[May 31] Géza II, king of Hungary

Parents: Béla II, king of Hungary, and Helena of Raska

Date of Birth: 1130

House: Árpád
Spouse: Euphrosyne, daughter of Mstislav I, grand prince of Kiev, and Liubava Dmitrievna

Predecessor: Béla II

Reign: 1141 – 1162

Summary: A child king of a relatively new kingdom, Géza was still young when his father died in 1141. His mother, Helena, served as his regent while an uncle, Belos, governed. A relative, Boris, disputed Géza's claim to the throne and in 1146 occupied the fortress at Pozsony. It took weeks for Hungarian forces to remove the pretender. It was Géza's first taste in war as well, as he personally led the armies against the troops of Boris and his Austrian ally, Henry II. When he returned to the capital, he married Euphrosyne, a daughter of the Kievan grand prince,  and took up management of his realm.

In 1147, Boris appeared in the country again in the company of King Louis VII of France, but the French king was on Crusade and promised to keep a close watch on Boris to ensure he did not escape to cause trouble again in Hungary. During the first years of his sole reign, he dealt with many problems on his borders. His allies in the Kievan 'Rus and in the south were constantly asking for aide against rival powers. Géza assisted where he could, but rarely committed more troops than necessary. In 1150, he led a campaign against a relative of Boris who had started rabble-rousing in Hungary. While Géza was away, Boris himself attacked southern Hungary supported by Byzantine troops. Géza largely ignored Boris and made peace with the Byzantine Empire, stranding Boris without an army. Further intrigue plagued the later years of Géza's reign. His brother, Stephen, attempted to take the throne from Géza with the support of their uncle, Belos, who had served as governor in earlier years. Géza defeated the conspiracy and Stephen was forced to flee first to the Holy Roman Empire and then to Constantinople. Géza's other brother, Ladislaus, also attempted a coup in 1159 but was equally defeated. Among Géza's last acts was to recognize the legitimacy of Pope Alexander III in the Investiture Controversy and abandon his rights to invest bishops within Hungary. He died the next year leaving an intact kingdom to his son, Stephen III.

Date of Death: 31 May 1162

Successor: Stephen III

Other Monarch Deaths:

Petronius Maximus, emperor of Rome (455)

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, shogun of Japan (1408)

Martin I, king of Aragón (1410)

Friedrich Wilhelm I, king of Prussia (1740)