Géza II ( hu, II. Géza; hr, Gejza II; sk, Gejza II; 113031 May 1162) was
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary ( hu, magyar király) was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Apostoli Magyar Király'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 17 ...
and
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
from 1141 to 1162. He was the oldest son of
Béla the Blind and his wife,
Helena of Serbia. When his father died, Géza was still a child and he started ruling under the guardianship of his mother and her brother,
Beloš. A pretender to the throne,
Boris Kalamanos
Boris ( hu, Borisz; 1114 1154), also known as Boris Kalamanos ( gr, Βορίσης Καλαμάνος, Russian & Ukrainian: Борис Коломанович) was a claimant to the Hungarian throne in the middle of the . He was the son of Euphe ...
, who had already claimed Hungary during Béla the Blind's reign, temporarily captured
Pressburg (now Bratislava in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
) with the assistance of
German mercenaries in early 1146. In retaliation, Géza, who came of age in the same year, invaded Austria and routed
Henry Jasomirgott,
Margrave of Austria, in the
Battle of the Fischa.
Although the German–Hungarian relations remained tense, no major confrontations occurred when the German
crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...
marched through Hungary in June 1147. Two months later,
Louis VII of France
Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...
and his crusaders arrived, along with Boris Kalamanos who attempted to take advantage of the crusade to return to Hungary. Louis VII refused to
extradite Boris to Géza, but prevented the pretender from coming into contacts with his supporters in Hungary and took him to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
. Géza joined the coalition that Louis VII and
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II ( it, Ruggero II; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria i ...
formed against
Conrad III of Germany and the
Byzantine Emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as l ...
Manuel I Komnenos.
Géza intervened at least six times in the fights for
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Ky ...
on behalf of
Iziaslav II of Kiev either by sending reinforcements or by personally leading his troops to the
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
between 1148 and 1155. He also waged wars against the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...
on behalf of his allies, including his cousins, rulers of the
Grand Principality of Serbia, but could not prevent the Byzantines from restoring their suzerainty over them. Conflicts emerged between Géza and his brothers,
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...
and
Ladislaus
Ladislaus ( or according to the case) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin.
It may refer to:
* Ladislaus of Hungary (disambiguation)
* Ladislaus I (disambiguation)
* Ladislaus II (disambiguation)
* Ladislaus III (disambiguation)
* Ladi ...
, who fled from Hungary and settled in Emperor Manuel's court in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
. Géza supported
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt ...
, against the
Lombard League with auxiliary troops between 1158 and 1160. After the
cardinals who supported Emperor Frederick I elected
Victor IV pope, Géza acknowledged his legitimacy in 1160, but in a year, he changed sides and concluded a
concordat
A concordat is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law?'' (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960 st Edi ...
with Victor IV's opponent,
Pope Alexander III. Before his death, Géza organized a separate
appanage
An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much ...
duchy for his younger son,
Béla.
The ancestors of the
Transylvanian Saxons
The Transylvanian Saxons (german: Siebenbürger Sachsen; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen''; ro, Sași ardeleni, sași transilvăneni/transilvani; hu, Erdélyi szászok) are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania ( ...
came to Hungary during Géza's reign. Western European knights and Muslim warriors from the
Pontic steppes also settled in Hungary in this period. Géza even allowed his Muslim soldiers to take concubines.
Early years
Géza was born the eldest son of
Béla the Blind, a cousin of King
Stephen II of Hungary, and
Helena of Serbia in 1130. Géza's father had been blinded, together with his rebellious father,
Álmos, in the 1110s on the order of Stephen II's father,
Coloman, King of Hungary, who wanted to ensure Stephen's succession. When Géza was born, his parents lived on an estate that King Stephen had granted them in
Tolna. Géza's father succeeded King Stephen in the spring of 1131. In the same year, Queen Helena took Géza and his younger brother,
Ladislaus
Ladislaus ( or according to the case) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin.
It may refer to:
* Ladislaus of Hungary (disambiguation)
* Ladislaus I (disambiguation)
* Ladislaus II (disambiguation)
* Ladislaus III (disambiguation)
* Ladi ...
, to an assembly held at
Arad, where she ordered the massacre of sixty-eight noblemen "by whose counsel the King had been blinded", according to the ''Illuminated Chronicle''.
Reign
Minor king (1141–1146)
King Béla died on 13 February 1141 and Géza succeeded him without opposition. The eleven-year-old Géza was crowned king on 16 February. During his
regency
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
, his mother and her brother,
Beloš, ruled the kingdom in the first years of his reign.
