Géza I Géza I Géza I ' onMouseout='HidePop("51701")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Lampert_of_Hungary">Lampert
Lampert was a member of the Árpád dynasty; Duke of one-third of the Kingdom of Hungary .Lampert was the third son of the future King Béla I of Hungary and his Polish wife...
. However, Duke Béla and his sons left the country in 1059 and they returned with Polish troops in the next year. King Andrew I lost two battles against his brother and died, and after his death Ladislaus' father was crowned on December 6, 1060. After his father's death on September 11, 1063, Ladislaus and his brothers offered to accept their cousin's rule, who had come back followed by German troops, if they received his father's former duchy. However, King Solomon refused the offer and the superiority of his troops obliged the three brothers to leave Hungary. They went to Poland, and after the withdrawal of the German army, they came back to Hungary followed by troops King Bolesław II, their maternal cousin, provided them.
The parties, however, wanted to avoid the civil war; therefore they accepted the mediation services of the bishops, and they made an agreement on January 20, 1064 in
GyőrGyőr is the most important city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron county, and lies on one of the important roads of Central Europe, halfway between Budapest and Vienna. The city is the sixth largest in Hungary, and one of the seven main regional centres of the...
. Under the agreement Ladislaus and his brothers accepted Salamon's rule, and they received their father's former duchy,
i.e. the one third of Hungary.
Duke of Tercia pars Regni
In the next years, Ladislaus and his brothers collaborated successfully with King Salamon. In 1068, when the
PechenegsThe Pechenegs or Patzinaks were a semi-nomadic Turkic people of the Central Asian steppes speaking the Pecheneg language which belonged to the Turkic language family.-Origins and area:...
(besenyők) had overrun the territories of
TransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term frequently encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, Ladislaus, his brothers and the king went together against them and they won a victory at Kerlés. One of Ladislaus' most popular legends is connected to this battle, when Ladislaus pursued and overcome a Pecheneg warrior, who tried to drag abduct a Hungarian girl, so the girl was liberated.
At that time, Ladislaus married his first wife who was probably a daughter of a German count.
From 1071, when Ladislaus' elder brother, Duke Géza denied to hand over the king's share of the booty acquired after the occupation of
BelgradeBelgrade Belgrade Belgrade (Serbian Cyrillic: Београд, Serbian Latin: Beograd (meaning "White City" in Serbian) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on two international waterways, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where Central Europe's Pannonian Plain meets...
from the
Byzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
, the relationship between King Salamon and the three brothers deteriorated. Thus, in the next year, when the king lead a new campaign against
BelgradeBelgrade Belgrade Belgrade (Serbian Cyrillic: Београд, Serbian Latin: Beograd (meaning "White City" in Serbian) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on two international waterways, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where Central Europe's Pannonian Plain meets...
, only Duke Géza followed him, but Ladislaus and Lampert was left behind, because the dukes were worrying about that the king's partisans would try to conquer their duchy during their absence.
During 1073, both King Solomon and his cousins were preparing for the coming struggle. The king sent his envoys to his brother-in-law,
King Henry IV of GermanyHenry IV was King of Germany from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
, while Ladislaus and his brothers were seeking the help of their Polish and Czech relatives. Ladislaus went to Moravia, and came back followed by the troops Duke Otto of Moravia, his brother-in-law provided him. He came just in time, because before his arrival his brother, Duke Géza had been defeated by King Salamon in the battle at Kemej on February 26, 1074. On March 14, at the Battle of Mogyoród, the three brothers won a decisive victory over King Salamon's troops, who had to fleed to the Western parts of Hungary, and Géza was proclaimed king by the dukes' followers. The new king confirmed his brothers, Ladislaus and Lampert in the possession of their duchy.
During his brother's reign, Ladislaus was his military commander, and in the autumn of 1074, he forced back King Salamon's attack against
NyitraNitra is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. With a population of 85,000, it is the fourth largest city in Slovakia. Nitra is also one of the oldest cities in Slovakia and the country's earliest political and cultural center...
