True Name: László
Parents: Béla I, king of Hungary, and Richeza of Poland
Date of Birth: 27 June 1046
Royal House: Arpad
Spouse: Adelaide, daughter of Rufolf I, duke of Swabia, and Adelaida of Savoy
Predecessor: Géza I
Reign: 1077 – 1095
Summary: Ladislaus was the son of a rival line of Hungarian kings related closely to Saint Stephen I, the first king of Hungary. In 1048, he was able to move to Hungary from Poland where his father was granted a third of the country as an underking to his brother, Andrew I, who had inherited the throne from King Peter following a pegan revolt. Since Hungary followed a system of tanistry, the next in line should have been Laidlsaus' father, Béla, but when Andrew had a son, Salamon, the old tradition went out the window. Andrew had his son crowned during his lifetime to ensure the succession. Ladislaus was witness to this, as was his father and two brothers, Géza and Lampert. Soon after, Ladislaus went with his father to Poland where he wished to recruit troops and depose his brother. In December 1060, Béla defeated and killed his brother and took the Hungarian crown. Béla died three years later and the Ladislaus and his brothers allowed the throne to revert to Salamon. Salamon refused and invaded the country using German troops, forcing the three brothers to flee back to Poland. Troops were provided to them by the Polish king and they invaded again in 1064. To avoid civil war, the brothers and the king made an agreement that returned one third of Hungary to Ladislaus' family. Things went much better afterwards. Salamon and the three brothers helped expand Hungary into the south. By 1071, the relationship between the king and the brothers began to deteriorate. Ladislaus remained mostly in his Hungarian lands to secure the borders in case the king wished to make a move against him. By 1074, the brothers and the king were in open war and at the Battle of Mogyorod, the brothers defeated the king, who fled Hungary. Géza was proclaimed king. Ladislaus became the commander of the military and he defeated Salamon again at Nyitra. When Géza died in 1077, Ladislaus, the next eldest, was proclaimed king, though Salamon still lived. It is likely he was crowned with a gift from Byzantine Emperor Michael VII since Salamon still had the true crown.
In 1078, Ladislaus married Adelaide, the daughter of Duke Rudolf I of Swabia and the chief rival of King Henry IV of Germany, brother-in-law to King Salamon. By 1081, Salamon was on the defensive and agreed to abdicate in exchange for significant lands. When Salamon was caught conspiring against the king a few months later, the king had the necessary recourse to imprison the former monarch. King Stephen I was canonized under the reign of Ladislaus, as well as his son Emeric. Ladislaus was a harsh king at first, which was necessary to centralize and solidify his rule in Hungary. Fifty years of civil war had ravaged the land and disorganized the government. Ladislaus took personal control over the reorganization of the Catholic Church in Hungary. When King Stephen II of Croatia died in 1091, Ladislaus actively claimed the throne through his sister, Ilona, who had been married to the former King Dmitar. The Byzantine Empire also wanted Croatia, however, and invaded eastern Hungary to distract the king. It took two years for Ladislaus to defeat the Byzantines and another four to suppress the rebellions, but by 1096, Croatia was soundly a Hungarian possession. Like so many other Hungarian kings, Ladislaus left no sons so his two nephews, Coloman and Almos, fought between themselves to be heir. Almos was named king of Croatia around 1095 but Coloman, the elder, wanted to be king after Ladislaus died. He left for Poland that year to rally support. Ladislaus left to help his nephews in Bohemia when Coloman returned with a Polish army. The king died suddenly upon hearing the news. His death was mourned for three years and a cycle of legends developed around him and his name. Multiple miracles were attributed to him and because of these, he was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1192. He is remembered as the patron saint of architecture.
Royal House: Arpad
Spouse: Adelaide, daughter of Rufolf I, duke of Swabia, and Adelaida of Savoy
Predecessor: Géza I
Reign: 1077 – 1095
Summary: Ladislaus was the son of a rival line of Hungarian kings related closely to Saint Stephen I, the first king of Hungary. In 1048, he was able to move to Hungary from Poland where his father was granted a third of the country as an underking to his brother, Andrew I, who had inherited the throne from King Peter following a pegan revolt. Since Hungary followed a system of tanistry, the next in line should have been Laidlsaus' father, Béla, but when Andrew had a son, Salamon, the old tradition went out the window. Andrew had his son crowned during his lifetime to ensure the succession. Ladislaus was witness to this, as was his father and two brothers, Géza and Lampert. Soon after, Ladislaus went with his father to Poland where he wished to recruit troops and depose his brother. In December 1060, Béla defeated and killed his brother and took the Hungarian crown. Béla died three years later and the Ladislaus and his brothers allowed the throne to revert to Salamon. Salamon refused and invaded the country using German troops, forcing the three brothers to flee back to Poland. Troops were provided to them by the Polish king and they invaded again in 1064. To avoid civil war, the brothers and the king made an agreement that returned one third of Hungary to Ladislaus' family. Things went much better afterwards. Salamon and the three brothers helped expand Hungary into the south. By 1071, the relationship between the king and the brothers began to deteriorate. Ladislaus remained mostly in his Hungarian lands to secure the borders in case the king wished to make a move against him. By 1074, the brothers and the king were in open war and at the Battle of Mogyorod, the brothers defeated the king, who fled Hungary. Géza was proclaimed king. Ladislaus became the commander of the military and he defeated Salamon again at Nyitra. When Géza died in 1077, Ladislaus, the next eldest, was proclaimed king, though Salamon still lived. It is likely he was crowned with a gift from Byzantine Emperor Michael VII since Salamon still had the true crown.
In 1078, Ladislaus married Adelaide, the daughter of Duke Rudolf I of Swabia and the chief rival of King Henry IV of Germany, brother-in-law to King Salamon. By 1081, Salamon was on the defensive and agreed to abdicate in exchange for significant lands. When Salamon was caught conspiring against the king a few months later, the king had the necessary recourse to imprison the former monarch. King Stephen I was canonized under the reign of Ladislaus, as well as his son Emeric. Ladislaus was a harsh king at first, which was necessary to centralize and solidify his rule in Hungary. Fifty years of civil war had ravaged the land and disorganized the government. Ladislaus took personal control over the reorganization of the Catholic Church in Hungary. When King Stephen II of Croatia died in 1091, Ladislaus actively claimed the throne through his sister, Ilona, who had been married to the former King Dmitar. The Byzantine Empire also wanted Croatia, however, and invaded eastern Hungary to distract the king. It took two years for Ladislaus to defeat the Byzantines and another four to suppress the rebellions, but by 1096, Croatia was soundly a Hungarian possession. Like so many other Hungarian kings, Ladislaus left no sons so his two nephews, Coloman and Almos, fought between themselves to be heir. Almos was named king of Croatia around 1095 but Coloman, the elder, wanted to be king after Ladislaus died. He left for Poland that year to rally support. Ladislaus left to help his nephews in Bohemia when Coloman returned with a Polish army. The king died suddenly upon hearing the news. His death was mourned for three years and a cycle of legends developed around him and his name. Multiple miracles were attributed to him and because of these, he was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1192. He is remembered as the patron saint of architecture.
Date of Death: 29 July 1095
Successor: Coloman
Successor: Coloman
Canonized: 27 June 1192 (Roman Catholic Church)
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Pupienus, emperor of Rome (238)
- Balbinus, emperor of Rome (238)
- Olaf II, king of Norway (1030)
- Urban II, pope of Rome (1099)
- Philippe I, king of France (1108)
- Urban VIII, pope of Rome (1644)
- Umberto I, king of Italy (1900)
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