Andrew I the White or the Catholic (Hungarian: I. (Fehér/Katolikus) András/Endre, Slovak: Ondrej I) (c. 1015 – before 6 December 1060, Zirc), king of Hungary (1046/1047-1060).
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Early years
Andrew was the second son of Vazul, a cousin of Stephan I, the first king of Hungary; therefore he descended from a younger branch of the Árpád dynasty. His mother was probably the concubine (a daughter of a member of the Hungarian gens Tátony) of his father, who still followed pagan costums. Some modern sources claim that duke Vazul married Katun Anastazya of Bulgaria who bore Andrew and his brothers, Levente and Bela. On September 2, 1031 Stephan I's only surviving son Imre was killed by a boar while hunting. Stephen I wanted to secure the position of the Christianity in his semi-converted kingdom; therefore he was planning to name his sister's son, Peter Urseolo as his successor. However, Vazul, who was suspected to be following pagan-costums, took part in a conspiracy aimed at the murder of the king. But the assassination attempt failed and Vazul had is eyes gouged out and molten lead poured in his ears and his three sons were exiled.
Background
Hungarian tribal society was not in favor of primogeniture, favoring instead agnatic seniority for determining the order of succession. This made other males of the Árpád dynasty's cadet lines dangerous to the incumbent king. Andrew's branch of the dynasty had long been rivals to the elder branch, to which Stephen I of Hungary and his father belonged. For the previous half century, the familial rivalry had centered mostly on the conflict between paganism and Christianity, represented (and utilized), respectively, by the younger and elder branch. The elder branch went extinct in the male line in 1038, which opened new opportunities for the younger, surviving male line. Hungarian clan society of the eleventh century still believed in exclusive inheritance through the male line.
In exile
After their father's tragical death, the three brothers was obliged to leave the country. Fleeing first to Bohemia, they continued to Poland where Bela married into the Piast royal family. Andrew and Levente, possibly feeling overshadowed by their brother, continued on, settling in Kiev. There, Andrew married Anastasia, a daughter of Grand Duke Yaroslav I the Wise of Kiev. In the meantime, in Hungary, king Peter Urseolo was expelled by Stephan I's brother-in-law, Samuel Aba in 1041, but the former managed to win back his throne in two years with the military aid provided him by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III . In exchange for the support, Peter Urseolo accepted the emperor's supremacy over his kingdom. King Peter, however, was not able to strengthen his rule in Hungary. He even lost the support of the clergy by expelling the dowager queen Giselle from Hungary. The Hungarian prelates, lead by bishop Gerard Sagredo, decided to call back Andrew and his brothers to Hungary and wrote them a letter. By the time when Andrew and Levente arrived to Hungary, an extensive revolt of the pagan Hungarians had broken out. The two brothers made an alliance with the pagan rebels in Abaújvár, who accepted their leadership. King Peter I tried to escape to the Holy Roman Empire, but he was arrested and blinded by the followers of the two princes.
Contest for the throne
The Hungarian chronicles related that after the downfall of Peter Urseolo Andrew agreed with his elder brother, Levente, who was a decided pagan, that Andrew would rule over Hungary. Andrew, however, was crowned only in 1047, after his brother's death. Nevertheless, he continued the policies of Christianization that were already in place. After his coronation he confirmed Stephan I's decrees and invited foreign priests to Hungary, because the pagan rebels had murdered several members of the Christian clergy. Relations with the Holy Roman Empire remained tense. Peter Urseolo, had been not only a close ally of Emperor Henry III, but he also had become a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. Andrew sent embassy to the imperial court and offered to accept the emperor's suppremacy. But Henry III refused the peace; therefore Andrew had to make preparations for the approaching war. He invited his younger brother, Bela, who had become a successful military leader in Poland, to his court and entrusted him with the government of the third part of the kingdom of Hungary. In 1051 Henry undertook a campaign against Hungary, but the imperial troops were defeated near at the Vértes Hills, while the imperial fleet was induced to turn back by a forged letter. At the end of the year Abbot Hugh of Cluny was mediating between the two rulers, but Henry III refused to accept the peace. In next year the emperor lead a fleet against Bratislava (Pozsony), but his ships were sunk by the Hungarian king's men. In this time, Pope Leo IX tried to mediate a peace, but the emperor did not accepted Andrew's offer. When the imparial troops were withdrawn, Andrew formed an alliance in 1053 with Conrad II, Duke of Bavaria, supporting the opposition against the emperor. In 1055 he founded the Benedictine Abbey of Tihany on the shores of Lake Balaton and he also set up a monastery for Orthodox nuns in Tihany.
Succession crisis
In 1057 Andrew tried to ensure his succession, by having his five-year-old son Solomon crowned as king. But the coronation of his son provoced his brother, Bela who had been assigned as Andrew's successor, and the displeased duke left the king's court and went for his domains. In September 1058 Andrew had a personal meeting with the new king of Germany, Henry IV in Marchfeld, and they concluded peace. On the occasion of the peace, the child Solomon was engaged to the German king's sister Judith. Shortly after the conclusion of peace with the Holy Roman Empire, Andrew tried to persuade Bela to accept his son's succession, but the duke left for Poland to collect armies against his brother. When Andrew heard of his brother's open rebellion, sent his family to Austria, and tried to prepare for the struggle although he had been so ill that he was not able even to walk. Shortly afterwards, the duke, who had been returned to Hungary with Polish troops, won a decisive victory over the king. After being defeated, Andrew tried to flee to Austria, but he fell down of his horse at the Theben Pass and was arrested by his brother's men. The captive king was taken to Zirc where he died. Andrew and his family are buried in the Tihany abbey.
Marriage and children
# 1039: Anastasia of Kiev (c. 1023 – c. 1074/1099), daughter of Grand Duke Yaroslav I of Kiev and his wife, Ingigerd of Sweden
- Adelaide (c. 1040 – 27 January 1062), wife of king Vratislaus II of Bohemia
- King Solomon of Hungary (1053 – 1087 or after)
- David of Hungary (after 1053 – after 1094)
Legacy
Andrew's son Solomon never properly managed to establish himself as king; the sons of Andrew's younger brother gradually took over, particularly since neither Solomon, nor David (Andrew's youngest son) left surviving male descendants. Thus, Andrew's line continued in the Piast dynasty but not in Hungary.
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)
| Preceded by Peter Urseolo |
King of Hungary 1047–1061 |
Succeeded by Béla I |