, but in 1076, he could not occupy
PozsonyBratislava is the capital of the Slovak Republic and, with a population of about 429,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River...
from King Salamon (although, pursuant to his legends, he could overcome his cousin in a single combat).
After the death of his brother on April 25, 1077, Ladislaus was proclaimed king by their partisans. He was probably crowned with the crown sent by the Emperor
Michael VIIMichael VII Doukas or Ducas , nicknamed Parapinakēs, was Byzantine emperor from 1071 to 1078....
to his brother, because the ancient crown was still in the possession of King Solomon.
Struggle for the throne
When Ladislaus was crowned, the Counties of Moson and Pozsony, were still under the rule of King Salamon, who could count of the assistance of his brother-in-law,
King Henry IV of GermanyHenry IV was King of Germany from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
. Therefore, Ladislaus sought the alliance of the German king's rivals, and in 1078, he married Adelaide, the daughter of Duke Rudolf I of Swabia, who had been proclaimed King of Germany by the emperor's opponents.
In 1079, Ladislaus took the fortress of Moson from King Solomon, but he was not able to occupy Pozsony. Afterwards, he began negotiations with his rival, who finally abdicated in his favour in 1081 in exchange for extensive landholdings. Although, the deposed king tried to plot against his cousin, but Ladislaus overcome the conspiracy and had Salamon imprisoned.
Upon Ladislaus' initiative,
Pope Gregory VIIPope Saint Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death...
ordered the canonization of the first king of Hungary,
Stephen ISaint Stephen I was Grand Prince of the Hungarians and the first King of Hungary ....
and his son,
EmericPrince St. Imre, also Henricus, Emeric, Emerick, Emmerich, Emericus or Americus was the son of King St. Stephen I of Hungary and Giselle of Bavaria. He is assumed to be the second son of Stephen, he was named after his uncle, St...
(Imre). On the occasion of the celebrations, on the feast of the Assumption (August 15), 1083, Ladislaus allowed Salamon to go free. Salamon subsequently fled to the
PechenegsThe Pechenegs or Patzinaks were a semi-nomadic Turkic people of the Central Asian steppes speaking the Pecheneg language which belonged to the Turkic language family.-Origins and area:...
. In 1085, the Pechenegs invaded the Eastern territory of the kingdom, but Ladislaus defeated them. Following upon his victory, no-one disputed Ladislaus' right to rule.
Internal politics
The continuous struggles for the throne following the death of
Saint Stephen ISaint Stephen I was Grand Prince of the Hungarians and the first King of Hungary ....
in 1038, had resulted in a confused internal situation when Ladislaus ascended the throne. Therefore, Ladislaus issued extremely severe decrees against criminal offenders that made provision for penalties such as mutilation, enslavement or execution for minor crimes against property or the Christian Faith.
King Ladislaus took an active part in the reorganization of the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
in Hungary, by the setting up a new bishopric in
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of Croatia, and a global city. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2008 was 804,200...
in 1087, the founding of the Archbishopric of
BacsBACS is a United Kingdom scheme for the electronic processing of financial transactions. BACS Direct Debits and BACS Direct Credits are made using the BACS system...
by its separation from
KalocsaKalocsa is a town in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary. It lies 88 miles south of Budapest. It is situated in a marshy but highly productive district, near the left bank of the Danube River, and was once of far greater importance than at present.Kalocsa is the Episcopal see of one of the four...
, and transferral of the
SeeAn episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of
BiharBihor may mean:* Bihor County, in Romania* Bihor Mountains, in Romania* Bihor, Montenegro* Bihor , in Montenegro...
to
NagyváradOradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in Crişana, Romania. The city proper has a population of 206,614 census; this does not include areas from the metropolitan area, outside the municipality; they bring the total urban area population to approximately 260,000...
, which was not entirely in line with the normative practice of the Church. Similarly, the
synodA synod is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application...
of Hungarian prelates at
SzabolcsSzabolcs may refer to:*the Hungarian given name Szabolcs*the current administrative unit Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg of Hungary*the village Szabolcs in Hungary's Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county...
in the year 1092 recognized the legitimacy of the first marriage of the members of the clegry, which was contrary to
canon lawCanon law is the body of laws and regulations made by or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
.
