#kálman

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 1A, MATCH 5

***

WHAT MY PROFESSOR OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY SAID ABOUT THEM

Kálman (Koloman) 1095-1116

was supposed to become a priest, but because Arpáds gonna Arpád, he stole the throne from his brother Álmos, whom he subsequently blinded and imprisoned together with his son (who was a literal child)

otherwise a pretty cool dude, called Learned or Lawgiver because of all the laws he has passed, more than any other king of Hungary in fact (in medieval history I presume, I refuse to believe neither Maria Theresa nor Joseph II. have him beat)

he called a synod to fight the corruption in the church, which is nice

let the crusaders trough Hungary, but when they started making mess (as crusaders wont to do), he kicked them out

gained the throne of Croatia and for administrative reasons abolished the duchy of Nyitra, no I am not bitter

also I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention the hillarious bit of drama that is his marriage to Kievan princess Euphemia, basically he proclaimed her to be an adulteress and sent her back home, where she gave birth to a son named Boris, who then proceeded to be a pain in the ass of his Hungarian (alleged) relatives for his whole life by attempting to claim the throne

I.Károly (Karol I.) - but be honest, we all know him as Károly/Karol Róbert 1301-1342

spent the first few years on the throne fending off antikings, namely Václav III., who then gave up and passed his claim onto Otto of Bavaria, whom Károly subsequently defeated

upon his ascencion to the throne country basically ruled by the feuding nobles, also know in this period as oligarchs, he managed to consolidate his reign and regain most of the royal power trough a combination of warfare (Rozgony/Rozhanovce 1312 HELLOOO) and appeasing them with court functions

I don't even know where to START with this guy's reforms - seriously, he minted the first gold coins in Hungary, instated the banderial system (levy of the royal army from the soldiers drafted by the cities, comitates and nobles, look it was a big deal, just trust me), reformed the administation of the country and so, so much more I can't get into; basically, this man was Maria Theresa before Maria Theresa

he mostly avoided wars because of the bad shape of Hungarian treasury, though he did lead a couple of them (conflicts with Venice and Wallachia)

initiator of the 1335 meeting in Visegrád with John of Luxembourg and Casimir III. of Poland; basically, we have him to thank for the name Visegrád Four

(admin is from Košice, so he has just inherently won in her eyes because of Rozhanovce)

[rudolf-polls]

Is Kálman Tisza going to have a photo tournament too? After all, we don't want Hungarians to riot.

unfortunately I don't have anything else planned 😔

[greencheekconure27]

Damn I really feel obliged to post some Gilbert and Sullivan after that.

( Or maybe some Johan Strauss II or early Léhar? I can't go with Kálman because that would be Edwardian operetta)

[philippelallemant]

la boussole du cœur

est-elle différente de l’autre

boussole du destin

Haïku ©️@philallemant - 13 janvier 2023

(Inspiré par le magnifique livre de Jon Kálman STEFÁNSSON

« Ton absence n’est que ténèbres » Grasset 2022)

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 4, MATCH 2

Admin's commentary: Good thing László is a saint, because only God can help him now...

***

I.László (Ladislav I.) 1077-1091

as mentioned bellow, during his rule, the whole Salamon situation was sorted out, and the foreign relations were consolidated, so that's nice

or would be if he also wasn't the first king of Hungary to focus on expanding the borders of the country, he tried to conquer Croatia (using some business with his sister, who married there, as an excuse), but in his absence Hungary was attacked by Pechenegs, so he had to rush back home

finished christianization of Hungary, during his reign developing religious culture, canonization of first Hungarian saints (I.István, his son Imre, saint Svorad and Benedict), also founded new bishoprics, chapters and provostrics

lest you think he was all gung-ho about the church and would let it do whatever it wanted, he also wrote two law codes, which among other things limited the right of the church to provide asylum to criminals

he also, just like Kálman mentioned in the previous week, called up a church synod, where many important questions were settled (celibacy of the clergy, tithes etc.); overall this guy was kind of a big deal, even beyond the sainthood he later obtained?

I.Mátyás (Matej I.); also known as Hunyadi Mátyás (Matej Korvín) 1458-1490

I mean, do I even have to say anything??? you know who this guy is right.

fought the Ottomans. supported arts and sciences. instituted important reforms. founded Academia Istropolitana. made Buda the capital and built the Buda Castle. gained the crown of Bohemia and stole territory from Austria. the man. the myth. the legend.

