 1970 Corvina Taplinger Publishing ISBN 0 8008 4015 1 Secondary sources Edit Bartl Julius Cicaj Viliam Kohutova Maria Letz Robert Seges Vladimir Skvarna Dusan 2002 Slovak History Chronology amp Lexicon Bolchazy Carducci Publishers Slovenske Pedegogicke Nakladatel stvo ISBN 0 86516 444 4 Cartledge Bryan 2011 The Will to Survive A History of Hungary Hurst amp Company ISBN 978 1 84904 112 6 Dimnik Martin 1994 The Dynasty of Chernigov 1054 1146 Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies ISBN 0 88844 116 9 Engel Pal 2001 The Realm of St Stephen A History of Medieval Hungary 895 1526 I B Tauris Publishers ISBN 1 86064 061 3 Fine John V A Jr 1991 1983 The Early Medieval Balkans A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century Ann Arbor University of Michigan Press ISBN 0 472 08149 7 Kristo Gyula Makk Ferenc 1996 Az Arpad haz uralkodoi Rulers of the House of Arpad in Hungarian I P C Konyvek ISBN 963 7930 97 3 Makk Ferenc 1989 The Arpads and the Comneni Political Relations between Hungary and Byzantium in the 12th century Translated by Gyorgy Novak Akademiai Kiado ISBN 963 05 5268 X Makk Ferenc 1994 II Vak Bela Ilona Rurikok In Kristo Gyula Engel Pal Makk Ferenc eds Korai magyar torteneti lexikon 9 14 szazad Encyclopedia of the Early Hungarian History 9th 14th centuries in Hungarian Akademiai Kiado pp 90 91 281 583 589 ISBN 963 05 6722 9 Manteuffel Tadeusz 1982 The Formation of the Polish State The Period of Ducal Rule 963 1194 Translated and with an Introduction by Andrew Gorski Wayne State University Press ISBN 0 8143 1682 4 Stephenson Paul 2000 Byzantium s Balkan Frontier A Political Study of the Northern Balkans 900 1204 Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 02756 4 Wiszewski Przemyslaw 2010 Domus Bolezlai Values and Social Identity in Dynastic Traditions of Medieval Poland c 966 1138 Brill ISBN 978 90 04 18142 7 Bela II of HungaryHouse of ArpadBorn c 1109 Died 13 February 1141Regnal titlesPreceded byStephen II King of Hungary and Croatia1131 1141 Succeeded byGeza II Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bela II of Hungary amp oldid 1139047848, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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