Description

Béla I, known as the Boxer or the Wisent (c. 1015 – 1063), was King of Hungary from 1060 until his death. A member of a junior branch of the Árpád dynasty, Béla's baptismal name was Adalbert. After his father Vazul was executed in 1031, Béla and his brothers, Levente and Andrew, fled Hungary. Béla settled in Poland, where he married Richeza (or Adelaide), the daughter of King Mieszko II Lambert.

Béla returned to Hungary at the invitation of his brother Andrew, who had become King. Andrew appointed Béla to administer the ducatus, a territory comprising about one-third of Hungary. Tensions arose between the brothers when Andrew crowned his son, Solomon, as king and pressured Béla to acknowledge Solomon's right to the throne in 1057 or 1058. With the support of his Polish relatives, Béla rebelled, overthrew Andrew in 1060, and introduced monetary reform while quelling the last pagan uprising in Hungary. Béla died from injuries sustained when his throne collapsed.