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The story of Béla II, the blind king of Hungary
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Violent actions back in the 11th and 12th centuries were common in the Medieval era of Hungary. In 1096, Coloman, the king of Hungary, had to face brother Álmos’s demand to make his son the king of Hungary. To remain king, Coloman made both men blind to cement his power and access to the throne for as long as possible.
Read alsoThe story of Béla II, the blind king of Hungary
Despite being blind, Béla II of Hungary became the rightful heir of the Hungarian throne sixteen years later, reports Origo. When Coloman became the king of Hungary in 1096, his brother Álmos tried many tricks and methods to get the throne from him.
He visited several other kingdoms around Hungary, for example, the Holy Roman Empire and Poland to ask for the help of other kings.
To make his demand for the Hungarian throne stronger, he even proposed to Predslava of Kyiv. From this marriage, Prince Béla was born around 1108. The fight for the throne did not stop, and sometimes, spies and other supporters of Álmos tried to make the rule of Coloman come to an end. This was the moment when the King of Hungary decided to end the conflict with the cruellest methods.
Coloman made Álmos and his seven-year-old son Béla blind to make them unsuitable for the throne of Hungary.
Álmos’s family expressed several times their worries about the revenge of Coloman, but he did not listen to them. After facing the cruellest and most humiliating punishment, Álmos did not stop and asked for the help of the Byzantine Empire. Meanwhile, the son of Coloman, Stephen II, got the throne of Hungary.
