Andrew III (Hungary)

Andrew III of Hungary

Andrew III Lithograph by Josef Kriehuber after a drawing by Moritz von Schwind , ca.1828

Andrew III called the Venetian , Hungarian III. András , Croatian Andrija III. Mlečanin , (* around 1265 ; † January 14, 1301 in Ofen , Kingdom of Hungary ) from the Arpaden family was Apostolic King of Hungary and Croatia from 1290 .

Life

origin

Andrew III was the grandson of King Andrew II and his third wife Beatrix von Este . His parents were the youngest son of Andreas II. Stephan Posthumus (* 1236 in Wehrda (Marburg) , † April 10, 1271 in Venice ), Duke of Slavonia , and his second wife, the Venetian patrician daughter Thomasina Morosini (* around 1250, † around 1300).

Political rise

Before his accession to the throne, Andreas was Duke of Slavonia, Dalmatia and Croatia under King Ladislaus IV (the 'Cumans') . After the younger brother of King Ladislaus IV, Andreas died in 1278 and Ladislaus had no (legitimate) descendants, he was the only still living offspring of the royal tribe of the Arpad. After the death of Ladislaus IV he was - as the last male Arpade - the only legitimate pretender to the Hungarian royal throne and was brought to Hungary from Italy . However, several competitors tried to dispute him for the crown. His adversaries were mainly Albrecht of Austria , the son of Rudolf I, who had ambitions for the Hungarian royal throne. At the behest of Albrecht, Andreas was imprisoned on his journey from Italy to Hungary. In the meantime, however, Andreas has been elected king by the Hungarian estates - as the last offspring of the House of the Arpad, the first ruling dynasty of Hungary, whose origins were derived from the legendary Turul . His followers managed to free Andreas disguised in a monk's habit and bring him to Ofen, where he was already received as king. Despite these obstacles, he was called 'Andreas III.' crowned Apostolic King of Hungary in the Basilica of Stuhlweissenburg on July 23, 1290 . In connection with this coronation, the chronicles speak for the first time of the " St. Stephen's Crown" (Hungarian Szent István Korona or Szent Korona ).

Andreas's greatest adversary was Karl Martell , the son of Ladislaus IV's sister, Maria (* 1245, † 1323), who was married to Charles II of Anjou , King of Sicily . Charles Martell was crowned "titular" king in Naples by the papal envoy, who acted on behalf of Pope Nicholas IV . He was also recognized as a king in Italy, Sicily, Croatia and Dalmatia. After the unexpected death of Nicholas IV († 1292), Karl Martell lost his greatest supporter. In 1292 Karl Martell was defeated by Andreas in the Battle of Agram and forced to flee to Naples, where he died in 1295.

Reign

After the foreign policy disputes were settled, Andreas began his reign with numerous consolidation plans within the kingdom. In the time of his predecessor, conditions were almost anarchist in Hungary, mainly among the nobility and the Hungarian upper class, who had to be pacified. With the more important oligarchs, who represented an open opposition to the royal power, a compromise on living together was to be found, which ultimately did not entirely succeed. In 1298 Andreas convened a parliament in Ofen, in which the future fate of the country was to be discussed. Quieter times set in in the Kingdom of Hungary. Construction work was progressing across the country, and although minor unrest could be felt in the country, Andreas knew how to suppress it before it could take on dire forms. In any case, he was far superior to his predecessors and knew how to win the respect of his citizens by granting various freedoms and privileges. In 1291, for example, he issued the city of Pressburg with a letter of freedom in which the city was granted city rights.

During his reign he received notable support from the Archbishop of Gran and Primate of Hungary Lodomerius (ung. Ladomér) (1279–1298) and the Catholic clergy. Lodomerius also recommended that he marry the Polish princess Fenena of Kujawien , who, however, died after five years of marriage. This connection resulted in only one daughter Elisabeth (1293–1336), who became a nun in the Dominican convent Töss near Winterthur .

