Ladislaus I of Hungary
Ladislaus I (Hungarian: I. László, Croatian: Ladislav I., Slovak: Ladislav I., Polish: Władysław I; c. 1040 – 29 July 1095), also known as Saint Ladislas, was King of Hungary from 1077 and King of Croatia from 1091. He was the second son of King Béla I of Hungary and Richeza (or Adelaide) of Poland. After Béla's death in 1063, Ladislaus and his elder brother, Géza, acknowledged their cousin Solomon as the lawful king in exchange for receiving their father's former duchy, which included one-third of the kingdom. They cooperated with Solomon for the next decade. Ladislaus's most popular legend, which narrates his fight with a "Cuman" (a Turkic nomad marauder) who abducted a Hungarian girl, is connected to this period. The brothers' relationship with Solomon deteriorated in the early 1070s, and they rebelled against him. Géza was proclaimed king in 1074, but Solomon maintained control of the western regions of his kingdom. During Géza's reign, Ladislaus was his brother's most influential adviser.
Ladislaus I
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St. Ladislaus
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Géza died in 1077, and his supporters made Ladislaus king. Solomon resisted Ladislaus with assistance from King Henry IV of Germany. Ladislaus supported Henry IV's opponents during the Investiture Controversy. In 1081, Solomon abdicated and acknowledged Ladislaus's reign, but he conspired to regain the royal crown, and Ladislaus imprisoned him. Ladislaus canonized the first Hungarian saints (including his distant relatives, King Stephen I and Duke Emeric) in 1085. He set Solomon free during the canonization ceremony.
After a series of civil wars, Ladislaus's main focus was the restoration of public safety. He introduced severe legislation, punishing those who violated property rights with death or mutilation. He occupied almost all Croatia in 1091, which marked the beginning of an expansion period for the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. Ladislaus's victories over the Pechenegs and Cumans ensured the security of his kingdom's eastern borders for about 150 years. His relationship with the Holy See deteriorated during the last years of his reign, as the popes claimed that Croatia was their fief, but Ladislaus denied their claims.
Ladislaus was canonized on 27 June 1192 by Pope Celestine III. Legends depict him as a pious knight-king, "the incarnation of the late-medieval Hungarian ideal of chivalry."[1] He is a popular saint in Hungary and neighboring nations, where many churches are dedicated to him.
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Ladislaus was the second son of the future King Béla I of Hungary and his wife, Richeza (or Adelaide), who was a daughter of King Mieszko II Lambert of Poland.[2][3] Ladislaus and his elder brother, Géza, were born in Poland, where Béla had settled in the 1030s after being banished from Hungary.[4][5] Ladislaus was born around 1040.[4] Ladislaus's "physical and spiritual makeup testified to God's gracious will even at his birth", according to his late-12th-century Legend.[6] The almost contemporaneous Gallus Anonymus wrote that Ladislaus was "raised from childhood in Poland" and almost became a "Pole in his ways and life".[5][7] He received a Slavic name: "Ladislaus" is derived from "Vladislav".[4]
Béla and his family returned to Hungary around 1048.[4] Béla received the so-called "Duchy" – which encompassed one-third of the kingdom – from his brother, King Andrew I of Hungary.[8][9][10] The Illuminated Chronicle mentions that Andrew's son, Solomon, "was anointed king with the consent of Duke Bela and his sons Geysa and Ladislaus"[11] in 1057 or 1058.[4]
Béla, who had been Andrew's heir before Solomon's coronation, left for Poland in 1059; his sons accompanied him.[4][12] They returned with Polish reinforcements and began a rebellion against Andrew.[8][13] After defeating Andrew, Béla was crowned king on 6 December 1060.[13] Solomon left the country, taking refuge in the Holy Roman Empire.[14][15] Béla I died on 11 September 1063, some time before German troops entered Hungary in order to restore Solomon.[12] Ladislaus and his brothers, Géza and Lampert, went back to Poland, and Solomon was once again crowned king in Székesfehérvár.[4][16] The three brothers returned when the Germans left Hungary.[17] To avoid another civil war, the brothers signed a treaty with Solomon on 20 January 1064,[17][18] acknowledging Solomon's reign in exchange for their father's duchy.[18][19]
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Saint Ladislaus (painting by Simone Martini, 1326) (Museo Civico di Santa Maria della Consolazione, Altomonte, Italy)
1. Burial of Saint Ladislaus. 2. Persons praying at his tomb. 3. A rich man unable to lift a silver tray from his tomb. 4. A poor man lifting the silver tray. (Anjou Legendarium, 14th century)
In the initial "P", Prince Ladislaus is fighting a duel with a Cuman warrior (Chronicon Pictum, 1358)
Saint Ladislaus at Battle of Cserhalom (painting by Károly Kisfaludy, 1826–1830) (Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest)
The depiction of the Battle of Cserhalom in the Saint Ladislaus chapel, Matthias Church (Budapest, Hungary) (painting by Károly Lotz, 19th century). King Saint Ladislaus of Hungary saves the kidnapped Hungarian girl from a Cuman warrior.
Statue of Saint Ladislaus made to memory of the Battle of Mogyoród in Mogyoród, Hungary (made by Lajos Józsa in 2001)
Statue of Saint Ladislaus in Szekszárd, Hungary (made by Benedek Nagy in 2001). The composition was based on the Ladislaus and Cuman warrior duel scene in the initial "P" in the Chronicon Pictum.
Horse statue of Saint Ladislaus in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oradea, Romania (made by Árpád Deák in 2023)
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27 June 1192 (dubious) by Pope Celestine III (dubious)
27 June
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25 April 1077 – 29 July 1095
1077, Székesfehérvár
1091 – 29 July 1095
Álmos as Duke
c. 1040
Kraków, Kingdom of Poland
29 July 1095 (aged 54–55)
Nyitra, Kingdom of Hungary
(now Nitra, Slovakia)