One of Géza's first charters, issued in 1141, confirmed the privileges of the citizens of
Split in
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, stre ...
. In the charter, Géza is titled as "
By the Grace of God, King of Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia and
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...
". According to historian Paul Stephenson, the towns of central Dalmatiaincluding
Šibenik
Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...
and
Trogiraccepted Géza's
suzerainty
Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...
after a Hungarian invasion around 1142. Hungarian troops assisted Prince
Volodimerko of Halychwho had been the ally of Géza's father against the pretender
Boris
Boris may refer to:
People
* Boris (given name), a male given name
*:''See'': List of people with given name Boris
* Boris (surname)
* Boris I of Bulgaria (died 907), the first Christian ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire, canonized after hi ...
when Great Prince
Vsevolod II of Kiev invaded
Halych
Halych ( uk, Га́лич ; ro, Halici; pl, Halicz; russian: Га́лич, Galich; german: Halytsch, ''Halitsch'' or ''Galitsch''; yi, העליטש) is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The city gave its name to the ...
in 1144. Although the Hungarian auxiliaries "were of no use whatsoever", according to the ''
Hypatian Codex'', the grand prince could not occupy Volodimerko's principality.
Boris was the son of
Eufemia of Kiev, King
Coloman of Hungary's second wife, whom the king expelled on the charge of
adultery
Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and leg ...
before Boris's birth. According to the chronicler Bishop
Otto of Freising
Otto of Freising ( la, Otto Frisingensis; c. 1114 – 22 September 1158) was a German churchman of the Cistercian order and chronicled at least two texts which carries valuable information on the political history of his own time. He was Otto I ...
, Boris approached
Conrad III of Germany to seek his assistance against Géza at the end of 1145. Upon the recommendation of
Vladislav II of Bohemia, the German monarch authorized Boris to muster an army of mercenaries in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
and
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. Boris stormed Hungary and took the fortress of
Pressburg (present-day Bratislava in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
). The royal forces soon imposed a blockade on the fortress and convinced Boris's mercenaries to surrender without resistance in exchange for compensation.
The Hungarians blamed Conrad III for Boris's attack and decided to invade the Holy Roman Empire. Before crossing the river
Lajta
The Leitha (; or , formerly ; Czech language, Czech and sk, Litava) is a river in Austria and Hungary, a right tributary of the Danube. It is long ( including its source river Schwarza (Leitha), Schwarza). Its basin area is .
Etymology
The '' ...
(now Leitha in Austria), which marked the western border of Hungary, the sixteen-year-old Géza was girded with a sword in token of his
coming of age. In the
Battle of the Fischa on 11 September, the Hungarian army under the command of Géza and Beloš routed the German troops led by
Henry Jasomirgott,
Margrave of Austria.
Crusaders' march across Hungary (1146–1147)
Géza married
Euphrosyne
Euphrosyne (; grc, Εὐφροσύνη), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, was one of the Charites, known in ancient Rome as the ''Gratiae'' (Graces). She was sometimes called Euthymia (Εὐθυμία) or Eutychia (Εὐτυχία).
F ...
, sister of Grand Prince
Iziaslav II of Kiev, in the second half of 1146. German–Hungarian relations remained tense as Boris attempted to take advantage of Conrad III's decision to lead a crusade to the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Ho ...
through Hungary. However Géza, who knew that "he could conquer more easily by gold than by force, poured out much money among the
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
and thus escaped an attack from them," according to the chronicler
Odo of Deuil. The German crusaders marched across Hungary without major incident in June 1147.
The ''Illuminated Chronicle'' relates that some Hungarian noblemen promised Boris "if he could make his way into the kingdom, many would take him for their lord and, deserting the King, would cleave to him." Boris convinced two French noblemen to assist by hiding him among the French crusaders who followed the Germans towards the Holy Land. King
Louis VII of France
Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...
and his crusaders arrived in Hungary in August. Géza learnt that his opponent was with the French and demanded his
extradition
Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisd ...
. Although Louis VII rejected this demand, he held Boris in custody and "took him out of Hungary," according to Odo of Deuil. Having left Hungary, Boris settled in the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...
.
Active foreign policy (1147–1155)
Disputes among European powers led to the formation of two coalitions in the late 1140s. One alliance was formed by the
Byzantine Emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as l ...
