Coloman, King of Hungary

A miniature of the king from the Chronicon Pictum, 1360.

For the saint and martyr, see Saint Coloman.

Coloman I the Book-lover (Hungarian: I. (Könyves) Kálmán), also spelled Koloman (c. 1070 – 3 February 1116), king of Hungary (1095-1116) and of Croatia (1097-1116).

Early years

Coloman was the elder son of the future Géza I and his first wife, Sophia. When his father died on 25 April 1077, in accordance with the Hungarian tradition which gave precedence to the eldest member of the royal family over the king's son, Géza's brother, Ladislaus was proclaimed king. Coloman and his younger brother, Álmos were educated in the court of their uncle.

King Ladislaus wanted Álmos to succeed him as King of Hungary, and wished to make Coloman a bishop. Therefore, Coloman was educated pursuant to the clerical traditions and acquired his subsequently famous learning, which earned him the appellation "the Book-lover".

Pursuant to the chronicles, King Ladislaus appointed Coloman to bishop of Eger or Oradea (Nagyvárad), but he did not want to live an ecclesiatical life, and in 1095, when king Ladislaus named officially Álmos as his heir, Coloman escaped to Poland. When Coloman came back followed by Polish troops provided to him by duke Wladisław I Herman of Poland, king Ladislaus died on 29 July 1095. Shortly afterwards, Coloman made an agreement with his brother, under which Álmos accknowledged his reign but received "Tercia pars Regni" (i.e. one third of the kingdom of Hungary) as appanage from the new king. Coloman was crowned only in the beginning of 1096.

Facing the Crusaders

Shortly after his coronation, Coloman had to face the problems the Crusader armies caused while passing through Hungary. Although the armies lead by the knight Gautier Sansavoir passed peacefully through the country in May 1096, but the next hordes lead by Peter the Hermit occupied the fortress of Zemun (Zimony) and they retreived only when Coloman's armies were approaching them.

Shortly afterwards, the troops of a knight, called Folkmar were pillaging the territories of the county of Nitra (Nyitra), while priest Gottshalk's hordes were ravaging the Transdanubian region of the kingdom. Coloman managed to rout both of the armies and he denied the entrance of the new armies lead by Emich von Leiningen and Guillaume de Melun, but the Crusaders laid siege to the fortress of Moson defended by Coloman. Coloman could break out and win over the Crusaders just after a six week long defence.

On 20 September, Coloman made an agreement with duke Godfrey V of Lower Lorraine, the leader of the next army, under which Coloman took hostages and he mustered his own army to guard the progress; therefore the Crusader armies passed through the kingdom peacefully.

Reoccupation of Croatia

Coloman changed Hungary's foreign policy: while László I. had asked for the Holy Roman Emperor's help (instead of the pope's) when waging war on Croatia, Kálmán wanted to stay on good terms with the Holy See. In the spring of 1097 he married Felicia, a daughter of count Roger I of Sicily who was close ally of the popes.

Shortly afterwards, Coloman lead his armies against Petar Svačić, who had been proclaimed king of Croatia, and won a decisive victory over the Croat armies at the eastern foots of Mount Gvozd, and reoccupied the country. While Coloman was far away in Croatia, his brother, Álmos, who had governed Croatia during the reign of Ladislaus I, rose against him in Hungary; therefore Coloman could not occupy the Dalmatian towns. However, the barons wanted to avoid the internal struggle and obliged Coloman and Álmos to confirm their former agreement under which Álmos could maintain his duchy and accepted Coloman's rule.

Wars with the neighbouring countries

In the beginning of 1099 he allied himself with his cousins, dukes Svatopluk and Otto II of Moravia against duke Břetislav II of Bohemia, but on 29 May he had a meeting with Břetislav II in Uherský Brod (Magyarbród) where he made a peace.

In the second half of the year, he lead his armies against prince Vasilko of Terebovl and laid siege to the fortress of Peremysl, but he was defeated by the Cuman allies of the prince.

Coloman as legislator

Kálmán's court was a center of learning and literature. Bishop Hartvik's Life of St. Stephen, a chronicle of Hungary, the shorter of the extant Legends of St. Gellért, and several collections of laws all stem from his reign.

