Glimpse of European History Thread #200

Many European nations have founders and founding dynasties.

Dynasties survive because their identities are set in blood, and not by skill. (Otherwise anyone can launch a rebellion)

But when dynasties end, things can get chaotic.

Story in the evening … https://t.co/iaMt0EaA2B

— Ranjith Kollannur (@Arby_K) May 24, 2022

Many European nations have founders and founding dynasties.

Dynasties survive because their identities are set in blood, and not by skill. (Otherwise anyone can launch a rebellion)

But when dynasties end, things can get chaotic.

András was born around 1265 to István and Tomasina Morosini. István was a younger son of András, King of Hungary and Croatia, but was brought up by his mother, Beatrice d’Este, in Venice, while his elder (half) brothers, Béla and Kálmán, saw him as illegitimate. 1/10

Hungary went through a phase of rebuilding under Béla after the Mongols invaded Hungary in early 1240s. This phase also saw the increasing prominence of the Cumans, who arrived as refugees from Mongol attacks, much to the resentment of the existing Hungarians. 2/10

Béla's death in 1270 followed soon by his successor and son, István, in 1272, brought László as the King of Hungary and Croatia under the regency of his Cuman mother, Erszébet, adding to the rift between the people in Hungary. 3/10

In 1278, Ivan Kőszegi, a Hungarian noble, invited András to Hungary with the intent to remove László as king. But László stayed on. However, things changed in 1290 when László was killed in Bihar. This meant all from the House of Árpád had died, except for András. 4/10

The House of Árpád began with Árpád in late 9th century when Hungary began to form as a nation in the Carpathian basin. Since then, for most of the next three centuries, the House of Árpád or their close relatives had ruled Hungary. 5/10

Although many still saw András' father as illegitimate, he received support from the Hungarian nobility, who looked to retain large parts of the kingdom as their power base. Ivan Kőszegi, Roland Borsa and Amade Aba retained or acquired strong positions within the government. 6/10

But it was not an easy transition. German king Rudolf claimed suzerainty of Hungary and attempted to put his son, Albrecht, on the throne. But the stronger contender was László's sister, Maria, and her son, Charles Martel of Sicily. 7/10

While King András managed to make peace with Albrecht, Kőszegi chose to support Charles Martel. The king's early years saw many rebellions especially from the Kőszegi family, but the king managed to hold on after he allied with Albrecht and Charles Martel died in 1295. 8/10

His rule however was short since he died in 1301, bringing the formal end the House of Árpád. Like at the time of his ascension, there were multiple claimants to the throne again, from neighbouring Bohemia and Austria, to far off Lower Bavaria. 9/10

But finally, it was Charles Martel's son, Charles Robert, who took the crown and inherited the unenviable task of handling the Hungarian nobility, which he managed to do over the next two decades. 10/10

Originally tweeted by Ranjith Kollannur (@Arby_K) on May 24, 2022.

András, King of Hungary (1290-1301), King of Croatia (1290-1301) – The last days of the House of Árpád that “founded” Hungary. Although András’ father was not considered as belonging to the House of Árpád due to a purported illegitimate birth, when the rest of the House had died out, all the illegitimacy vanished. However, his lack of male heir set the question of monarchy out in the open again, leading to a brief period of ambiguity before the next dynasty (Capet-Anjou) took over.