A History of Central Eastern Europe

Whether this new‐found generosity was attributable solely to ANDRÁS is doubtful:
“While the king was in battle, Gertrude gave out Hungarian land as ‘gifts’ to her German relatives.
(One third of the country was given away but the Hungarians got it back after the queen's death).” 10
THE PLAYERS:
JERUZSÁLEMI II ANDRÁS ÁRPÁD: born 1170, died 1235. King of Hungary, 1205 – 1235.
Children of BERTHOLD IV VON ANDECHS‐MERANIA and AGNES VON ROCHLITZ ‐ WETTIN:
OTTO VON ANDECHS‐MERANIA: born 1170, died 1234. Duke of Merania, 1204 – 1234;
Count Palatine of Burgundy, 1208 – 1231,
EKBERT VON ANDECHS‐MERANIA: born 1173, died 1237. Bishop of Bamberg, 1203 – 1237.
BERTH OLD V VON ANDECHS: born 1180, died 1251. Archbishop of Kalocsa (88 mil es s of
Budapest), 1206 – 1218; Patriarch of Aquileia (Duke of Friuli, Adriatic coastal town,
now in Italy, southeast of Venice, in 1238 the seat was moved to Udine), 1218 – 1251.
GERTRUDE VON ANDECHS‐MERANIA: born 1185, murdered 1213. Married ANDRÁS, son
of BÉLA III, KING OF HUNGARY, 1203; Queen of Hungary, 1205 – 1213
ANDECHS is a city in Bavaria as well as the name of the ruling House. MERANIA was on
the eastern shore of the Adriatic, covering much of the northern seacoast of Dalmatia.
SYNOPSIS (Still, just not as short): EKBERT, the QUEEN’s brother, received from the KING a
large chunk of SPIŠ. In turn, he granted the land to ABBOT ADOLF of SPIŠ. ADOLF’s sister
was married to the knight RUTKER VON MATREI, the ancestor of the noble houses of
BERZEVICZY and THARCZAY. The BERCZEVICZY family received more land in SPIŠ from the
KING further and they went on to establish several villages there. 11
“Discontent” barely describes the reaction of KING ANDRÁS II’S subjects; a group of
Hungarian nobility conspired to seek redress for the wrongs they perceived were being
committed against them and the country. The conspirators first attacked the QUEEN’S
brother, the ARCHBISHOP BERTHOLD, in early 1213. He escaped unharmed and, after
making his way to Rome, persuaded the POPE to excommunicate those involved and to
place an interdict against the Kingdom. The nobles continued to conspire and, under
the leadership of BÁN (LORD) BÁNK, they murdered their QUEEN, GERTRUDE, GRÄFIN
(DUCHESS) VON ANDECHS‐MERANIA on 28 September 1213 while the KING was hunting.
The story, as told in the 1861 opera Bánk Bán by FERENC ERKEL, has OTTO, a younger
brother of the QUEEN, attempting to seduce BÁNK’S wife. Encouraged by the QUEEN,
OTTO presses his suit and ultimately drugs and rapes her. BÁNK confronts the QUEEN
who responds with contempt and scorn, drawing a dagger at last. She is accidentally
killed by BANK while he tries to wrest the weapon from her. While the ending is the
same as real life – the QUEEN’S dead – it isn’t known if the story is factual.
After all , they were kings & queens, dukes & margravines, not Saints – or were they?
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