LADISLAUS, KING OF HUNGARY, ST.

Reigned 1077 to July 29, 1095; b. Poland, c. 1040;d. Nitra, Czechoslovakia. The son of King Béla I of Hungary and a daughter of the Polish King Mesko II, Ladislaus (László, Lazlo, or Lancelot) was elected king against his will after the death of his brother King Geisa I. His cousin Solomon, aided by Emperor henry IV, rebelled against him. When Solomon revolted a second time with the aid of heathen Cumans, Ladislaus defeated them and finally unified his kingdom. In 1083 he successfully promoted the canonization of King stephen i of Hungary, emeric of hungary, and gerard of csanÁd. In 1091 he founded the bishopric of Zagreb, later annexing Croatia and Bosnia outright. Ladislaus did not subscribe to the gregorian reform although in the investiture struggle he sided with the pope and with Rudolph of Swabia. He married Agnes (sometimes called Adelaide), the daughter of Rudolph. He introduced a new law code for his kingdom. Priests were allowed to marry, but remarriage was forbidden. The Diet at Szabolcs marked a step toward a deepened religious life among both clergy and laymen. He died while preparing for the First crusade, and he was buried in the cathedral that he had built in Oradea (Romania). In 1192 he was canonized by celestine iii.

Feast: June 27.

Bibliography: Acta sanctorum June 7:284–294. g. fejÉr, Codex diplomaticus Hungariae, 43 v. (Budapest 1829–44) v.1. s.l. endlicher, ed., Rerum Hungaricarum monumenta arpadiana (Sankt Gallen 1849). p. von vÁczy, Die erste Epoche des ungar. Königtums (Budapest 1935). Vies des saintes et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes 6:461–463. a. butler The Lives of the Saints rev. ed. (New York 1956) 2:654–655. p. j. gÁl, Idvezlégy, kegyelmes Szent László kerály, Magyarországnak édes oltalma (Budapest 1999), legends.

[j. papin]