Andrew's successor, Bela IV (r. 1235-70), built fortresses for protectionagainst the invaders, and in the chaotic period following the extinction(1301) of the Arpad dynasty, local lords used the fortresses to defyroyal power and rule over the various provinces.
During the reign of Andrew's successor Béla IV, Hungary was overrun bythe Mongols in 1241. Most of the Mongols withdrew from the country in1242, but weak leadership and further royal concessions to the baronsaccelerated the disintegration of the kingdom.
"Hungary," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Andrew II, b. 1176?, d. Sept. 21, 1235, was one of the better-known,although not highly regarded, kings of Hungary (1205-35). He was the sonof Bela III (r. 1173-96) and brother of Imre (r. 1196-1204), whose sonLadislas III Andrew deposed (1205). Andrew's reign was characterized by aseries of foreign misadventures (including a costly crusade to the HolyLand in 1217) and by a growing conflict between the king and the powerfulmagnates, as well as by a struggle between the latter and the emerginglower nobility. To protect their social and economic position, the lowernobility forced the king to issue a Golden Bull (1222)--the HungarianMagna Carta--which became the foundation stone of Hungarianconstitutionalism.
S. B. Vardy
Andrew II, b. 1176?, d. Sept. 21, 1235, was one of the better-known,although not highly regarded, kings of Hungary (1205-35). He was the sonof Bela III (r. 1173-96) and brother of Imre (r. 1196-1204), whose sonLadislas III Andrew deposed (1205). Andrew's reign was characterized by aseries of foreign misadventures (including a costly crusade to the HolyLand in 1217) and by a growing conflict between the king and the powerfulmagnates, as well as by a struggle between the latter and the emerginglower nobility. To protect their social and economic position, the lowernobility forced the king to issue a Golden Bull (1222)--the HungarianMagna Carta--which became the foundation stone of Hungarianconstitutionalism.
S. B. Vardy
