Croatian-Hungarian King Bela IV.

1 13
Avatar for ceky321
2 years ago

One of the most famous Croatian-Hungarian kings Bela IV. succeeded his father Andrew II. Arpadović in 1235 and ruled for a long and turbulent 35 years.

During his reign, the Mongols (called Tatars in the old tradition) invaded the kingdom in 1241. In the battle on the river Šaj, the Hungarian-Croatian forces suffered a heavy defeat, after which Bela IV. fled to Austria and then went with his family to Gradec from where he unsuccessfully sent calls for help to European rulers.

After the announcement of the oncoming Mongol forces, he set out for the Dalmatian cities, and after the arrival of the Mongols on the Adriatic coast, he took refuge in the nearby islands. As the Mongols prepared to set out for the islands to capture the king, news of the death of the great Khan Ogotay arrived, and the Mongol troops under Batu Khan returned to Asia. On their return, they ravaged Bosnia, Serbia and southern Russia.

With the cessation of the danger of Bela IV. he returned to Hungary, finding his kingdom devastated and plagued by famine and plague. Instructed by the terrible experience of the Mongol invasion and the weak defense of the kingdom, he decided to strengthen the cities and make concessions to the population.

In 1242, he issued the Golden Bull to Gradec, which exempted the settlement from various taxes, enabled him self-government and was directly subject only to the king, ie the head of the royal chamber, on the condition that he build solid walls. Since then, Gradec has been called the Free Royal City. Samobor, Križevci and Jastrebarsko also received the same privilege (Varždin, Vukovar, Virovitica and Petrinja had this privilege in the past).

To revive the desolate country, he encouraged the immigration of foreigners, especially Germans, to whom he distributed privileges.

Consolidating the kingdom of Bela IV. he went to war. He fought against Venice over Zadar, which he eventually had to give up in peace in 1244. In the same year, he defeated the Bosnian ban Ninoslav. To regain the lost Hungarian counties, he went to war with Frederick Babenberg. After Frederick's death (1246), he raised the question of the Babenberg heritage and for a short time (1254-60) took Styria into his own hands. In the meantime, he conquered Bosnia, where he appointed his vassal as ban.

Especially significant is the reform that Bela IV. introduced in the administration of Croatian countries because it had long-term consequences. Namely, he determined that the duke rules in Croatia, who must be of royal lineage, and two bans are subordinated to him - Slavonian and Croatian-Dalmatian. Thus, the Croatian kingdom was divided into two separate administrative territories, the Kingdom of Dalmatia and Croatia in the south, and the Kingdom of Slavonia in the north. He appointed his younger son Bela as duke over these areas.

Towards the end of his reign, the long-lived king came into conflict with his eldest son and heir, Stephen, who defeated him and secured for himself unlimited royal rights. The loyal state had two kings, two royal palaces, and two central governments. This situation lasted until the death of Bela IV. who died near Buda, and his son took power as King Stephen V.

3
$ 4.38
$ 4.28 from @TheRandomRewarder
$ 0.10 from @cmoneyspinner
Avatar for ceky321
2 years ago

Comments

I enjoy reading about historical figures. That first image really strikes me. The guy kind of looks like Benjamin Franklin, one of America's most revered historical figures. I wonder if they are related. LOL. Good article.

$ 0.00
2 years ago