Ladislaus IV of Hungary - Child King of Hungary

Child King of Hungary

After the death of Béla IV of Hungary (3 May 1270) Ladislas' father became the sole ruler of the Kingdom of Hungary. Shortly afterwards, Ladislas married his fiancée who had just arrived to the country. Ladislas was kidnapped at age ten from his father's court by Joachim de genere Gut-Keled, Ban of Slavonia. The rebellious ban took the child king to the castle of Kapronca. Stephen V of Hungary vainly tried to occupy the castle with his troops, and shortly he fell ill and died unexpectedly on 6 August 1272. After the king's death the ban took Ladislas to Székesfehérvár where Archbishop Philip of Esztergom crowned the child with the Crown of Thorns.

His minority, from his accession to the throne until 1277, was an alternation of palace revolutions and civil wars, in which his Cuman mother Elizabeth barely contrived to keep the upper hand. After his coronation the major offices of the court were divided among Joachim and his allies (Lorand de genere Gut-Keled, Miklós Geregye). They were joined by Henrik Kőszegi, who had been living in exile during the reign of Ladislas' father. Henrik Kőszegi, shortly after his return, stabbed Ladislas' cousin, Prince Béla of Machva, whose extensive estates were divided among the allied barons.

In the beginning of 1273 King Ottokar II of Bohemia, the murdered prince's brother-in-law, made a campaign against the Kingdom of Hungary, and occupied the Counties of Pozsony, Moson and Sopron. In 1274 the queen dowager managed to overthrow Ban Joachim and his allies, but he again kidnapped the child king. Although Peter Csák liberated Ladislas IV shortly thereafter, Ban Joachim kidnapped Ladislas' brother, Andrew, and demanded the division of the kingdom between the king and his brother. Afterward, the government of the kingdom changed frequently among the several parties of the barons.