Royal kin and queens · Kingdom of Croatia and Dalmatia · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Duke Andrew

Andrew is the king's younger brother and the late duke of Croatia and Dalmatia.

Béla III left him money and a crusade vow, not land; Andrew used the money to win lords, allied with Leopold VI of Austria and beat Emeric's army at Mački in Slavonia in December 1197. Emeric had to give him Croatia and Dalmatia in early 1198 (the historian György Szabados doubts Emeric ever acknowledged it). Andrew ruled it like a king: he coined money, granted land, confirmed privileges and worked with the counts of Krk, the Babonići and other local lords; he called himself duke of Zadar and of all Dalmatia, Croatia and Hum, took the land between the Cetina and the Neretva from Hum before May 1198, and threw back a Serbian attack on 31 March 1198.

He refused the pope's call to go on crusade and plotted with bishops (Boleslaus of Vác, John of Pannonhalma) and barons (the palatine Mog among them) for the throne; Emeric seized the proof on 10 March 1199, routed Andrew's army at Rád in Somogy that summer, and Andrew fled to Leopold VI. On 1 January 1200 he holds nothing in the kingdom and lives at the Austrian court, while the legate Gregory works for a peace.

Who he is

Name
Andrew (András), younger son of Béla III, later King Andrew II
Title
By the grace of God duke of Zadar and of all Dalmatia, Croatia and Hum (his style as duke, 1198-1199); a fugitive since summer 1199
Since
Duke from early 1198 (after Mački, December 1197); driven out in summer 1199
Born
About 1177
Family
Árpád; brother of King Emeric. Unmarried on 1 January 1200 (his marriage to Gertrude of Merania falls between 1200 and 1203). Children: none.
Confidence
high

English Wikipedia (Andrew II of Hungary, citing Érszegi and Solymosi 1981, Curta 2006, Fine 1994, Bárány 2012, Zsoldos 2022) and Hungarian Wikipedia (II. András).

Overlord

His brother King Emeric, whom he has twice fought.

What it holds

  • Nothing on 1 January 1200: the duchy is back in the king's hands.
  • Claims: Croatia and Dalmatia with Zadar, and Hum between the Cetina and the Neretva, as granted in 1198.
  • Men: the archbishops he installed at Split and Zadar (under papal inquiry); the counts of Krk and the Babonići, who worked with him as duke; the Monoszló; his ban of 1198, Andrew (Andrija).

How it was acquired

Granted by Emeric under duress after Mački (early 1198); lost by defeat at Rád (summer 1199).

Allies and rivals

Leopold VI of Austria and Styria, his host and ally. Partisans in Hungary: Bishop Boleslaus of Vác and his brother Elvin of Várad (campaign notes), Abbot John of Pannonhalma, the palatine Mog. Rival: Emeric and Emeric's ban Benedict. Rome presses him to fulfil his father's crusade vow.

How things stand that morning

In exile in Austria. His duchy is governed by Emeric's ban. He keeps his title in his own eyes and in his partisans', but holds no castle or town in the kingdom that morning.

Wealth

What remains of his father's legacy and Leopold's support; as duke he had the ducal revenues and his own coinage.

Military

Beaten at Rád; his followers are scattered. Leopold's knights are his only sure force.

Threats

  • Emeric's son Ladislaus, born about 1200, who will bar him from the throne.
  • Papal pressure over his crusade vow.
  • Losing his partisans if the exile lasts.

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

  1. Summer 1200Reconciled with Emeric through the legate Gregory; he gets Croatia and Dalmatia back as duke, with his power markedly curbed, and names Nicholas as his ban.Depends on: The legate's mediation and Emeric's consent; Andrew accepting limits. Stopped by: A new plot, Emeric's refusal, or a war between Hungary and Austria.
  2. Between 1200 and 1203Marries Gertrude of Merania, daughter of Berthold IV of Andechs, whose lands border his duchy.Depends on: His restoration as duke. Stopped by: Staying in exile.

Places of note

  • Knin: The royal castle of Croatia, a seat of dukes and bans.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The duchy, the battles and the reconciliation are well attested; the exact place of his Austrian exile is not.

On the map: A claim, not a holding, on 1 January 1200.

Primary sources for Croatia and Dalmatia

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

Sources and studies

  1. Andrew II of Hungary (English Wikipedia; citing Érszegi and Solymosi 1981, Curta 2006, Fine 1994, Zsoldos 2022)
  2. II. András magyar király (Hungarian Wikipedia)
  3. Emeric, King of Hungary (English Wikipedia; citing Érszegi and Solymosi 1981, Berend et al. 2013, Fine 1994)
  4. Ban of Croatia: list of bans (English Wikipedia)
  5. Nicholas I of Transylvania (English Wikipedia; citing Zsoldos 2011)
  6. campaign notes on the Church, 1 January 1200: Part 6 H, Part 8 section 8, Part 9, Part 11 ruling 7

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.