Manuel I Komnenos and Conrad III against
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II ( it, Ruggero II; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria i ...
who had invaded Byzantine territories. Géza sided with Roger II and his allies, including the rebellious German prince,
Welf VI and
Uroš II of Serbia. Géza sent reinforcements to his brother-in-law, Grand Prince Iziaslav II, against Prince
Vladimir of Chernigov in the spring of 1148. The
Grand Principality of Serbia rebelled in 1149, forcing Emperor Manuel I to interrupt his preparations for an invasion of Southern Italy and invade Serbia in 1149. According to the emperor's
panegyrist Theodore Prodromus
Theodore Prodromos or Prodromus ( el, Θεόδωρος Πρόδρομος; c. 1100 – c. 1165/70), probably also the same person as the so-called Ptochoprodromos (Πτωχοπρόδρομος "Poor Prodromos"), was a Byzantine Greek writer, wel ...
, Hungarian forces supported the Serbs during the emperor's campaign. The ''Hypatian Codex'' says that Géza referred to his war against Emperor Manuel when excusing himself for refusing to send reinforcements to Iziaslav II whom
Yuri Dolgorukiy,
Prince of Suzdal, expelled from
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Ky ...
in August 1149. Hungarian auxiliaries supported Iziaslav II to reoccupy Kiev in the early spring of 1150, but before long Yuri Dolgorukiy expelled Iziaslav from the town. In autumn, Géza led his army against
Volodimirko of Halych, who was Yuri Dolgorukiy's close ally. He captured
Sanok, but Volodimirko bribed the Hungarian commanders, who persuaded Géza to leave Halych before November.
A "countless allied force of Hungarian cavalry as well as of the
heterodox
In religion, heterodoxy (from Ancient Greek: , "other, another, different" + , "popular belief") means "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position". Under this definition, heterodoxy is similar to unorthodoxy, w ...
Chalisoi" had supported the Serbs in the same year, according to the contemporaneous
John Kinnamos, but the Byzantine army routed their united troops on the river
Tara in September. The Byzantine victory forced Uroš II of Serbia to acknowledge the emperor's suzerainty. Emperor Manuel launched a retaliatory campaign against Hungary and ravaged the lands between the rivers
Sava
The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...
and Danube. Assisted by Byzantine troops, the pretender Boris also broke into Hungary and devastated the valley of the river
Temes. Géza, who had just returned from Halych, did not want to "involve the remaining Hungarian force in destruction" and sued for peace. The peace treaty was signed in late 1150 or early 1151.
Géza met Henry Jasomirgott which contributed to the normalization of their strained relations in 1151. He sent reinforcements to Iziaslav II who again reoccupied Kiev before April 1151. Three months later, Volodimirko of Halych routed a Hungarian army that was marching towards Kiev.
Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt ...
, the newly elected
King of Germany, demanded the German princes' consent to wage war against Hungary at the
Imperial Diet of June 1152, but the princes refused him "for certain obscure reasons", according to
Otto of Freising
Otto of Freising ( la, Otto Frisingensis; c. 1114 – 22 September 1158) was a German churchman of the Cistercian order and chronicled at least two texts which carries valuable information on the political history of his own time. He was Otto I ...
. Géza invaded Halych in the summer of 1152. The united armies of Géza and Iziaslav defeated Volodimirko's troops at the
San River, forcing Volodimirko to sign a peace treaty with Iziaslav.
Pope Eugenius III sent his envoys to Hungary to strengthen the "faith and discipline" of the Hungarian church. Géza forbade the papal envoys to enter Hungary, which shows that his relationship with the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
had deteriorated.
Géza planned to invade
Paristrionthe Byzantine province along the Lower Danubein the spring of 1153. According to John Kinnamos, Géza sought vengeance for Manuel's invasion of 1150; on the other hand, Michael of Thessalonica wrote that Géza prevented Emperor Manuel from invading Southern Italy. However, the emperor, who had been informed of Géza's plan, marched to the Danube. Géza sent his envoys to the emperor and a new peace treaty was signed in
Sardica (now Sofia in Bulgaria). In accordance with the peace treaty, the Byzantines released their Hungarian prisoners of wars, according to
Abū Hāmid al-Gharnātī, a Muslim traveler from
Granada
Granada (,, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the c ...
who lived in Hungary between 1150 and 1153.
Abū Hāmid stated that every country feared Géza's attack, "because of the many armies he has at his disposal and his great courage". The Muslim traveler observed that Géza employed
Muslim soldiers who had been recruited from among the peoples of the Eurasian steppes. Abū Hāmid even urged the soldiers to make "every effort to go on ''
jihad
Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...
