• Born: 1016
• Married: Between 1039 and 1042
• Died: Dec 1063, Kanizsa Creek, Hungary
• Buried: Szekszárd Abbey, Hungary

  Research Notes:

The Chronicon Varadiense names "dux Andreas postea rex, secundus…dux Bella demum rex, tertius dux Levente" as the three sons of "dux Vazul". The Gesta Hungarorum names (in order) "Andrea, Bela et Luenta, filiis Zarladislai" when recording that King István advised them to flee to Bohemia after the mutilation of Vazúl, the commentary suggesting that their father's name was changed by the compiler of the Gesta to disguise the fact that later Hungarian kings were descended from the blinded Vazúl. In a later passage, the Gesta reports claims that the three brothers were "ex duce Wazul progenitos ex quadam virgine de genere Tatun" rather than legitimate. The Gesta records that the brothers moved from Bohemia to Poland during the second reign of King Péter and that Béla defeated "Pomoramiæ ducem" in single combat and married "filia Miskæ [Polonorum duce]". He was baptised in [1037/39] at Gnesen [Gniezno] as ADALBERT.

Béla returned to Hungary with his brothers in 1046, and was invested as Duke between March and Gran in 1048, but at some stage returned to Poland. When his brother King András crowned his infant son Salamon as associate king in 1057, Béla was provoked into taking action to secure his own rights of succession. He left Poland with his family and in 1060 invaded Hungary with a large force, with Polish support, captured King András who died a few days later, and assumed power as BÉLA I "Benin" King of Hungary, crowned at Székesfehérvár. The Chronicon Posoniense records bitter disputes in 1060 between "Andream et fratrem eius Bela" and that "Andreas rex" died, which suggests that the death may have been violent. The Annales of Berthold record that in 1060 "Belo fratrum suum Andream…expulit" in Hungary. The Gesta Hungarorum records the accession of "Benyn Bela", commenting that the Hungarians abandoned the faith and baptism for a year before returning to the faith. Hungarian forces conquered and settled Syrmium in [1060].

German forces invaded Hungary in support of ex-King Salamon, but King Béla died soon afterwards in his summer palace of Dömös after his throne toppled on him. The Gesta Hungarorum records the death of King Béla in the third year of his reign and his burial at "monasterio…Sceugzard [Szekszárd]". The Chronicon Varadiense records the death "III Id Sep" in 1063 of "Bela dictus Belin secundus filius Vazul" and his burial "in suo monasterio Sexardiensi". ¹