Ladislaus II of Hungary

Ladislaus II
Duke of Bosnia
Ladislaus II stealing the Holy Crown of Hungary (from the Illuminated Chronicle)
King of Hungary and Croatia contested by Stephen III
Reign	1162–1163
Coronation	July 1162
Predecessor	Stephen III
Successor	Stephen IV
Born	1131
Died	14 January 1163 (aged 31–32)
Burial	Székesfehérvár Cathedral
Issue	Mary
House	Árpád dynasty
Father	Béla II of Hungary
Mother	Helena of Rascia
Religion	Roman Catholic

Ladislaus II or Ladislas II (Hungarian: II. László, Croatian and Slovak: Ladislav II; 1131 – 14 January 1163) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1162 and 1163, having usurped the crown from his nephew, Stephen III.

He received the title of Duke of Bosnia from his father, Béla II of Hungary, at the age of six but never ruled the province. Instead, around 1160, he followed his younger brother, Stephen's, example and settled in Constantinople but both were to return to Hungary following the death of their elder brother, Géza II of Hungary, in 1162. Their return was backed by the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos who used their return in a bid to expand his suzerainty over Hungary. Initially, the Emperor was planning to assist Stephen IV in seizing the throne, but the Hungarian lords were only willing to accept Ladislaus as king against the late Géza II's son, Stephen III.

Although the latter's staunch supporter, Lucas, Archbishop of Esztergom, refused to crown Ladislaus and excommunicated him, he was crowned by Mikó, Archbishop of Kalocsa, in July 1162 but died within six months of his coronation.

Born in 1131, Ladislaus was the second son of King Béla the Blind and his wife, Helena of Rascia. A few months after his birth, his mother took him and his elder brother, Géza, to an assembly held at Arad where the barons who were considered responsible for the blinding of the King were massacred upon the Queen's order.