@deetherusalka said about him: "Lmao Bohemian crown snatcher, it's still so funny to me how in Czechia he's always presented as the evil himself and then everywhere else he's celebrated (which is not wrong imho! it's just funny how the narrative changes depending on perspective you learn about it)"

@durzarya said about him: #listen i love Mátyás király and i have voted for him#but my guy had some interesting policies#hilarious information about him: at 19 he captured Vlad Țepeș

@biksarddedrak said about him: #It's not even fight#It's just bloody beating#Matyás is remembered even in many historical legends as a good and just ruler#he reformed military and made the world fear Hungary#first profesional army#he managed to pay not only for the one for a THREE armies at a time#also his love with his wife Beatrice is a thing of a legends#The GOOD sort of legends#also I am completely obsessed with a way how his name is pronouced#seriously check that out it's hilarious#black army

@partialtotheperiwinkleblue said about him: "Seriously, who else has his own cartoon series and fairy tale genre?" #the goat#he did a lot of work for someone who was originally chosen as a figurehead at 14

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 2, MATCH 3

Admin's commentary: Aww, I kinda liked the likely loser of this one...

***

WHAT MY PROFESSOR OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY SAID ABOUT THEM

I.Károly (Karol I.) - but be honest, we all know him as Károly/Karol Róbert 1301-1342

spent the first few years on the throne fending off antikings, namely Václav III., who then gave up and passed his claim onto Otto of Bavaria, whom Károly subsequently defeated

upon his ascencion to the throne country basically ruled by the feuding nobles, also know in this period as oligarchs, he managed to consolidate his reign and regain most of the royal power trough a combination of warfare (Rozgony/Rozhanovce 1312 HELLOOO) and appeasing them with court functions

I don't even know where to START with this guy's reforms - seriously, he minted the first gold coins in Hungary, instated the banderial system (levy of the royal army from the soldiers drafted by the cities, comitates and nobles, look it was a big deal, just trust me), reformed the administation of the country and so, so much more I can't get into; basically, this man was Maria Theresa before Maria Theresa

he mostly avoided wars because of the bad shape of Hungarian treasury, though he did lead a couple of them (conflicts with Venice and Wallachia)

initiator of the 1335 meeting in Visegrád with John of Luxembourg and Casimir III. of Poland; basically, we have him to thank for the name Visegrád Four

(admin is from Košice, so he has just inherently won in her eyes because of Rozhanovce)

@tunderilona said about him: #károly róbert sweep he literally reformed the entire country

@cdqueer said about him: #hes got that anjou rizz (perfected by i. lajos <3)

@tonhalszendvics said about him: #of course károly robi had to fight off everyone in his first years#he was crowned officially in 1308#he fucked up two times before that#i mean you need to be crowned in székesfehérvár by the archbishop of esztergom with the holy crown#third time the charm he did it

II.Béla (Belo II.) 1131-1141

diversity win, the man who just executed you and several other people in Arad for opposing him is disabled (blinded by his uncle Kálman from the previous poll)

apparently a combination of guilty conscience and childhood trauma from aforementioned blinding later led him to start drink heavily, hence the short reign

pretty successful foreign policy, consolidated relations with Bohemia, church and Holy Roman Empire, also conquered northern Bosnia and part of Dalmatia, so that's nice

founded the Royal Chancellory (a super important administrative organ in Middle Ages)

in general very pious and a friend of the church, supported the cult of saint I.László

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 1B, MATCH 4

***

WHAT MY PROFESSOR OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY SAID ABOUT THEM

I.László (Ladislav I.) 1077-1091

as mentioned bellow, during his rule, the whole Salamon situation was sorted out, and the foreign relations were consolidated, so that's nice

or would be if he also wasn't the first king of Hungary to focus on expanding the borders of the country, he tried to conquer Croatia (using some business with his sister, who married there, as an excuse), but in his absence Hungary was attacked by Pechenegs, so he had to rush back home

finished christianization of Hungary, during his reign developing religious culture, canonization of first Hungarian saints (I.István, his son Imre, saint Svorad and Benedict), also founded new bishoprics, chapters and provostrics

lest you think he was all gung-ho about the church and would let it do whatever it wanted, he also wrote two law codes, which among other things limited the right of the church to provide asylum to criminals

he also, just like Kálman mentioned in the previous week, called up a church synod, where many important questions were settled (celibacy of the clergy, tithes etc.); overall this guy was kind of a big deal, even beyond the sainthood he later obtained?