Expansion of his rule
The collapse of the German emperor in his struggle with the pope left Ladislaus free to extend his dominions towards the south, and east toward the Eastern Carpathians. In 1087, he sent his envoys to the court of Herman of Salm, who had been proclaimed King of Germany by the opponents of
Henry IV, Holy Roman EmperorHenry IV was King of Germany from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
following the death of Ladislaus' father-in-law, but after he received information of Salamon's death, he did not intervene in the internal struggles in Germany.
In 1092, Ladislaus lead his armies against Prince Vasilko of Terebovlia, who had allied himself with the Cumans, and won a victory over him. In 1093, Ladislaus supported Duke
ZbigniewZbigniew , Duke of Poland from 1102 until 1107.-Early years:Zbigniew was the first-born son of Prince Władysław I Herman by a certain Przecława, who apparently belonged to the Prawdzic clan...
's revolt against his father, Duke Władysław I Herman of Poland.
Croatia
Following the death of King
Dmitar Zvonimir of CroatiaDemetrius Zvonimir or Demetrius Sunimirio was the King of Croatia of the Svetoslavić branch of the House of Trpimirović. His native name was Zvonimir, and he added the name Dmitar at his coronation. He began as a ban of Slavonia in the service of King Stephen I and then as Duke of Croatia for his...
on April 20, 1089, who had been married to Ladislaus' sister
IlonaJelena Lijepa was Queen of Croatia. She was born a Hungarian princess and was the daughter of Árpád dynasty King Bela I, sister to King Ladislaus I of Hungary, granddaughter of Polish King Mieszko II Lambert, and a great-granddaughter of Csar Samuil of Bulgaria...
, the new King of Croatia grew old and never married
Stephen IIStephen II was the last member of the Trpimirović dynasty and last native Croatian king to rule the entire Medieval Croatian Kingdom....
was taken out of the monastery and crowned. With his death in 1091 the Croatian ruling dynasty and Ladislaus has proclaimed his claim to kingdom like closest living relative of croatian ruling dynasty. Ladislaus much weaker claim has been in Byzantine law tradition where right of emperor widow is to choose successor and Ilona has declared support for him. In 1091 Hungarian troops entered Croatia. Ladislaus subjugated the neighboring country, and it was incorporated into Hungary.
However, this action provoked a counter move by the Byzantine Emperor
Alexios IAlexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and the founder of the Komnenian dynasty...
. He enlisted the aid of the
CumansCumans were a nomadic Turkic people who inhabited a shifting area north of the Black Sea known as Cumania along the Volga River. They eventually settled to the west of the Black Sea, influencing the politics of Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Moldavia, and Wallachia...
and persuaded them to invade the Eastern parts of Hungary. Upon hearing of the Cuman invasion, Ladislaus lead his armies against them and won a decisive victory over them near the river Temes. Ladislaus followed up his victory by his occupation of
SzerémSremska Mitrovica is a city and municipality located in the Vojvodina province of Serbia at 44.98° North, 19.61° East, on the left bank of the Sava river. As of 2002 the town had a total population of 39,041, while Sremska Mitrovica municipality had a population of 85,605...
and Beograd, areas under
ByzantineThe word Byzantine may refer to:Topics directly related to the Byzantine Empire* A citizen of The Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
control. Emperor Alexios I, however, sent fresh nomad troops against Hungary which forced Ladislaus to exit Byzantine territory. It was probably King Ladislaus I who planted in Transylvania the
SzékelyThe Székely or Szekler people , are a Hungarian-speaking ethnic group. They are an ethnic subgroup of the Hungarian nation. Their origin has been much debated. It is, however, now generally accepted that they are either Hungarians, or the descendants of a Magyarized Turkic peoples, transplanted...
in order to defend the Eastern parts of the Kingdom of Hungary against foreign invasions.
