Géza, son of Géza II of Hungary facts for kids

Géza (born in the 1150s, died after 1191) was a Hungarian prince. He was the youngest son of King Géza II of Hungary. Géza was also the brother of two other kings, Stephen III and Béla III of Hungary. He tried to become king instead of Béla III, but he was put in prison for many years. Later, he went on a big journey to the Holy Land during the Third Crusade, leading 2,000 Hungarian soldiers.

Early Life and Family

Prince Géza was born around 1151. He was the third son of King Géza II of Hungary. His mother was Princess Euphrosyne of Kiev. Some old German writings called him "Guithardus" or "Gotthard."

After his father, King Géza II, died in 1162, there were many arguments about who should be the next king. Géza's older brother, Stephen, became King Stephen III of Hungary. But two of King Géza II's brothers, Ladislaus II and Stephen IV of Hungary, briefly took the crown. Stephen III fought his uncle and won in 1163. This helped him get control of the whole kingdom again.

During Stephen III's rule, Hungary was often at war with the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine emperor, Manuel I Komnenos, wanted to have more power over Hungary. Manuel I's mother was Saint Piroska of Hungary, who was a Hungarian princess. So, he was very interested in what happened in Hungary.

Manuel I and Stephen III made a peace deal in 1163. As part of this deal, Stephen III's younger brother, Béla, was sent to Constantinople (the capital of the Byzantine Empire). Stephen III kept his mother, Euphrosyne, and his youngest brother, Prince Géza, close to him in Hungary.

Géza's Claim to the Throne

When King Stephen III died in March 1172, his brother Béla was called back from Constantinople. Béla was meant to become the new king. This was also to stop Prince Géza from trying to take the throne.

Béla was crowned King Béla III of Hungary in January 1173. But his own mother, Queen Euphrosyne, and his brother, Prince Géza, were against him. They started to plan ways for Géza to become king. The Archbishop of Esztergom, named Lucas, also supported Géza. He believed Géza would continue Stephen III's policies, which were against the Byzantine Empire and supported the Pope.

Even though Pope Alexander III supported Béla, Géza and his friends might have asked the Holy Roman Empire for help. But the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I, was busy with other wars.

After a few tries, Béla III had Géza and his supporters arrested in 1174. He also put his mother in prison. But Prince Géza and some of his friends managed to escape. They ran to the court of Henry II, Duke of Austria to find safety. When Henry refused to give Géza back, Béla attacked Austria.

A year later, Prince Géza tried to get help from Soběslav II, the Duke of Bohemia. Géza wanted Soběslav to help him meet Emperor Frederick I. But Soběslav captured Géza and gave him back to Béla in 1177.

Imprisonment and Crusade

King Béla III put his brother Géza in prison again. He also kept their mother, Euphrosyne, locked up. Prince Géza stayed in prison from 1177 until 1189. His mother, Euphrosyne, was set free in 1186. But she had to leave Hungary and go to Constantinople. Géza, however, remained in prison.

Géza finally got his freedom in 1189. This happened because of plans for the Third Crusade. That year, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa arrived in Hungary. King Béla III welcomed him. Frederick learned about Prince Géza's situation from Béla's second wife, Margaret of France.

The Holy Roman Emperor asked Béla III to let Géza lead a small Hungarian army to the Crusade. Béla III agreed. So, 2,000 Hungarian soldiers went to the Holy Land. They were led by Géza and Bishop Ugrin Csák.

Life After the Crusade

Soon after, King Béla III told the Hungarian soldiers to return home. He did not want to fight with his son-in-law, Emperor Isaac II Angelos, who was having problems with the Holy Roman Emperor. Most of the army, led by Ugrin Csák, went back to Hungary.

But Géza and a small group of his friends stayed with the crusader army. They took part in battles and sieges. After Emperor Frederick died, Géza settled down in the Byzantine Empire. He married a Byzantine noblewoman between 1190 and 1191. She might have been from the ruling Angelos family.

According to an old Greek book, Géza took the name Ioannes (John) in the Byzantine Empire. Géza was the uncle of Empress Margaret, who was married to Emperor Isaac II Angelos. It is possible that Géza became part of the Byzantine upper class with her help.

Géza had sons, and one of them was named Géza–Alexios. His sons first appeared in records around 1210. This suggests that Géza might have died by then. In 1210, some unhappy Hungarian lords offered the crown to Géza's sons. They were living in "Greek land" (the Byzantine Empire). But the messengers sent to them were captured.

Years later, in early 1218, King Andrew II of Hungary was returning from the Fifth Crusade. Géza's sons' troops attacked his army when he was in Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey).

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