Consolidation (1077–1085) , 1358) Géza I died on 25 April 1077. Since Géza's sons,
Coloman and
Álmos, were
minors, his supporters proclaimed Ladislaus king instead. Gallus Anonymus emphasizes that King
Boleslaus II the Bold of Poland "drove out" Solomon "from Hungary with his forces, and placed [Ladislaus] on the throne"; Boleslaus even called Ladislaus "his king". Although the
Illuminated Chronicle emphasizes that Ladislaus "never placed the crown upon his head, for he desired a heavenly crown rather than the earthly crown of a mortal king", all his coins depict him wearing a crown, suggesting that Ladislaus was actually crowned around 1078. Shortly after his coronation, Ladislaus promulgated two law books, which incorporated the decisions of an assembly of the "magnates of the kingdom", held in
Pannonhalma. The majority of these laws were draconian measures to defend private property, showing that Ladislaus primarily focused on internal consolidation and security during the first years of his reign. Those who were caught
stealing were to be executed, and even criminals who committed minor offenses against property rights were blinded or sold as slaves. His other laws regulated legal proceedings and economic matters, including the issuing of
judicial summons and the
royal monopoly on salt trade. The
Illuminated Chronicle claims that Ladislaus planned to "restore the kingdom" to Solomon and "himself have the dukedom", However, Solomon soon began conspiring against Ladislaus, and Ladislaus imprisoned him. The first five Hungarian saints, including the first king of Hungary,
Stephen I, and Stephen's son,
Emeric, were
canonized during Ladislaus's reign. Stephen's canonization demonstrates Ladislaus's magnanimity, because Ladislaus's grandfather,
Vazul, had been blinded on Stephen's orders in the 1030s. Historian László Kontler says that the canonization ceremony, held in August 1083, was also a political act, demonstrating Ladislaus's "commitment to preserving and strengthening" the Christian state. Ladislaus even dedicated a newly established
Benedictine monasterySzentjobb Abbeyto Stephen's right arm, known as the "
Holy Dexter", which was miraculously found intact. Ladislaus released Solomon at the time of the ceremony; legend said that Stephen's grave could not be opened until he did so. After his release, Solomon made a final effort to regain his crown. He persuaded a
Pecheneg chieftain, Kutesk, to invade Hungary in 1085. Ladislaus defeated the invaders at the upper courses of the
Tisza River.
Expansion (1085–1092) In August 1087, German princes who opposed Henry IV's rule held a conference in
Speyer. The contemporaneous
Bernold of St Blasien mentions that Ladislaus sent envoys to the meeting, and "promised that he would assist [them] with 20,000 knights, if it became necessary". Ladislaus also recognized
Pope Victor III as the legitimate pope, rather than
Clement III, who had been elected pope at Henry IV's initiative. However, Ladislaus provided no further support to Henry IV's opponents after he was informed of Solomon's death in 1087. and
Helen, sister to Ladislaus in 1075 (painting by
Mato Celestin Medović) King
Demetrius Zvonimir of Croatia's wife,
Helen, was Ladislaus's sister. After the death of Zvonimir and his successor,
Stephen II, a conflict developed between factions of
Croatian noblemen. to conquer Croatia (painting by
Bertalan Székely, 19th century)At Helen's request, Ladislaus intervened in the conflict and invaded Croatia in 1091. The same year, he wrote to
Oderizius,
Abbot of Monte Cassino in Italy, about his invasion.
