Pietro Orseolo, or Peter the Venetian (Hungarian: Velencei Péter; 1010 or 1011 – 1046, or late 1050s), was King of Hungary twice.
Peter was born in Venice, the only son of Otto Orseolo, Doge of Venice. His mother was a sister of Stephen I, the first king of Hungary.
In 1026, the Venetians rose up and deposed Otto Orseolo, who fled to the Byzantine court in Constantinople. Peter did not follow his father, going instead to Hungary, where his uncle Stephen I appointed him commander of the royal army.
Emeric, Stephen's only son to survive infancy, died in an accident in 1031. Stephen's cousin Vazul had the strongest claim to the throne, but the King overlooked him and named Peter as his heir. On Stephen's order, Vazul was blinded shortly thereafter and his three sons – Levente, Andrew and Béla – exiled.
Peter succeeded Stephen I, who died on 15 August 1038, and adopted an active foreign policy. Hungarian troops plundered Bavaria in 1039 and 1040, and invaded Bohemia in 1040 to assist Bretislav I against Holy Roman Emperor Henry III. Hungarian chronicles recount that Peter preferred the company of Germans ("who roared like wild beasts") and Italians ("who chattered and twittered like swallows"), which made him unpopular among his subjects. Nor was he popular with the clergy: he introduced new taxes, seized Church revenue and deposed two bishops.
Peter confiscated the property of Queen Giselle, Stephen I's widow, and took her into custody. She sought help from Hungarian lords, who blamed one of Peter's favorite advisor (Budo) for the monarch's misdeeds and demanded that he be tried. When the King refused, the lords seized and murdered Budo and deposed Peter in 1041. They elected a new king, Samuel Aba, who was a brother-in-law or another nephew of King Stephen I.
Peter fled to Austria, seeking the protection of his brother-in-law, Margrave Adalbert. He approached Emperor Henry III for help against Samuel Aba. The new Hungarian monarch invaded Austria in February 1042, but Adalbert routed Aba's troops. Henry III launched his first expedition against Hungary in early 1042. His forces advanced north of the Danube to the river Garam (Hron, Slovakia). The Emperor planned to restore Peter, but due to strong local opposition, another (unnamed) member of the Hungarian royal family was appointed to administer the territories.
The Emperor returned to Hungary in thesummer of 1044, and was joined in his advance by many Hungarian lords. The decisive battle was fought on 5 June at Ménfo (near Gyor), where Samuel Aba's forces were defeated. Although Aba escaped from the battlefield, Peter's supporters soon captured and killed him.
Following Samuel Aba's death, Emperor Henry entered Székesfehérvár and restored Peter. Peter introduced Bavarian law in his realm, which suggests that Hungary became an imperial fief. He accepted the Emperor's suzerainty on Whitsun 1045, giving his royal lance to his overlord (who returned to Hungary). A number of plots to overthrow Peter indicate that he remained unpopular. Two of King Stephen I's maternal cousins (Bolya and Bonyha) conspired against Peter in 1045, but the King had them arrested, tortured and executed. Bishop Gerard of Csanád invited Vazul's exiled sons to the country.
An uprising by pagan commoners ended Peter's second rule in 1046. Peter planned to flee again to the Holy Roman Empire, but Vazul's son Andrew (who had returned to Hungary) invited him to a meeting at Székesfehérvár. Upon realizing that Andrew's envoys actually wanted to arrest him, Peter fled to a fortified manor at Zámoly, where he was captured three days later. All 14th-century Hungarian chronicles attest that Peter was blinded, which caused his death. However, the near-contemporary Cosmas of Prague relates that Judith von Schweinfurt, widow of Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia who was expelled by her son, fled to Hungary and married Peter about 1055 "as an insult to" her son "and all the Czechs". If the latter report is reliable, Peter survived the ordeal and died during the late 1050s.
He was buried in the cathedral of Pécs.
Peter was born in Venice, the only son of Otto Orseolo, Doge of Venice. His mother was a sister of Stephen I, the first king of Hungary.
In 1026, the Venetians rose up and deposed Otto Orseolo, who fled to the Byzantine court in Constantinople. Peter did not follow his father, going instead to Hungary, where his uncle Stephen I appointed him commander of the royal army.
Emeric, Stephen's only son to survive infancy, died in an accident in 1031. Stephen's cousin Vazul had the strongest claim to the throne, but the King overlooked him and named Peter as his heir. On Stephen's order, Vazul was blinded shortly thereafter and his three sons – Levente, Andrew and Béla – exiled.
Peter succeeded Stephen I, who died on 15 August 1038, and adopted an active foreign policy. Hungarian troops plundered Bavaria in 1039 and 1040, and invaded Bohemia in 1040 to assist Bretislav I against Holy Roman Emperor Henry III. Hungarian chronicles recount that Peter preferred the company of Germans ("who roared like wild beasts") and Italians ("who chattered and twittered like swallows"), which made him unpopular among his subjects. Nor was he popular with the clergy: he introduced new taxes, seized Church revenue and deposed two bishops.