In the autumn of 1091,
Pope Urban IIPope Blessed Urban II , born Otho de Lagery , was Pope from 12 March 1088 until his death...
sent a legate to Ladislaus' court and demanded Ladislaus to accept his supremacy over Croatia. But Ladislaus refused this claim, and he probably accepted the legitimacy of
Antipope Clement IIIGuibert or Wibert of Ravenna was a cleric made Antipope in 1080 due to perceived abuses of Pope Gregory VII during the Investiture Controversy, a title that lasted unto his death...
, who had been elected by the followers of the Holy Roman Emperor.
Last years
The last years of Ladislaus' reign were characterized by the strained relations with his two nephews,
ColomanColoman I the Book-lover , also spelled Koloman , King of Hungary...
and
ÁlmosÁlmos 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....
. As Ladislaus did not have any sons, his two nephews, the sons of King Géza I, could expect to inherit the throne. Ladislaus preferred the younger nephew, Álmos, whom he had named king of Croatia after conquering the country. Coloman did not give up his claims to the throne, and in 1095, he left for Poland.
Ladislaus was preparing a campaign against Duke
Břetislav II of BohemiaBretislaus II was the duke of Bohemia from 14 September 1092 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Vratislaus II and Adelaide, daughter of Andrew I of Hungary. He was a major enemy of paganism....
in order to help his sister's sons, Dukes
SvatoplukSvatopluk the Lion was the duke of Bohemia from 1107 to his assassination. He was a son of Otto I of Olomouc and Euphemia of Hungary and grandson of Bretislaus I of Bohemia....
and Otto II of Moravia, when he was informed that Coloman came back to Hungary in the company of Polish troops. The elderly king, upon hearing the news, died suddenly.
He was buried in the Abbey of Somogyvár which he had founded in 1091.
Marriages and children
1077: Adelaide, daughter of duke Rudolf I of Swabia and his second wife, Adelaida of Savoy
- Prisca
Piroska of Hungary was a daughter of Ladislaus I of Hungary and Adelaide of Swabia. Her maternal grandparents were Rudolf of Rheinfeld and his second wife Adelheid of Savoy. Adelheid was a daughter of Otto of Savoy and Adelaide of Turin.She was born in Esztergom of the modern Komárom-Esztergom...
(c. 1080 – 13 August 1134), wife of John IIJohn II Komnenos or Comnenus was Byzantine emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as Kaloïōannēs , he was the eldest son of emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina...
, emperor of the Byzantine Empire
- Unknown daughter (? – ?), wife of prince Yaroslav of Volhynia.
Legacy
No other
HungarianHungarians are an ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary. There are around 10 million Hungarians in Hungary . Hungarians were the main inhabitants of the Kingdom of Hungary that existed through most of the second millennium...
king was held in such high esteem. The whole nation mourned for him for three years, and regarded him as a saint long before his canonization. A whole cycle of legends is associated with his name. He was canonized on June 27, 1192.
A number of miracles are attributed to him. On the occasion of some pestilence in the country, he is said to have prayed for the cure before shooting an arrow into the air at random; the arrow then hit the herb which would cure the illness. At another time, he was pursuing a Pecheneg force raiding the realm. According to the story, the king was catching up to the raiders, who decided to scatter the money they had looted before the pursuing Hungarians. The ruse worked as the soldiers stopped to gather the money. The king is then reputed to have turned all the gold to stone through a prayer, allowing him to put his army on the march again, defeat the raiders and free their captives.
C.A. Macartney, in his
Hungary: A Short History, eulogizes Ladislaus thus: "
Ladislas I, who, like Stephen and his son, Imre, was canonised after his death, was the outstanding personality among them: a true paladin and gentle knight, a protector of his faith and his people, and of the poor and defenceless."
Saint Ladislaus is also the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of an architecturally significant church in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
's
Portage ParkPortage Park is located on the northwest side of the City of Chicago, Illinois and is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas. Portage Park is bordered by the community areas of Jefferson Park and Forest Glen to the north, Dunning and the suburb of Harwood Heights to the west,...
area,
St. LadislausSt. Ladislaus in Chicago, referred to in Polish as 'Kościół Świętego Władysława' is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in Chicago, Illinois...
.
Sources
- 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)
- Kosztolnyik, Z.J. Five Eleventh Century Hungarian Kings, 1981.