In the synod of Tarcal the prelates and barons of the kingdom revised the laws of the preceding kings, and Coloman issued new decrees. The new decrees reduced the severity of the laws of king Ladislaus I, but they also contained provisions against the Jews and the Muslims (böszörmény).

One of his most famous laws was half a millennium ahead of its time: "As for the matter of "strigas", there is no such thing, therefore no further investigations or trials are to be held)".

Expansion in Croatia

In the spring of 1102 Coloman went to Croatia and made an agreement, the Pacta Conventa with the representatives of the greatest Croatian families, under which he agreed that he and his successors would govern Croatia as a separate kingdom and they would acknowledge the special privileges and costums of the kingdom. Following the agreement, Coloman was crowned king of Croatia in Biograd na Moru.

In 1105, Coloman lead his armies to Dalmatia and occupied the Dalmatian towns and islands from Venice.

Internal wars with his brother

Coloman had his son, Stephen crowned in 1105, which resulted in the open rebellion of his brother, Álmos, who went to the court of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. But the emperor was engaged with the rebellion of his own son, the future Henry V, thus Álmos had to come back to Hungary and accept Coloman's rule.

But Álmos did not give up his claims, and escaped to Poland and made an agreement with duke Bolesław III who declared war against Coloman. However, Coloman sent envoys to the duke of Poland and convinced him to make an alliance against the Holy Roman Empire; therefore Álmos was obliged to return to Hungary and ask for the king's pardon.

In 1107, Coloman and Bolesław III gave assistance to duke Svatopluk of Moravia against duke Borivoj II of Bohemia, while in the next year Bolesław III could overcome the rebellion of his brother, Zbigniew with the help of Coloman. In the same year, taking advantage of his brother's pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Coloman occupied Álmos' duchy.

In 1108 Coloman visited Dalmatia and confirmed the privileges of Trogir (Trau), Zadar (Zára) and Split (Spalato).

When duke Álmos retured from the Holy Land and realised that his duchy had been incorporated into the royal domains, he escaped to the court of the Holy Roman Emperor. Upon his request, emperor Henry V laid siege to Bratislava (Pozsony). Coloman sought the assistance of duke Bolesław III of Poland, who attacked Bohemia. In November the emperor made a peace with Coloman, who let his brother come back to his court, but the duchy of Álmos was not restored. Shortly afterwards, Coloman set up the bishopric of Nitra (Nyitra).

Last years

In 1112, Coloman married Eufemia of Kiev, daughter of Prince Vladimir II of Kiev. However a few months later she was caught in adultery and immediately divorced and sent back to her father. Eufemia bore a son in Kiev, named Boris Conrad, in 1112, but Coloman refused to acknowledge Boris as his son.

Coloman had a meeting with duke Bolesław III of Poland who went on a pilgrimage to Székesfehérvár and Somogyvár because of blinding his brother. In 1115 Coloman, who had become more and more ill, also ordered the blinding of Álmos and his young son Béla in order to secure his son's inheritance.

In August 1115 Venice made an assault against Dalmatia and began to conquer the Dalmatian towns and isles. But Coloman was not able to answer to the aggression, because he died February 3, 1116. He was buried in Székesfehérvár, next to St. Stephen.

Marriages and children

#1. c. 1097: Felicia of Sicily (c. 1078 – c. 1102), daughter of count Roger I of Sicily and his second wife, Eremburga of Mortain

• Sophia (before 1101 – ?), wife of a Hungarian noble
• King Stephen II of Hungary (1101 – 1 March 1131)

#2. 1112: Eufemia of Kiev (? – 4 April 1139), daughter of Prince Vladimir II of Kiev and his second wife

• Boris Conrad (1113 – 1155/1156)

Sources

• Kristó Gyula - Makk Ferenc: Az Árpád-ház uralkodói (IPC Könyvek, 1996)
• Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9-14. század), főszerkesztő: Kristó Gyula, szerkesztők: Engel Pál és Makk Ferenc (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1994)
• Magyarország Történeti Kronológiája I. – A kezdetektől 1526-ig, főszerkesztő: Benda Kálmán (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1981)