Beloš | |
---|---|
Grand Prince of Serbia
comes palatinus of Hungary; Ban of Croatia |
|
Grand Prince of Serbia | |
Reign | 1162 |
Predecessor | Uroš II |
Successor | Desa |
Ban of Slavonia | |
Reign | 1146–1157, 1163 |
Predecessor | Alexius Apa |
Successor | Apa Ampud |
Regent of Hungary | |
Reign | 1141–1146 |
Predecessor | Béla II |
Successor | Géza II |
Born | after 1083 |
Died | before 1198 Hungary |
Issue | daughter |
Dynasty | Vukanović |
Father | Uroš I |
Mother | Anna Diogenissa |
Religion | Eastern Orthodox Christian |
Beloš (Serbian: Белош; fl. 1141–1163), was a Serbian prince and Hungarian palatine who served as the regent of Hungary from 1141 until 1146, alongside his sister Helena, mother of the infant King Géza II. Beloš held the title of duke (dux), and served as ban of Croatia from 1142 until 1158 and briefly in 1163. Beloš, as a member of the Serbian Vukanović dynasty, also briefly ruled his patrimony as the Grand Prince of Serbia in 1162. He lived during a period of Serbian-Hungarian alliance, amid a growing threat from the Byzantines, who had earlier been the overlords of Serbia.
Beloš was the middle son of Uroš I, the Grand Prince of Serbia (r. ca 1112-1145), and Anna Diogenissa, the granddaughter of Romanos IV Diogenes, the Byzantine Emperor (r. 1068–1071). He had two brothers, Uroš II Primislav and Desa, and two sisters, Helen (the mother of King Géza II of Hungary) and Maria. Zavida, the father of future Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja, is possibly a fourth brother, this is however undisclosed.
His sister Helen, married the Hungarian heir apparent, Béla II in 1129. In 1131, Béla II was crowned the King of Hungary, succeeding the child-less Stephen II. Beloš joined his sister at the Hungarian court, and received the title of dux (Duke, Herzog). Béla II died on 13 February 1141, and the eldest son and heir Géza II was still a child, thus Helen and Beloš became regents in his place. The brother and sister governed the Kingdom of Hungary until Géza II's coming of age, in September 1146. In 1145, he received the title of comes palatinus (Count palatine), the highest court title of the Kingdom. During his time as tutor to Géza II, the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus attacked Hungary, supporting the rival Boris Kalamanos (son of Coloman), however Beloš successfully managed to defend Hungary.