Álmos (duke)

Álmos
Duke of Hungary, Croatia and Nyitra
Reconciliation of Kálmán and Álmos (Illuminated Chronicle).
Born	c. 1070 Kingdom of Hungary
Died	1 September 1127 (aged 56–57) Constantinople, Byzantine Empire
Spouse	Predslava of Kiev
Issue	Adelaide, Duchess of Bohemia Béla II, King of Hungary Hedwig, Margravine of Austria
House	House of Árpád
Father	Géza I of Hungary
Mother	Sophia

Álmos (Slovak, Croatian: Almoš; c. 1070  or 1075, – 1 September 1127 or possibly in 1129) was a Hungarian prince, the son of King Géza I of Hungary and brother of King Coloman. He held several governmental posts in the Kingdom of Hungary.

Álmos was the younger of the two sons surviving infancy of the future King Géza I. His mother seems to have been his father's first wife, Sophia, because Géza's Byzantine second wife—whose baptismal name is unknown—returned to her homeland after her husband's death. Both Álmos and his elder brother, Coloman, were born around 1070, according to the historians Gyula Kristó and Márta Font.

Géza I who ascended the throne in 1074 died on 25 April 1077. He was succeeded by his brother, Ladislaus I, because Coloman and Álmos were still minors. The new king decided that Coloman should be prepared for a career in the Church. The king's decision was unusual, because Coloman was elder than Álmos.

Between 1084 and 1091 Álmos was the duke of Slavonia; between 1091 and 1095 he was named duke of Croatia. According to the Illuminated Chronicle both Coloman and Álmos accompanied their uncle on a military campaign against Bohemia in the spring of 1095. Before reaching the border of his kingdom, Ladislaus I "was overcome by a grave infirmity" and decided to appoint Álmos as his heir. However, Coloman did not want to respect his uncle's decision and fled to Poland.

Coloman returned after King Ladislaus had died to claim his rights. According to the Illuminated Chronicle, it was his uncle who had invited him back from Poland. The same source adds that Álmos "in the true simplicity of his heart honoured his brother, Coloman, and yielded to him the crown of the kingdom", which suggests that Coloman ascended the throne without bloodshed. On the other hand, he was only crowned king in early 1096, implying that the two brothers had been fighting for the crown before they reached an agreement. Coloman was crowned in Székesfehérvár by Archbishop Seraphin of Esztergom. According to the Illuminated Chronicle, at the same time he "granted the dukedom with full rights" to Álmos. This report shows that Álmos only acknowledged his brother's rule in exchange for receiving the one-time ducatus or duchy of their father and grandfather, which encompassed one-third of the kingdom.