Coloman, King of Hungary (Kálmán magyar király) - Hosök tere, Budapest, Hungary - Monarchs of the World on Waymarking.com

In the third window from the left of the two-winged semi-circular pantheon, which is filled with 7-7 statues of Hungarian leaders, kings and governors a bronze statue of Coloman, the King of Hungary can be found. Coloman, also spelled Koloman, byname Coloman The Possessor Of Books, Hungarian Könyves Kálmán, (c. 1070—1116) was king of Hungary from 1095 who pursued expansionist policies and stabilized and improved the internal order of Hungary. He is depicted here as an older, bearded man wearing a a hat and a heavy, long cloak, with a sword hanging at his waist. He leans against a heap of books.

Coloman was the natural son of King Géza I by a Greek concubine. King Ladislas (László), his uncle, would have made him a monk, but Coloman refused and eventually escaped to Poland. On Ladislas’ death (1095), Coloman returned to Hungary and seized the crown. His legitimately born half brother, Álmos, continued to plot against the usurpation until 1113, when Coloman imprisoned him and his infant son, Béla, and had them blinded.

Though his accession to the throne was irregular, Coloman was a wise and just ruler. He permitted the crusaders, under Godfrey of Bouillon, to cross his territory, and he won considerable fame throughout Europe for this diplomatic gesture. He continued his predecessor’s policy of trying to secure a seaboard for Hungary. In 1097 he made good Hungary’s claim to Croatia by overthrowing King Petar Svacic, the king of Croatia, and by 1102 Coloman controlled the greater part of Dalmatia, though this latter acquisition brought him into conflict with other major powers interested in the fate of that province.

It was as a legislator and administrator, however, that Coloman was greatest. He was not only one of the most learned sovereigns of the early Middle Ages (hence his byname) but was also one of the most statesmanlike. Under him the feudal system was consolidated in Hungary, and strict but just laws were passed to preserve the state, the church, the central government, and private property and to strengthen the economic and military position of Hungary. He is noted particularly for enacting a law forbidding trials of witches, whose existence he denied.

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Monarch Ranking: King / Queen Proper Title and Name of Monarch: King of Hungary (1095–1116), King of Croatia (1097–1116), King of Dalmatia (1108-1116) Country or Empire of Influence: Hungary, Croatia, Dalmatia Website for additonal information: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/16/2022 fconder visited it