Századok – 2013

MŰHELY - Gál Judit: IV. Béla és I. Uroš szerb uralkodó kapcsolata II/471

IV. BÉLA ÉS I. UROS SZERB URALKODÓ KAPCSOLATA 499 - Aki ennek a világnak a barátja akar lenni, az Úr ellensége lesz. Stefan király szülei az ország azon részébe mentek, amelyet Humnak neveznek, és atyja ott fejezte be életét. Az ő szent testét átvitték, a Szent Háromság kolostorba, Sopocaniba, amelyet saját kezével épített, és itt nyugszik a mai napig Krisztus Urunk áldásában. És Uros felesége, a szelíd Jelena királyné, az ő szeretett fiával, a szelíd Stefan királlyal ment. Aki nagy megbecsüléssel és hálával adózott, és adott neki néhány részt az ő államából az ő elragadtatására. THE RELATIONSHIP OF KINGS BELA IV OF HUNGARY AND UROS I OF SERBIA by Judit Gál (Summary) The period extending from the early 1240s to 1277 was decisive in the history of Hungaro-Serbian relations in the middle ages. At the beginning of this period, Bela IV faced the challenge to reconstruct his kingdom after the Mongol destruction, while Uros I ascended the throne of a politically disintegrated Serbia. During the reign of the Serbian king, the arrival of Saxon miners and the consequent upswing of mining breathed new life into the Serbian economy, and provided the financial basis for the establishment of an effective army. With its help, the ruler not only strengthened central authority, but also engaged in an active foreign policy. In the period spreading from the 1240s to the fall of Uros, Hungaro-Serbian relations made a highly varied course. At the beginning of the period, in the 1240s, the relationship was one of fundamentaly peaceful coexistence. This state of affairs had changed by the middle of the 1250s, when Rostislav Mihajloviae became lord of Macsó (Maèva) and embarked on an active foreign policy southwards. The „Balkan turn" of Hungarian foreign policy was thus mainly a consequence of his activities and not of an initiative on the part of Bela IV Yet this turn then involved no direct Hungarian intervention in the domestic affairs of Serbia. In the late 1250s the relationship between the two rulers became closer. The underlying reason was the loss by Uros of his previous Balkan conquests to Nicaea, and the circumvention of his kingdom by enemy territories on almost all sides. Consequently, the king of Serbia approached the Hungarian ruler, whom he assisted with auxiliary troops in the battle of Dürnkrut, and participated to the wedding of his son, prince Bela. Due to the diplomatic twists of the 1260s, and the strife which had evolved between king Bela and his eldest son, Stephen, Uros made an attempt in 1268 at loosening his relative dependence. After his aborted campaign, however, the influence of the Hungarian kings increased in the Serbian territories. The marriage between princess Catherine, daughter of Stephen the younger king, and prince Dragutin, heir to the Serbian throne, established a dynastic connection between the two countries. As a result, the Hungarian kings became interested in the struggles pursued for the Serbian throne. After the peace which ended the war, the Hungarian institution of double kingship (younger king) appeared in Serbia as well, and later exerted considerable influence upon the transformation of the system of royal succession in Serbia. Finally, in 1276, direct Hungarian military intervention was needed in order to deprive Uros of his throne.