Andrew III (1265-1301), last king of the Árpád dynasty, was only barely a Hungarian. He was really more of an Italian. Medievalists recounts the story of his family. Andrew’s mother was Tommasina Morosini of the powerful Morosini clan of Venice, while his paternal grandmother had been a princess of the House of Este, from Ferrara. Andrew was born and raised along the canals of Venice and raised by his uncle Albertino. In Hungary, the king’s son was referred to as “Andrew the Venetian.”
One of the problems facing the kings of Hungary since its 13th century war against the Mongols was a poor balance of power between the king and the noblemen who served him, per Britannica. Andrew’s father had negotiated a power-sharing deal, but it had only made him look weak. A growing number of noblemen began claiming the right to be king of Hungary, not only Hungarians but other Europeans, with only the flimsiest justifications. When Andrew became king, a dozen men demanded his crown, with one of them, Charles Anjou of Naples, pushing his 12-year-old son as a claimant.
Andrew III died in 1301, a young man, worn out by the weight of his crown. A civil war ensued, and eventually a new, Bohemian dynasty assumed the Hungarian throne. It seems the price the Hungarians paid to become European was to lose their Asian kings.
