King Bela III

  General Notes:

King of Hungary 1163-1196. Married 1st 1172 Agnes Marie, died 1184, daughter of Renaud of Chatillon, married 2nd 1185 Margaret, daughter of Louis VII, King of France. Bela was educated at the Byzantine Court, where he was fortunate to win the friendship of the brilliant Emperor Manuel, who before the birth of his own son Alexius intended to make Bela his successor and betrothed him to his daughter. Subsequently, however, he married the handsome and promising youth to Agnes of Chatillon, Duches of Antioch, and in 1173 placed him by force of arms on the Hungarian throne. Initiated from childhood in all the arts of diplomacy, and as much a warrior as Manuel, Bela showed himself equal to all the difficulties of his position. It was in Bela's reign that the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, in the spring of 1189, traversed Hungary with 100,000 crusaders. His 1st wife bore Bela two sons, Emerich and Andrew. Bela was in every sense of the word a great statesman and his court was accounted one of the most brilliant of the world.

  Noted events in his life were:

� He worked as a King Of Hungary.

Bela married Agnes Marie De Chatillon, daughter of Renard De Chatillon and Princess Constance. (Agnes Marie De Chatillon was born in 1153 and died in 1184.)

Bela next married Queen Marguerite, daughter of King Louis VII Of France and Constance Of Castile, in 1185. (Queen Marguerite was born in 1160.)