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Árpád Dynasty
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The House of Árpád
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Béla I
1061-1063 |
Béla I was King of Hungary from 1061 to 1063 and was the son of Vasul (grandson
of Taksony) and Katun, Princess of Bulgaria and younger brother of András I.
After St. István's death, he fled to Bohemia and then to Poland, where he married
the daughter of the Polish monarch, Richeza of Poland and they had three
children; Géza, László and Sophie.
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Solomon
1063-1074 |
Solomon was the son of András and was crowned King in 1057 but not yet handed the
rule from his father. He married a Princess of the Holy Roman Empire in 1058.
Solomon and his supporters ended Béla's reign of only three years. However,
after the childless Solomon, Béla I's son Géza became the next King of Hungary.
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Géza I
1074-1077 |
Géza was King of Hungary from 1074 to 1077. For his coronation, Géza received a
crown from Byzantine Emperor Michael VII Dukas which was incorporated with the
ancient crown of King István I. Geza's short rule was characterised by general
disorder in the kingdom. He died on April 25 1077 and was succeeded by his
brother László I. Géza was the son of Béla I and married Zsófia of Byzantium and
had many children, of which, had the sons Álmos and Kálmán.
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László I
1077-1095 |
St. László I was King of Hungary from 1077 to 1095. He was the son of Béla I and
Polish Princess Richeza. He succeeded to the throne on the death of his uncle
Géza in 1077. He married Adelaide, daughter of Welf, the Duke of Bavaria. She
bore him one son and three daughters. László died suddenly in 1095 when about to
take part in the First Crusade. The whole nation mourned for him for three years
and regarded him as a saint long before his canonisation.
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Kálmán
1095-1114 |
Kálmán was the son of Géza I of Hungary and Zsófia. László I wanted Kálmán's
brother Álmos to succeed him as King of Hungary. Not wanting to abandon his
eldest nephew completely, he wished instead to make him a bishop. The exact
circumstances of how Kálmán acquired the throne after László's death are unknown.
He married twice, first to Busila, daughter of Roger I of Sicily, and second to
Eufemia, daughter of Vladimir II of Kiev. He had four children: Zsófia, István
(II), László and Borisz.
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István II
1114-1131 |
István was the son of Kálmán and ruled as King of Hungary from 1114 to 1131.
During this time, there were constant dynastic struggles for the throne. During
Kálmán's rule, his brother, Prince Álmos, invaded Hungary time and again with
foreign supporters. When Kálmán felt his death approaching and the enthronement
of his teenage son was at stake, he hunted down and blinded Álmos and Álmos'
son, Béla. István had no children and thus, had no heir to the throne.
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Béla II
1131-1141 |
Béla II (the Blind), was King of Hungary from 1131 until his death in 1141. He
was the son of Álmos and he married Jelena Nemanjic of Serbia and had sons Géza,
László and István. After Kálmán blinded Béla, he hid in a monastery. Then during
István's reign, he found out where he was hiding and had him brought out. He gave
him in to marriage and named him heir to the throne. He was to become King Béla
II (the Blind) and his fate showed that gouging out someone's eyes would no longer
make him unfit to wear the crown.
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Géza II
1141-1161 |
Géza II was King of Hungary from 1141 and died in 1161. He was the son of Béla II
(the Blind) and Jelena. He married Euphrosine of Kiev and had sons István and Béla.
Intestine conflicts were greatly complicated by the efforts of the Greek Byzantine
Emperor, Manual I, to extend his sway over Hungary during the reign of Géza II.
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István III
1161, 1164-1172 |
István was the son of Géza II and ruled as King of Hungary from 1161 to 1172. His
reign was disrupted in 1162 and was later resumed in 1164. This was due to the
long conflicts with the Byzantine Empire. Manuel I was able to stabilise his
northern frontier by a marriage alliance with Hungary. Hungary and Byzantine had
long been enemies, clashing over the Serbian border territories. In 1164, Manuel
agreed to recognise István III as King of Hungary again, renouncing ancient
Byzantine claims, in exchange for which István's uncle, István IV (brother of
Géza II, son of Béla II (the Blind)) would be married to Manuel's daughter Maria.
István IV would rule Dalmatia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Sirmium while Manuel lived,
and would succeed as Emperor.
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László II
1162 |
László's short reign started and ended abruptly. During the time when Manuel I
failed to recognise István as King, László took over the crown. László was the
uncle of István III, brother to Géza II and son of Béla II (the Blind). He died
in that same year. He did not marry nor have any children.
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