I.Mária (Mária I.) 1382-1385 1386-1395

her father died when she was still a minor, so the nobility took the liberty of supporting antiking, sparking a civil war

Zsigmond of Luxembourg, then her fiance, saved her from captivity by rebellious nobles and secured her (and his own) possition on the throne

lest you think this was a start of some lovestory, they apparently ended up hating each other's guts, honestly Zsigmond's paternal grandparents Eliška Přemyslovna (Elizabeth of Bohemia) and Jan Lucemburský (John of Luxembourg) give one a pretty good image of what those two might've ended up looking like if they had kids

but before that family drama could take place, Mária fell off a horse and just... died. apparently, she was pregnant at the time.

honestly not much to say about her merits as a monarch, but her story is pretty sad, and hey, she's a girl, and those usually do numbers on these polls, so

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 2, MATCH 6

Admin's commentary: Ah, a classic knight vs serpent battle. Like I don't want to seem like I have favourites in any match, but this one isn't going to be super exciting I'm affraid.

***

WHAT MY PROFESSOR OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY SAID ABOUT THEM

Salamon (Šalamún) 1063-1074

he had several cousins, which ofc is an inherently dangerous situation for an Arpád, so he later made a deal with them and gave them duchies, they even defended the country together

unfortunately, all of this family idyll couldn't last forever, because Arpáds, and as mentioned in the I.Géza entry, one of said cousins overthrew him because of Salamon's attempt at his life

Solomon tried several times to regain the throne, but unsuccesfully, and his support in exile slowly dwindled, untill he was forced to give up and officially declare I.László the true king of Hungary

I.László (Ladislav I.) 1077-1091

as mentioned bellow, during his rule, the whole Salamon situation was sorted out, and the foreign relations were consolidated, so that's nice

or would be if he also wasn't the first king of Hungary to focus on expanding the borders of the country, he tried to conquer Croatia (using some business with his sister, who married there, as an excuse), but in his absence Hungary was attacked by Pechenegs, so he had to rush back home

finished christianization of Hungary, during his reign developing religious culture, canonization of first Hungarian saints (I.István, his son Imre, saint Svorad and Benedict), also founded new bishoprics, chapters and provostrics

lest you think he was all gung-ho about the church and would let it do whatever it wanted, he also wrote two law codes, which among other things limited the right of the church to provide asylum to criminals

he also, just like Kálman mentioned in the previous week, called up a church synod, where many important questions were settled (celibacy of the clergy, tithes etc.); overall this guy was kind of a big deal, even beyond the sainthood he later obtained?

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 1B, MATCH 5

***

WHAT MY PROFESSOR OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY SAID ABOUT THEM

II.István (Štefan II.) 1116-1131

son of Kálman, to whom he was constantly unfavourably compared to (which seems a bit unfair ngl)

waged a lot of wars during his reign (with Bohemia, Austria, Venetia etc.)

most of them ended badly for Hungary, which is why the nobility rose against him, they were supported by the Byzantine Empire, so now Hungary was in war with Byzantine Empire *sigh*

fortunately, he cleaned up his act afterwards and consolidated at least relations with Bohemia and Holy Roman Empire (if not the Byzantines, who still kept up the nonsense with Boris, and got hold of his blind uncle Álmos, see Kálman and II.Béla)

he also founded the first premonstratensian monastery in Hungary, so that's nice

Zsigmond (Žigmund Luxemburský) 1387-1437

also king of Bohemia and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, elsewhere best known from what he did to Jan Hus, but we don't have enough time to unpack that, needless to say he's responsible for the bratríks (branch of hussites that went on supply raids into Hungary), so fuck him just for that

his rule in Hungary was long and eventful, after he secured the throne, his first order of business was a war with Ottomans, which ended in the catastrophic battle of Nicopolis, later another war, during which he regained Beograd, but lost Golubac, which was an important fortress

after the Hungarian nobles were found to conspire against him, he instituted harsh repressions, destroying many important noble houses, which he then tried to replace with a nobility faithful to him - but that just caused yet another conspiracy, which Zsigmond had to appease by marrying Barbara of Celle

founded the Order Of The Dragon, which is how Vlad II. Dracul and after him his son Vlad III. Dracula got their monikers

supported the rights of cities, especially in his Minor Decree, but lest our fellow medieval city kinnies start liking him too much, he was also the guy who lended several cities in Spiš to the Poles (cities formally stayed part of Hungary, but the profits from them went to the king od Poland; which is basically how it stayed untill the divisions of Poland)

he also instituted another two law codes concerning courts and army, gave himself placetum regium (right to veto reading of papal bulls on his territories, which meant he could witheld the orders of the pope itself from his people; @best-habsburg-monarch might recognize this one)... basically for better or for worse, he was a Big Damn Deal here, truly one of the most important monarchs of Hungary, just look at how long his entry is