Peter confiscated the property of Queen Giselle, Stephen I's widow, and took her into custody. She sought help from Hungarian lords, who blamed one of Peter's favorite advisor (Budo) for the monarch's misdeeds and demanded that he be tried. When the King refused, the lords seized and murdered Budo and deposed Peter in 1041. They elected a new king, Samuel Aba, who was a brother-in-law or another nephew of King Stephen I.
Peter fled to Austria, seeking the protection of his brother-in-law, Margrave Adalbert. He approached Emperor Henry III for help against Samuel Aba. The new Hungarian monarch invaded Austria in February 1042, but Adalbert routed Aba's troops. Henry III launched his first expedition against Hungary in early 1042. His forces advanced north of the Danube to the river Garam (Hron, Slovakia). The Emperor planned to restore Peter, but due to strong local opposition, another (unnamed) member of the Hungarian royal family was appointed to administer the territories.
The Emperor returned to Hungary in thesummer of 1044, and was joined in his advance by many Hungarian lords. The decisive battle was fought on 5 June at Ménfo (near Gyor), where Samuel Aba's forces were defeated. Although Aba escaped from the battlefield, Peter's supporters soon captured and killed him.
Following Samuel Aba's death, Emperor Henry entered Székesfehérvár and restored Peter. Peter introduced Bavarian law in his realm, which suggests that Hungary became an imperial fief. He accepted the Emperor's suzerainty on Whitsun 1045, giving his royal lance to his overlord (who returned to Hungary). A number of plots to overthrow Peter indicate that he remained unpopular. Two of King Stephen I's maternal cousins (Bolya and Bonyha) conspired against Peter in 1045, but the King had them arrested, tortured and executed. Bishop Gerard of Csanád invited Vazul's exiled sons to the country.
An uprising by pagan commoners ended Peter's second rule in 1046. Peter planned to flee again to the Holy Roman Empire, but Vazul's son Andrew (who had returned to Hungary) invited him to a meeting at Székesfehérvár. Upon realizing that Andrew's envoys actually wanted to arrest him, Peter fled to a fortified manor at Zámoly, where he was captured three days later. All 14th-century Hungarian chronicles attest that Peter was blinded, which caused his death. However, the near-contemporary Cosmas of Prague relates that Judith von Schweinfurt, widow of Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia who was expelled by her son, fled to Hungary and married Peter about 1055 "as an insult to" her son "and all the Czechs". If the latter report is reliable, Peter survived the ordeal and died during the late 1050s.
He was buried in the cathedral of Pécs.
Pietro Orseolo, or Peter the Venetian (Hungarian: Velencei Péter; 1010 or 1011 – 1046, or late 1050s), was King of Hungary twice.
Peter was born in Venice, the only son of Otto Orseolo, Doge of Venice. His mother was a sister of Stephen I, the first king of Hungary.
In 1026, the Venetians rose up and deposed Otto Orseolo, who fled to the Byzantine court in Constantinople. Peter did not follow his father, going instead to Hungary, where his uncle Stephen I appointed him commander of the royal army.
Emeric, Stephen's only son to survive infancy, died in an accident in 1031. Stephen's cousin Vazul had the strongest claim to the throne, but the King overlooked him and named Peter as his heir. On Stephen's order, Vazul was blinded shortly thereafter and his three sons – Levente, Andrew and Béla – exiled.
Peter succeeded Stephen I, who died on 15 August 1038, and adopted an active foreign policy. Hungarian troops plundered Bavaria in 1039 and 1040, and invaded Bohemia in 1040 to assist Bretislav I against Holy Roman Emperor Henry III. Hungarian chronicles recount that Peter preferred the company of Germans ("who roared like wild beasts") and Italians ("who chattered and twittered like swallows"), which made him unpopular among his subjects. Nor was he popular with the clergy: he introduced new taxes, seized Church revenue and deposed two bishops.
Peter confiscated the property of Queen Giselle, Stephen I's widow, and took her into custody. She sought help from Hungarian lords, who blamed one of Peter's favorite advisor (Budo) for the monarch's misdeeds and demanded that he be tried. When the King refused, the lords seized and murdered Budo and deposed Peter in 1041. They elected a new king, Samuel Aba, who was a brother-in-law or another nephew of King Stephen I.
Peter fled to Austria, seeking the protection of his brother-in-law, Margrave Adalbert. He approached Emperor Henry III for help against Samuel Aba. The new Hungarian monarch invaded Austria in February 1042, but Adalbert routed Aba's troops. Henry III launched his first expedition against Hungary in early 1042. His forces advanced north of the Danube to the river Garam (Hron, Slovakia). The Emperor planned to restore Peter, but due to strong local opposition, another (unnamed) member of the Hungarian royal family was appointed to administer the territories.
The Emperor returned to Hungary in thesummer of 1044, and was joined in his advance by many Hungarian lords. The decisive battle was fought on 5 June at Ménfo (near Gyor), where Samuel Aba's forces were defeated. Although Aba escaped from the battlefield, Peter's supporters soon captured and killed him.