''" with Géza "for thus
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
ouldset down the merit of Holy War to
heiraccount". Géza allowed his Muslim subjects to take concubines, which stirred up the Hungarian clergy. He also invited Western European (primarily German) knights to settle in Hungary. For instance, he made a land grant to two knights, named Gottfried and Albert, who had "abandoned their homeland" upon his invitation in the 1150s. Some years earlier, one Hezelo of Merkstein sold his patrimony in the region of
Aachen before departing to Hungary from where he never returned to his homeland. According to the ''
Diploma Andreanum'' of 1224, which spelled out the privileges of the
Transylvanian Saxons
The Transylvanian Saxons (german: Siebenbürger Sachsen; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen''; ro, Sași ardeleni, sași transilvăneni/transilvani; hu, Erdélyi szászok) are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania ( ...
, their ancestors were invited by Géza to settle in southern
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the ...
.
Pope Anastasius IV declared Géza's rule in Dalmatia unlawful in October 1154. Emperor Manuel's cousin,
Andronikos Komnenos, who administered
Belgrade,
Braničevo and
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, whil ...
sent a letter to Géza in 1154, offering to hand over those towns to Géza in exchange for Géza's support against the emperor. Géza sent his envoys to Sicily to sign a new alliance with
William I of Sicily around the end of the year, but William I was fighting with his rebellious subjects. Although Andronius Komnenus's plot was discovered and he was captured, Géza invaded the Byzantine Empire and laid siege to Braničevo in late 1154. After hearing of the imprisonment of Andronikus Komnenos, Géza abandoned the siege and returned to Hungary. A Byzantine general,
Basil Tzintziluces, launched an attack on the Hungarian army, but Géza annihilated the Byzantine forces before returning to Hungary. In early 1155, the Byzantine and Hungarian envoys signed a new peace treaty. In the same year, a Byzantine army expelled Géza's ally,
Desa, from Serbia and restored Uroš II, who had promised that he would not enter into an alliance with Hungary.
Last years (1155–1162)
Frederick Barbarossa, who had been crowned Holy Roman Emperor, received the envoys of Manuel I in
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
in July 1156. The Byzantine envoys proposed a joint invasion of Hungary, but Barbarossa refused their offer. On 16 September, Barbarossa stipulated that the dukes of Austria were to support the Holy Roman emperors during a war against Hungary in
his charter by which he elevated Austria to a duchy, showing that the relationship between Hungary and the Holy Roman Empire was still tense. Barbarossa's close advisor,
Daniel
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...
,
Bishop of Prague, visited Hungary in the summer of 1157. On this occasion, Géza promised that he would support Barbarossa with auxiliary troops if the emperor invaded Italy.
Géza's youngest brother,
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...
, started conspiring with their uncle, Beloš, and other lords against Géza, according to the nearly contemporaneous
Rahewin
Rahewin was an important German chronicler at the abbey of Freising in Bavaria. He was secretary and chaplain to Otto von Freising
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants '' ...
. To avoid a civil war, Géza first ordered the persecution of Stephen's partisans, then had his rebellious brother expelled from the kingdom and even sentenced to death.
Niketas Choniates also recorded that Stephen had been "forced to flee from the murderous clutches" of Géza. Géza's uncle, Beloš, was not mentioned in royal charters issued after March 1157, which suggest that he left Hungary after that date. During the summer of that year, Stephen fled to the Holy Roman Empire, seeking Emperor Frederick's protection against Géza. Upon the emperor's demand, Géza accepted Frederick Barbarossa as arbitrator in his conflict with Stephen and sent his envoys to Regensburg in January 1158. However, Barbarossa "decided to defer to a more suitable time the settlement"
[''The Deeds of Frederick Barbarossa'' (3.13), p. 188.] of the quarrel between Géza and Stephen and departed for his campaign against the
Lombard League. In accordance with his former promise, Géza sent a troop of 5–600 archers to accompany the emperor to Italy. Before long, Géza's brother, Stephen, left for the Byzantine Empire and settled in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
where he married Emperor Manuel's niece
Maria Komnene. Within two years, he was joined by his brother, Ladislaus, who fled from Hungary around 1160.
Frederick Barbarossa forced the Italian towns to surrender in September 1158. However,
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4  ...
and
Crema again rose up in open rebellion against the emperor's rule after the
Diet of Roncaglia ordered the restoration of imperial rights, including the emperor's rights to levy taxes in the Northern Italian towns. Géza sent his envoys to Barbarossa's camp and promised to dispatch further reinforcements against the rebellious towns.
