Early Years
Ladislaus was the second son of King Béla II of Hungary and his wife, Helena of Raška. He was only a baby when his mother introduced him and his brother, Géza, to the barons assembled in Arad in order to persuade them to massacre her husband's opponents, which he did at the age of 4.
After the occupation of Bosnia, his father named Ladislaus the duke of the province in 1137, although the province was governed by the administrators appointed by the king. When King Béla II died on 13 February 1141, Ladislaus' brother, Géza II, ascended the throne. In 1152, the king organised a separated ducal household for Ladislaus and their younger brother, Stephen.
Géza II wanted to ensure the succession of his son Stephen; consequently, his relationship with his brothers deteriorated. In 1157, Duke Stephen tried to organise a conspiracy against the king supported by their maternal uncle, Beloš, but Géza overcame them and Duke Stephen fled to the court of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. In 1159, Stephen again conspired against Géza II but, following his failure, he joined Ladislaus in Constantinople.
In the imperial court of Constantinople, Ladislaus, in contrast to his brother, did not want to surrender totally to Manuel I Komnenos, and he refused to marry a niece of the Emperor.
Read more about this topic: Ladislaus II Of Hungary
Famous quotes related to early years:
“If there is a price to pay for the privilege of spending the early years of child rearing in the driver’s seat, it is our reluctance, our inability, to tolerate being demoted to the backseat. Spurred by our success in programming our children during the preschool years, we may find it difficult to forgo in later states the level of control that once afforded us so much satisfaction.”
—Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)