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 3, MATCH 3

Admin's commentary: *sounds of desperately biting her tongue in an effort to stay neutral*

***

II.András (Ondrej II.) 1205-1235

on his backstory see entries for Imre and III.László, allegedly ascended the throne with the ambitions to build a "new order" - which he did, if by "new order" you mean "seeds of feudal anarchy" (buckle up kids, this one is going to be a long one, basically this dude did a lot of things and none of them well)

tried to gain support of the nobility by giving away royal land (he later came to his senses and tried to gain back at least some of it, but it was too late), and then compensated for the lost income by a series of questionable orders (special taxation, customs fees - which hurt Hungarian trade, devaluation of the coinage); all of this empowered his closest circles while also being a Bad Time for everyone else, lower nobility (or its closest equivalent in medieval Hungary) eventually got fed up with his sheneningans and forced him to issues the Golden Bull of Andrew II., a document entrenching the privileges of all nobility regardless of wealth (freedom from taxation, right to rise up against the king if he doesn't respect their rights etc.), many consider this the real beginings of nobility in Hungary (privileged classes of course existed before, but only the Golden Bull unified them under one label)

the three aims of his foreign policy were keeping good relations with the Byzantines (which he doesn't seem to have failed particullarly badly in), gain the throne of Galicia (which he did get part of in an agreement with Leszek, duke of Poland - don't know which one exactly) and go on a crusade to the Holy Land (which was an unmitigated disaster, basically he left for a while and when he returned, the country was in shambles)

he also settled the Teutonic Order in Hungary and gave them various privileges, hoping to use them to protect the country against Cuman raids, but then they started causing trouble and act as a state within the state, so in the end he was also the one who kicked them away

he did a couple of good things too, like settle more Saxons in Hungary, welcome mendicant orders into the country and so on, but honestly these things pale in comparison with his numerous fuckups

I.László (Ladislav I.) 1077-1091

as mentioned bellow, during his rule, the whole Salamon situation was sorted out, and the foreign relations were consolidated, so that's nice

or would be if he also wasn't the first king of Hungary to focus on expanding the borders of the country, he tried to conquer Croatia (using some business with his sister, who married there, as an excuse), but in his absence Hungary was attacked by Pechenegs, so he had to rush back home

finished christianization of Hungary, during his reign developing religious culture, canonization of first Hungarian saints (I.István, his son Imre, saint Svorad and Benedict), also founded new bishoprics, chapters and provostrics

lest you think he was all gung-ho about the church and would let it do whatever it wanted, he also wrote two law codes, which among other things limited the right of the church to provide asylum to criminals

he also, just like Kálman mentioned in the previous week, called up a church synod, where many important questions were settled (celibacy of the clergy, tithes etc.); overall this guy was kind of a big deal, even beyond the sainthood he later obtained?

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 1A, MATCH 6

***

WHAT MY PROFESSOR OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY SAID ABOUT THEM

II.Béla (Belo II.) 1131-1141

HOLY SHIT I MISTOOK HIM FOR III.BÉLA AND NOW I HAVE MATTHIAS CORVINUS RUNNING AGAINST SOME BYZANTINE-LOVING PANSY, OH NOOO- (anyway he wins this round and it's not even close)

anyway, diversity win, the man who just executed you and several other people in Arad for opposing him is disabled (blinded by his uncle Kálman from the previous poll)

apparently a combination of guilty conscience and childhood trauma from aforementioned blinding later led him to start drink heavily, hence the short reign

pretty successful foreign policy, consolidated relations with Bohemia, church and Holy Roman Empire, also conquered northern Bosnia and part of Dalmatia, so that's nice

founded the Royal Chancellory (a super important administrative organ in Middle Ages)

in general very pious and a friend of the church, supported the cult of saint I.László

Albert of Habsburg 1437-1439

fans of @best-habsburg-monarch and Habsburgs in general will know him as Albert II.

at the start of his reign, he was forced to make concessions towards the nobility, which weakened the power of the king

might've gone back on them later when his reign was more consolidated (wouldn't be the first one, even Maria Theresa did this), might've not, we'll never know, because after an extremely short reign, he went to war with Ottomans and died of an illness