Coronation and pretenders (1290–1293) Upon Andrew's arrival, his opponents tried to bribe
Theodore Tengerdi, Provost of the
Székesfehérvár Chapter, not to hand over the
Holy Crown of Hungary to the soon-to-be-king, but the prior refused them. Archbishop Lodomer crowned Andrew king in
Székesfehérvár on 23 July. The lords and prelates swore loyalty to Andrew only after he issued a charter promising the restoration of internal peace and respect for the privileges of the nobility and the clergymen. He then appointed the most powerful noblemen, who had for years administered their domains independently of the monarch, to the highest offices.
Amadeus Aba, who dominated the northeastern parts of the kingdom, was made
palatine, Ivan Kőszegi, the lord of the western parts of Transdanubia, became
master of the treasury, and
Roland Borsa remained the
voivode of Transylvania. Andrew held a
diet before 1 September. To put an end to anarchy, the "prelates, barons and noblemen" ordered the destruction of castles which had been erected without royal permission and the restoration of estates that had been unlawfully seized to their rightful owners. Andrew promised that he would hold a diet each year during his reign. There were several other challengers to Andrew's claim to the throne.
Rudolf I of Germany claimed that Hungary
escheated to him after Ladislaus IV's childless death, because Ladislaus IV's grandfather,
Béla IV of Hungary, had sworn fidelity to
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor during the
Mongol invasion of Hungary. Although
Pope Innocent IV had years before freed Béla IV of his oath, Rudolf I of Germany attempted to bestow Hungary on his own son, Albert of Austria, on 31 August. The self-declared "
Andrew, Duke of Slavonia"—an adventurer who claimed to be identical to Ladislaus IV's dead younger brother—also challenged King Andrew's right to the crown and stormed into Hungary from
Poland. He was shortly thereafter forced to return to Poland, where he was murdered. Andrew married
Fenenna, the daughter of
Ziemomysł of Kuyavia, before the end of 1290. Andrew then held a general assembly for the barons and the noblemen of five
counties to the east of the river
Tisza—
Bihar,
Kraszna,
Szabolcs,
Szatmár, and
Szolnok—at
Nagyvárad (Oradea) in early 1291. The assembly outlawed
Stephen Balogsemjén, a staunch supporter of the late Ladislaus IV, for major trespass. From the assembly, Andrew went to
Gyulafehérvár (Alba Iulia). Here he issued the decrees of his 1290 diet at the assembly of the local noblemen,
Saxons,
Székelys and
Romanians, in February or March. Around the same time, Andrew dismissed Amadeus Aba and made Ivan Kőszegi palatine. Ladislaus IV's sister
Mary, wife of
Charles II of Naples, announced her claim to the throne in April 1291. The
Babonići,
Frankopans,
Šubići, and other leading Croatian and Slavonian noble families accepted her as the lawful monarch. Andrew's main concern, however, was
Albert of Austria's claim. He invaded Austria, forcing Albert to withdraw his garrisons from the towns and fortresses—including
Pressburg (Bratislava) and
Sopron—that he had captured years before, many of which were held by the Kőszegis before their conquest. The
Peace of Hainburg, which concluded the war, was signed on 26 August, and three days later Andrew and Albert of Austria confirmed it at their meeting in
Köpcsény (Kopčany). The peace treaty prescribed the destruction of the fortresses that Albert of Austria had seized from the Kőszegis. The Kőszegis rose up in open rebellion against Andrew in spring 1292, acknowledging Mary's son,
Charles Martel, as King of Hungary. The royal troops subdued the rebellion by July, but the Kőszegis captured and imprisoned Andrew during his journey to Slavonia in August. Andrew was liberated within four months, after his supporters sent their relatives as hostages to the Kőszegis.
