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
as István III drove him away. István IV lived in the Byzantine Empire until he was poisoned by his own former official while staying at the castle of Zimony (today: Zemun, Serbia) in the spring of 1165. His body lay below the castle for a while and he only received his final honours later: his decomposing remains were transported from the southern borderlands to Székesfehérvár. The reason for István Ill ’s death is as murky as István IV ’ s is obvious. By 1171, István III had also come into conflict with Archbishop Lukács, and according to another prophecy by the strict bishop, István III would to die within a year: this came to pass in March 1172 and thus the King died in his 25th year in Esztergom. We have conflicting information on István Ill’s final resting place. The last Árpád Dynasty burials of the 12th century in Székesfehérvár are attributed to a married couple. Béla III, the second son of Géza II, lost his first wife, Ágnes of Châtillon, otherwise known as Anne of Antioch, in 1184/85. When Béla III accompanied his seven children on the final journey of their mother, he had already designated his final resting place to be next to Anne, since - as we shall see - he had the tomb built in such a manner in the first place. When Béla III died on April 23, 1196, his final wishes were honoured by his firstborn son and successor, King Imre (1196- 1204), who had him placed in the grave on the right side of Anne. As an epilogue to the burial of the Árpáds at Székesfehérvár, it should be noted, that Imre did not follow the example of his predecessors, as he was laid to rest at Eger. The resting place of his son, King László II (1204-1205), who died at age five, is also disputed: the 14th century chroniclers designate Székesfehérvár and Eger. We only know for sure - and this is important in regards to further scientific personal identifications - that from this point forward, not a single Prince or 46
