Béla IV

Timeline

1. 1206–1235Esztergom · EsztergomSon of Andrew II, he served as duke of Slavonia in the 1220s and took part in wars against Bulgaria and Serbia; he served as regent twice between 1225 and 1235, and succeeded as king of Hungary after his father's death in 1235.
2. 1235–1241Buda · BudaAfter acceding in 1235 he faced the Mongol threat; from the late 1230s he promoted castle-building, encouraging the nobility to construct stone castles and reorganizing border defenses. Between 1238 and 1241 he had contacts with envoys of the Golden Horde, attempting diplomacy to delay the invasion but failing to prevent it.
3. 1241–1242Dalmatia · DalmatiaIn 1241 Batu's western campaign brought heavy defeats to Hungary at Mohi and elsewhere, with severe destruction in cities such as Pest; Béla fled to Dalmatia and the Tenna region, returning only after Batu's withdrawal in 1242 to organize reconstruction.
4. 1242–1270Buda · BudaAfter 1242 he vigorously rebuilt ruined towns, brought in German and Cuman settlers, and continued expanding the castle network; in the 1260s he fought a civil war with his son Stephen V, dying in 1270 and leaving a Hungary more castellated and with somewhat strengthened royal power than before 1241.