Following Samuel Aba's death, Emperor Henry entered Székesfehérvár and restored Peter. Peter introduced Bavarian law in his realm, which suggests that Hungary became an imperial fief. He accepted the Emperor's suzerainty on Whitsun 1045, giving his royal lance to his overlord (who returned to Hungary). A number of plots to overthrow Peter indicate that he remained unpopular. Two of King Stephen I's maternal cousins (Bolya and Bonyha) conspired against Peter in 1045, but the King had them arrested, tortured and executed. Bishop Gerard of Csanád invited Vazul's exiled sons to the country.
An uprising by pagan commoners ended Peter's second rule in 1046. Peter planned to flee again to the Holy Roman Empire, but Vazul's son Andrew (who had returned to Hungary) invited him to a meeting at Székesfehérvár. Upon realizing that Andrew's envoys actually wanted to arrest him, Peter fled to a fortified manor at Zámoly, where he was captured three days later. All 14th-century Hungarian chronicles attest that Peter was blinded, which caused his death. However, the near-contemporary Cosmas of Prague relates that Judith von Schweinfurt, widow of Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia who was expelled by her son, fled to Hungary and married Peter about 1055 "as an insult to" her son "and all the Czechs". If the latter report is reliable, Peter survived the ordeal and died during the late 1050s.
He was buried in the cathedral of Pécs.
Peter was born in Venice, the only son of Otto Orseolo, Doge of Venice. His mother was a sister of Stephen I, the first king of Hungary.
In 1026, the Venetians rose up and deposed Otto Orseolo, who fled to the Byzantine court in Constantinople. Peter did not follow his father, going instead to Hungary, where his uncle Stephen I appointed him commander of the royal army.
Emeric, Stephen's only son to survive infancy, died in an accident in 1031. Stephen's cousin Vazul had the strongest claim to the throne, but the King overlooked him and named Peter as his heir. On Stephen's order, Vazul was blinded shortly thereafter and his three sons – Levente, Andrew and Béla – exiled.
Peter succeeded Stephen I, who died on 15 August 1038, and adopted an active foreign policy. Hungarian troops plundered Bavaria in 1039 and 1040, and invaded Bohemia in 1040 to assist Bretislav I against Holy Roman Emperor Henry III. Hungarian chronicles recount that Peter preferred the company of Germans ("who roared like wild beasts") and Italians ("who chattered and twittered like swallows"), which made him unpopular among his subjects. Nor was he popular with the clergy: he introduced new taxes, seized Church revenue and deposed two bishops.
Peter confiscated the property of Queen Giselle, Stephen I's widow, and took her into custody. She sought help from Hungarian lords, who blamed one of Peter's favorite advisor (Budo) for the monarch's misdeeds and demanded that he be tried. When the King refused, the lords seized and murdered Budo and deposed Peter in 1041. They elected a new king, Samuel Aba, who was a brother-in-law or another nephew of King Stephen I.
Peter fled to Austria, seeking the protection of his brother-in-law, Margrave Adalbert. He approached Emperor Henry III for help against Samuel Aba. The new Hungarian monarch invaded Austria in February 1042, but Adalbert routed Aba's troops. Henry III launched his first expedition against Hungary in early 1042. His forces advanced north of the Danube to the river Garam (Hron, Slovakia). The Emperor planned to restore Peter, but due to strong local opposition, another (unnamed) member of the Hungarian royal family was appointed to administer the territories.
The Emperor returned to Hungary in thesummer of 1044, and was joined in his advance by many Hungarian lords. The decisive battle was fought on 5 June at Ménfo (near Gyor), where Samuel Aba's forces were defeated. Although Aba escaped from the battlefield, Peter's supporters soon captured and killed him.
Following Samuel Aba's death, Emperor Henry entered Székesfehérvár and restored Peter. Peter introduced Bavarian law in his realm, which suggests that Hungary became an imperial fief. He accepted the Emperor's suzerainty on Whitsun 1045, giving his royal lance to his overlord (who returned to Hungary). A number of plots to overthrow Peter indicate that he remained unpopular. Two of King Stephen I's maternal cousins (Bolya and Bonyha) conspired against Peter in 1045, but the King had them arrested, tortured and executed. Bishop Gerard of Csanád invited Vazul's exiled sons to the country.
An uprising by pagan commoners ended Peter's second rule in 1046. Peter planned to flee again to the Holy Roman Empire, but Vazul's son Andrew (who had returned to Hungary) invited him to a meeting at Székesfehérvár. Upon realizing that Andrew's envoys actually wanted to arrest him, Peter fled to a fortified manor at Zámoly, where he was captured three days later. All 14th-century Hungarian chronicles attest that Peter was blinded, which caused his death. However, the near-contemporary Cosmas of Prague relates that Judith von Schweinfurt, widow of Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia who was expelled by her son, fled to Hungary and married Peter about 1055 "as an insult to" her son "and all the Czechs". If the latter report is reliable, Peter survived the ordeal and died during the late 1050s.
He was buried in the cathedral of Pécs.
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