Thomas the Archdeacon's chronicle describes how Ladislaus "occupied the entire land from the
River Drava to the mountains called the Iron Alps without encountering opposition". However, his opponents crowned a local nobleman,
Petar Snačić, as king. Snačić fought in the
Gvozd Mountains, preventing the complete conquest of Croatia. Ladislaus appointed his nephew, Álmos, to administer the occupied territory. Around the same time, Ladislaus set up a
separate diocese in Slavonia, with its see in
Zagreb. The bishop of the new see became the
suffragan to the
archbishop of Esztergom in Hungary. Ladislaus admitted in his letter to Oderizius that he could not "promote the cause of earthly dignities without committing grave sins". Historian
Bálint Hóman says that Ladislaus was referring to a developing conflict with
Pope Urban II, who objected to Ladislaus's refusal to acknowledge the Holy See's suzerainty over Croatia. In the letter, Ladislaus styled himself as "king of the Hungarians and of Messia". Historian Ferenc Makk writes that the latter title referred to
Moesia, implying that Ladislaus had taken the regions between the
Great Morava and
Drina rivers from the Byzantine Empire. No other documents refer to Ladislaus's occupation of Moesia, suggesting that if Ladislaus did occupy the region, he lost it quickly. Alexandru Madgearu says that "Messia" should rather be associated with Bosnia, which was occupied during Ladislaus's campaign against Croatia. The
Cumans invaded and plundered the eastern part of the kingdom in 1091. The invading Cumans were leading by chieftain Kapolcs, they broke first in
Transylvania, then the territory between the
Danube and
Tisza rivers. The Cumans tried to leave Hungary with their huge booty and prisoners, but King Ladislaus reached and defeated them near the
Temes river. Ladislaus offered the
Christianity for the Cuman survivors, the majority of them accepted, thus the king settled them in
Jászság. The rumor of the losing battle reached the Cuman camp, the Cumans threatened King Ladislaus with revenge and demanded to free the Cuman prisoners. King Ladislaus marched to the Hungarian border to prevent the next invasion. The two armies clashed near
Severin, the Hungarian army was victorious, King Ladislaus killed Ákos, the Cuman chieftain. Makk argues that the
Byzantines persuaded them to attack Hungary, while the
Illuminated Chronicle states that the Cumans were incited by the "
Ruthenians". In retaliation, the chronicle continues, Ladislaus invaded the neighboring
Rus' principalities, forcing the "Ruthenians" to ask "for mercy" and to promise "that they would be faithful to him in all things". A letter written by Henry refers to "the alliance into which [he] once entered" with Ladislaus. Pope Urban II also mentioned that the Hungarians "left the shepherds of their salvation", implying that Ladislaus had changed sides and acknowledged the legitimacy of
Antipope Clement III. In the deed of the Benedictine
Somogyvár Abbey, Ladislaus stated that the abbot should be obedient to him, proving that Ladislaus opposed the Church's independence, which was demanded by the
Gregorian Reforms. Ladislaus personally presided over
an assembly of the Hungarian prelates that met in
Szabolcs on 21 May 1091. The synod recognized the legitimacy of a clergyman's first marriage, in contrast to the
requirements of canon law, which states that members of the clergy may not marry at all. According to a scholarly theory, the sees of the dioceses of
Kalocsa and
Bihar were moved to
Bács (now Bač,
Serbia) and
Nagyvárad (present-day Oradea, Romania), respectively, during Ladislaus's reign.
Last years (1092–1095) in the 1090s Ladislaus intervened in a conflict between
Władysław I Herman,
Duke of Poland, and the duke's illegitimate son,
Zbigniew, on the latter's behalf. He marched to Poland and captured Herman's younger son,
Boleslaus, in 1093. At Ladislaus's demand, Władysław I Herman declared Zbigniew his legitimate son. The
Illuminated Chronicle also mentions that the Hungarian troops captured
Kraków during Ladislaus's campaign, but the credibility of this report has been questioned. The
Illuminated Chronicle states that "messengers from
France and from
Spain, from
England and
Britain, and especially from Willermus, the brother of the King of the Franks" visited Ladislaus in Bodrog (near present-day
Bački Monoštor in Serbia) on Easter 1095, asking him to lead their
crusade to the
Holy Land. Ladislaus's legend says that he decided "to go to
Jerusalem, and to die there for Christ". The whole story was invented, probably during the reign of King
Béla III of Hungary (who was actually planning to lead a crusade to the Holy Land in the 1190s), according to historian Gábor Klaniczay. However, Ladislaus did plan to invade Bohemia, because he wanted to assist
his sister's sons,
Svatopluk and
Otto. He became seriously ill before reaching Moravia. The
Illuminated Chronicle narrates that Ladislaus, who had no sons, "called together his chief men", telling them that his brother's younger son, Álmos, "should reign after him". Ladislaus died near the Hungarian-Bohemian border on 29 July 1095. A
papal bull of
Pope Paschal II in 1106 states that Ladislaus's "venerable body rests" in Somogyvár Abbey, implying that Ladislaus had been buried in
Somogyvár. On the other hand, Ladislaus's late 12th-century "Legend" provides that his attendants buried him in
Székesfehérvár, but the cart carrying his body "set out to
Várad on its own, unassisted by any draft animal". == Family ==