Miklós Kásler - Zoltán Szentirmay (szerk.): Identifying the Árpád Dynasty Skeletons Interred in the Matthias Church. Applying data from historical, archaeological, anthropological, radiological, morphological, radiocarbon dating and genetic research (Budapest, 2021)
CHAPTER TWO – Historical background
Figure 8. Left: Execution of the noblemen responsible for the blinding of Béla II the Blind. Right: Depiction of King Béla II the blind (both illustrations from the Chronicon Pictum [Illuminated Chronicle]). Nevertheless, it took over a year to solidify the blind king’s reign. Kálmáhs supporters still had enough influence to summon Boris to Hungary, against Béla the Blind. Boris was the son of Kálmán the Learned’s second wife, but his lineage was disputed, since Kálmán had sent his new wife, Euphemia, back to Kiev precisely because he had caught her in adultery: Boris was born in the court of his maternal grandfather, the Grand Prince of Kiev, Vladimir II Monomakh (1113-1125). It is worth noting that after Saul, Boris was the second capable man who was unable to wrest the throne from Béla. Béla II is an example of dynastic legitimacy in Hungarian political thought: a blind man prevails, thanks to his unquestionable Árpád bloodline over his capable opponents, who either do not belong to the dynasty through a paternal line (Saul) or this could hardly be believed about them (Boris) (Kristó-Makk 1995). This phenomenon plays an important positive role from the standpoint of ancient history when 44
