Andrew II of Hungary
Who was Andrew II of Hungary?
King of Hungary (1175-1235)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Andrew II of Hungary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Andrew II of Hungary, also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1205 to 1235. Born around 1177, he was the younger son of Béla III of Hungary, who tasked him with governing the recently conquered Principality of Halych in 1188. However, Andrew's rule in Halych didn't go well, as local leaders pushed him out due to unpopular policies. Even though his father's will required him to use his inheritance for a crusade to the Holy Land, Andrew instead pursued territorial gains in Europe, forcing his older brother King Emeric to give him control of Croatia and Dalmatia in 1197.
Andrew and his brother had a tense relationship due to his ongoing conspiracies against the crown. When Emeric died in 1204, he named Andrew guardian of his young son Ladislaus III. After Ladislaus's early death in 1205, Andrew became king. His rule brought major social and political changes to Hungary. He introduced controversial financial policies, handing out royal money and lands to his supporters, which drained the royal treasury and weakened central power.
Much of Andrew's reign involved military campaigns, especially his repeated efforts to control the Rus' regions of Halych and Lodomeria. He was the first Hungarian king to call himself "King of Halych and Lodomeria," though his many military campaigns failed due to opposition from local leaders and neighboring princes. From 1217 to 1218, Andrew followed his father's crusader roots by taking part in the Fifth Crusade to the Holy Land, but this too ended unsuccessfully. His time away from Hungary during the crusade further unsettled the country.
A major event during Andrew's reign was the 1222 issuance of the Golden Bull of Hungary, under pressure from the servientes regis (royal servants). This charter confirmed the rights of the lesser nobility and imposed important limits on royal power, including the right to resist unlawful royal actions. The Golden Bull became a key document in Hungarian constitutional history, similar in importance to England's Magna Carta. In 1224, Andrew also issued the Diploma Andreanum, granting significant privileges to Saxon settlers in Transylvania, promoting German settlement and boosting the region's development. Andrew died in Buda on September 21, 1235, leaving behind a kingdom very different from the centralized monarchy he inherited.
Before Fame
Andrew grew up overshadowed by his older brother Emeric, who was their father Béla III's chosen heir. At eleven, Andrew got his first official role when Béla III put him in charge of the newly taken over Principality of Halych in 1188. This was tough for young Andrew, as he had a hard time keeping control over the rebellious boyars who ended up kicking him out around 1189-1190.
The political scene in late 12th-century Hungary was influenced by the kingdom's push into nearby Slavic lands and the rising sway of Western European feudalism. Béla III had boosted royal finances and military strength, leaving a lot of wealth to Andrew, hoping he would use it for crusades. But Andrew had different plans focused on staying local. He challenged his brother's rule and sought land concessions that would give him his own power base in Croatia and Dalmatia.
Key Achievements
- Issued the Golden Bull of 1222, establishing constitutional limits on royal power and noble privileges
- Participated in the Fifth Crusade to the Holy Land (1217-1218)
- Created the Diploma Andreanum (1224), granting extensive privileges to Saxon settlers in Transylvania
- First Hungarian monarch to adopt the title King of Halych and Lodomeria
- Transformed Hungary's social structure through his new institutions policy, leading to the rise of the Hungarian nobility
Did You Know?
- 01.Andrew was married three times, including to Yolanda de Courtenay, a member of the Latin imperial family of Constantinople
- 02.He spent approximately 100,000 marks of silver during his participation in the Fifth Crusade, a massive sum that further depleted Hungary's treasury
- 03.The Golden Bull he issued contained a unique clause allowing nobles to resist the king without being charged with treason if he violated their rights
- 04.Andrew's daughter Elizabeth of Hungary later became a saint, canonized for her charitable works and devotion to the poor
- 05.He established the first Hungarian royal mint to produce silver denars, revolutionizing the kingdom's monetary system