In his second marriage he was married to the Habsburg woman Agnes of Austria , the daughter of his former adversary Albrecht. The wedding took place on February 13, 1296 in  Vienna  . However, the marriage remained childless. Although Agnes was a loyal supporter and life companion to him, his main advisor remained his mother Thomasina Morosini, who came to Hungary as early as 1293 and supported him and advised him on political matters. Andreas remained rather suspicious of his compatriots, probably because of his Italian upbringing and education. In a country that was ultimately quite "foreign" to him, he was unable to establish a real relationship of trust with his Hungarian compatriots. That is why he mostly trusted his mother and her courtiers who had brought with him from Italy.

After marrying Agnes, Andreas also supported his father-in-law, Duke Albrecht of Austria. In the Battle of Göllheim he also sent troops that helped Albrecht win this battle and be elected King of the Holy Roman Empire .

The end of the Arpad

Even if the middle and lower nobility clung to the royal house of the Arpad - which for many continued to represent the legendary ' Turul family' - the days of this ruling house, which remained without male descendants, seemed to be numbered. Andreas was the last Arpade in the male line, but already belonged to a side branch of the family: In view of the foreseeable end of the Arpaden dynasty, there was a certain uncertainty and sadness in the country. In October 1300 the mother (and adviser) of King Thomasina Morosini died suddenly and unexpectedly; a terrible blow for Andreas, since he lost in her his closest confidante and advisor.

Andreas then began an unsteady life, with alcohol and in women he tried to find comfort and pleasure. On January 14, 1301, the last male offspring of King Stephen closed his eyes. The then Palatine of Hungary Stephan (* around 1267, † 1315) from the family Ákos wrote the following about Andreas' death:

Meghalt András, Magyarország jeles királya, az utolsó aranyágacska, amely atyai ágon Szent István királynak, a magyarok első királyának a nemzetségéből, törzséből és véréből sarjadt. Halálát mint Rachelét siratván meg, az ország népei azon gondolkodtak: hogyan és miképpen találhatnának maguknak az isteni kegyelem gondoskodása folytán a szent király véréből származó új uralkodót .

("Andrew, the important King of Hungary, died the last little branch of gold, which descended in the paternal line from Saint Stephen, the King of Hungary. He arose from the lineage, line and blood of the first Hungarian king. We mourn his death like Rachel and the peoples of the kingdom think about it: how do we, with God's grace and care, find a successor who comes from the blood of the Holy King. ")

Andreas was buried on the castle hill of Ofen in what was then the Minorite Church. In its place, the former German Theater von Ofen, today the Castle Theater at the Castle of Budapest , was built.

After the king's death, his widow Agnes lived in Königsfelden near Windisch from 1317 until her death and led this monastery founded by the Habsburgs to its economic boom.

literature

• Dezső Dümmerth: Az Árpádok nyomában, ("In the footsteps of the Arpades"), Budapest 1977, ISBN 963-243-224-X (Hungarian), p. 494 ff.
• Dolinay Gyula: Magyar Királyok és hősök arczképcsarnoka ("Pictures of the life of Hungarian kings and heroes") , Reprint: Budapest 1883, ISBN 963-7765-16-6 (Hungarian, 1995).
• Magyarország uralkodói, (Editor Gyula Szvák), Budapest 2003, ISBN 963-9252-60-3 (Hungarian) p. 122.

Web links

Commons : Andreas III. of Hungary  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

JAFessler: Stories of the Ungern ... Leipzig 1815

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Magyarország uralkodói, p. 123, p. 267 (pedigree)
2. ↑ In 1290 Rudolf wanted to put his son on the throne of Hungary, which after the assassination of  Ladislaus IV was  regarded as a reverted fiefdom  . But Rudolf's death in 1291 thwarted this plan.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Dümmerth: Az Árpádok ... , p. 497, p. 503 (see bibliography)
4. ^ Quoted in Emil Portisch: History of the City of Preßburg, Pressburg-Bratislava 1932, Vol. 1, p. 54

predecessor	Office	successor
Ladislaus IV./III.	King of Hungary 1290–1301	Ladislaus V.
Ladislaus IV./III.	King of Croatia, Dalmatia and Rama 1290–1301	Charles I.