Arnold II Hahót

Arnold (II) Hahót
Seal of Arnold II Hahót, 1239
Palatine of Hungary
Reign	1242
Predecessor	Denis Tomaj
Successor	Ladislaus Kán
Issue Nicholas III Arnold III
Noble family	gens Hahót
Father	Arnold I
Died	after 1244

Arnold (II) from the kindred Hahót (Hungarian: Hahót nembeli (II) Arnold; died after 1244) was a Hungarian baron, who served as Palatine of Hungary for a short time in 1242.

Arnold II was born into the gens Hahót as one of the three sons of Arnold I, who founded a monastery in Hahót, Zala County, dedicated to Saint Margaret. Arnold had two brothers, Panyit, who became infamous for his violent actions and plunderings against neighboring estates in the 1250s and 60s, and Keled I, the ancestor of the Hahóti noble family. Arnold II had two sons from his unidentified wife: Nicholas III, who rebelled against the rule of King Stephen V in 1270, and Arnold III, who captured pretender Andrew the Venetian in 1290 (later King of Hungary as Andrew III).

Arnold was first mentioned by contemporary sources since 1233. Then he was a supporter of Duke Béla, who had long opposed his father, King Andrew II's "useless and superfluous perpetual grants". After Béla succeeded his father without opposition in October 1235, Arnold served as ispán of Zala County from 1235 to 1239. Following that he was made ispán of Somogy County in 1240, holding the position until November 1242. After the Battle of Mohi, where Palatine Denis Tomaj was killed, Arnold was appointed as his successor following nearly one-year vacancy. It is possible that after the catastrophic battle, Arnold joined the entourage of Béla IV, who narrowly escaped from the battlefield and fled to Dalmatia. Perhaps Arnold was appointed Palatine on a temporary basis, when Béla waited in exile until the withdrawal of all Mongol forces, and later re-establishment of the royal court in Hungary. Since Arnold's term, the Somogy ispánate was attached to the dignity of Palatine, lasted until 1246.