Rebellions and attempts to consolidate (1293–1298) Upon Andrew's request, his mother, Tomasina, moved to Hungary in 1293. Andrew appointed her to administer Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia. Due to her activities, the Babonići, Šubići, and the Dalmatian towns acknowledged Andrew's rule. Andrew visited the northern parts of Hungary and ordered the revision of former land grants in February. After his return to
Buda, he again made Amadeus Aba palatine. In August, Andrew arranged a marriage between his cousin, Constance Morosini, and
Vladislav, son of
Stefan Dragutin of Serbia, who had earlier acknowledged Charles Martel's claim to Hungary. Roland Borsa besieged and captured
Benedict, Bishop of Várad's fortress at
Fenes (Finiș) on 23 May 1294. Andrew held a general assembly and outlawed Borsa. According to historian Attila Zsoldos, he made Nicholas Kőszegi palatine on this occasion. Andrew laid siege to Borsa's fort at
Adorján (Adrian). The siege lasted three months before the fort fell to Andrew in October. Andrew replaced Roland Borsa with
Ladislaus III Kán as voivode of Transylvania, but the former preserved all his domains in the lands east of the Tisza. The Croatian lord
Paul Šubić again turned against Andrew and joined the camp of Charles Martel in early 1295, but Charles died in August. Within two months, the Babonići also rebelled against Andrew. Early the next year, the recently widowed King Andrew visited Vienna and arranged a marriage with Duke Albert's daughter
Agnes. The Kőszegis soon rose up in open rebellion. Andrew declared war on the rebels, and Archbishop Lodomer excommunicated them. Andrew and Albert jointly seized the Kőszegis' main fort at
Kőszeg in October, but could not subdue them. Andrew's mother seems to have died at the end of the year because references to her activities disappear from the contemporaneous documents.
Matthew III Csák, whom Andrew had made palatine in 1296, turned against Andrew at the end of 1297. Andrew's staunch supporter, Archbishop Lodomer, died around the same time. In early February 1298, Andrew visited Albert of Austria in Vienna and promised to support him against
Adolf of Nassau,
King of Germany. Andrew sent an auxiliary troop, and Albert of Austria routed King Adolf in the
Battle of Göllheim on 2 July.
Last years (1298–1301) " (powerful lords) in the early 14th century Andrew held an assembly of the prelates, noblemen, Saxons, Székelys, and Cumans in
Pest in the summer of 1298. The preamble to the decrees that were passed at the diet mentioned "the laxity of the lord king". The decrees authorized Andrew to destroy forts built without permission and ordered the punishment of those who had seized landed property with force, but also threatened Andrew with excommunication if he did not apply the decrees. At the gathering, he appointed his uncle, Albertino Morosini, Duke of Slavonia. After the close of the diet, Andrew entered into a formal alliance with five influential noblemen – Amadeus Aba,
Stephen Ákos,
Dominic Rátót,
Demetrius Balassa and
Paul Szécs – who stated that they were willing to support him against the Pope and the bishops.
Gregory Bicskei, the archbishop-elect and
apostolic administrator of Esztergom, forbade the prelates to participate at a new diet which was held in 1299. The prelates ignored Bicskei's order and Andrew deprived him of
Esztergom County. A group of powerful lords—including the Šubići, Kőszegis and Csáks—urged Charles II of Naples to send his grandson, the 12-year-old
Charles Robert, to Hungary in order to become king. Charles Robert disembarked in Split in August 1300. Most Croatian and Slavonian lords and all Dalmatian towns but
Trogir recognized him as king before he marched to Zagreb. The Kőszegis and Matthew Csák, however, were shortly reconciled with Andrew, preventing Charles' success. Andrew's envoy to the Holy See noted that
Pope Boniface VIII also did not support Charles Robert's adventure. Andrew, who had been in poor health for a while, was planning to capture his opponent, but he died in
Buda Castle on 14 January 1301. According to historians Attila Zsoldos and Gyula Kristó, the contemporaneous gossip suggesting that Andrew was poisoned cannot be proved. Andrew was buried in the Franciscan church in
Buda. Years later, Palatine Stephen Ákos referred to Andrew as the "last golden branch" of the tree of
King Saint Stephen's family, because with Andrew's death the
House of Árpád, the first royal dynasty of Hungary, ended. A civil war between various claimants to the throne—Charles Robert,
Wenceslaus of Bohemia, and
Otto of Bavaria—followed Andrew's death and lasted for seven years. The civil war ended with Charles Robert's victory, but he was forced to continue fighting against the Kőszegis, the
Abas, Matthew Csák, and other powerful lords up to the early 1320s. ==Family==