The death of
Pope Adrian IV on 1 September 1159 caused a
schism
A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
, because the college of the
cardinals was divided: the majority of the cardinals was opposed to Barbarossa's policy, but a minority supported him. The first group elected
Alexander III pope, but Barbarossa's supporters chose
Victor IV. Emperor Frederick summoned a
synod to Pavia to put an end to the schism. Géza sent his envoys to the church council where Victor IV was declared the lawful pope in February 1160. However,
Lucas, Archbishop of Esztergom, remained loyal to Alexander III and persuaded Géza to start negotiations with the representatives of Alexander III. Géza only decided to change sides after most European monarchs, including the kings of Sicily, England and France, joined Alexander III. Géza's envoys announced his decision to Alexander III in early 1161, but Géza only informed the emperor of his recognition of Alexander III in the autumn of the same year.
Géza's and Alexander III's envoys signed a
concordat
A concordat is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law?'' (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960 st Edi ...
in the summer of 1161. According to that treaty, Géza promised that he would not depose or transfer prelates without the consent of the Holy See; on the other hand, the pope acknowledged that no papal legates could be sent to Hungary without the king's permission and the Hungarian prelates were only allowed to appeal to the Holy See with the king's consent. He also signed a truce for five years with the Byzantine Empire. Shortly before his death, Géza granted Dalmatia, Croatia and other territories to his younger son,
Béla, as an appanage duchy. Géza died on 31 May 1162 and was buried in
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár (; german: Stuhlweißenburg ), known colloquially as Fehérvár ("white castle"), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the Regions of Hungary, regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and t ...
.
Family
Géza's wife,
Euphrosyne of Kiev
Euphrosyne of Kiev (also ''Euphrosine of Novgorod'';Jirí Louda and Michael MacLagan, ''Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe'', 2nd edition (London, U.K.: Little, Brown and Company, 1999), table 89. hu, Eufrozina; 1130 ...
, was a daughter of Grand Prince
Mstislav I of Kiev. She survived Géza and died around 1193. Their first child,
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...
, was born in the summer of 1147; he succeeded Géza in 1162. His younger brother,
Béla, was born in about 1148; he inherited Hungary after the death of Stephen in 1172. Géza's third son and namesake,
Géza Géza is a Hungarian given name and may refer to any of the following:
* Benjamin Géza Affleck
* Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians
* Géza I of Hungary, King of Hungary
* Géza II of Hungary, King of Hungary
* Géza, son of Géza II of H ...
, was born in the 1150s. The youngest son of Géza and Euphrosyne, Árpád, did not survive childhood. Géza's and Euphrosyne's oldest daughter,
Elizabeth, was given in marriage to
Frederick of Bohemia, who was the heir to
Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia, in 1157. The second daughter, Odola, married Vladislaus II of Bohemia's younger son, Sviatopluk, in 1164. The third daughter of Géza and Euphrosyne,
Helena
Helena may refer to:
People
*Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer
*Helena, mother of Constantine I
Places
Greece
* Helena (island)
Guyana
* ...
, became the wife of
Leopold V of Austria in 1174.
References
Sources
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. .
*''O City of Byzantium, Annals of Niketas Choniatēs'' (Translated by Harry J. Magoulias) (1984). Wayne State University Press. .
*''Odo of Deuil: De Profectione Ludovici VII in Orientem: The Journey of Louis VII to the East'' (Edited with an English Translation by Virginia Gingerick Berry) (1948). Columbia University Press.
*''Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus by John Kinnamos'' (Translated by Charles M. Brand) (1976). Columbia University Press. .
*''The Deeds of Frederick Barbarossa by Otto of Freising and his Continuator, Rahewin'' (Translated and annotated with an introduction by Charles Christopher Mierow with the collaboration of Richard Emery) (2004). Columbia University Press. .
*"The Travels of Abū Hāmid al-Andalusī al-Gharnātī, 1130–1155". In ''Ibn Fadlān: Ibn Fadlān and the Land of Darnkess: Arab Travellers in the Far North'' (Translated with an Introduction by Paul Lunde and Caroline Stone) (2012). Penguin Books. .
Secondary sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Geza 02 Of Hungary
1130 births
1162 deaths
People from Tolna County
Kings of Hungary
House of Árpád
Medieval Hungarian people of Serbian descent
Kings of Croatia
Medieval child rulers
Burials at the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
12th-century Hungarian people