THE ROLE OF GALICIA IN THE FOREIGN POLICY OF THE KINGDOM OF HUNGARY IN THE LATE ÁRPÁD ERA AND EARLY ANJOU ERA

Abstract

The study deals with the role of Galicia and its rulers from the Rurikid dynasty in the foreign policy of the Kingdom of Hungary in the Late Árpád Era and in the first decade of the Anjou Era. The previous times stayed relatively often in focus of historical research, because of the over and over again repeated attempts of the Hungarian kings to conquer Galicia. After King Béla IV of Hungary gave up on this – thanks to his defeat at Yaroslav in 1245 – a friendly connection and a political alliance was reached between the two countries. This enabled the involvement of the Rurikid rulers in Béla IV’s fight for the so-called Babenberg heritage. The marriage of Roman Danilovich with Gertrud of Babenberg and the Opava campaign of Daniel Romanovych in 1253 are well known in Hungarian and international research, although some details still need to be clarified, which the study also attempts to do. After that it follows the history of the Galician–Hungarian relations in the 1260s, and 1270s, touching on Prince Lev of Galicia’s conduct in the conflict between the Hungarian, and the Bohemian king. It argues for a close relationship between the last Árpádian king, Andrew III and Lev, which manifested in common politics both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table. The common interest was later revived by the first Anjou king and Prince Lev II through a dynastic marriage in 1304.