On the 29th of July 1095, a sad day in the life of Hungary, King Saint László (Ladislaus) died unexpectedly on his way to help his family in the Bohemian lands. But he could not return from there, as he died suddenly under still unclear circumstances.
However, at this given moment, his unprecedented diplomatic and political success story might have reached its zenith. He was so respected in European politics that envoys from France, Britain, England, and Spain met with him and asked him to lead a crusade in 1095. He immediately agreed, for although he was a king, he was always guided by a higher purpose. The Hungarian king had a great opportunity before him, but his unexpected death thwarted his plans.
To show how much a desire for power did not drive him, he refused the German-Roman Imperial crown offered to him at that time.
This is how the chronicle of the period described it:
“But King László, aspiring to ever greater things and advancing in the path of virtue, spread the fragrance of his sweetness not only over Hungary but over all the lands of Christendom. Therefore, when the Roman Emperor died, all the German princes and dukes, all the barons and lords, united in one will, asked him to accept the emperorship. But because he sought not only his interest in life, but also that of Jesus Christ, and diligently kept in mind that divine holy word, ‘Thou shalt not transgress the bounds of thy fathers,’ he was content with his limits, rather than increase his power beyond its rightful extent in his desire, and therefore he refused to accept government over foreign and unknown peoples.”
He was buried first in the Somogyvár Abbey, which he founded, and then in Várad. He was canonized in 1192 on the initiative of King Béla III, which greatly contributed to the spread of the cult of the “knight-king”, and his tomb in the cathedral of Várad became a shrine of national importance, regularly visited by Hungarian kings.
His cult developed soon after his death. He was canonized by the people themselves before the Church officially canonized him. A great number of people visited his tomb, not only those seeking healing and consolation but also those involved in litigation. News of the miraculous healings spread quickly.
The first set of legends
In the oldest Latin manuscript of the legend of St László, there are six miracles: the rising of the praying king into the air, the story of the wild animals feeding the starving army, the moving of the chariot carrying the king’s corpse, the story of the man with his head turned back, the silver bowl and the star miracle.
In the first one, St. László’s young servant lad saw that when his lord entered the church of Várad at night and prayed there, his body floated gloriously in the air;
In the second, the king, while fighting the Pesseneghs, found himself in a great wilderness, where his soldiers were threatened with starvation, and God willing, deer and buffalo appeared in the desperate camp, and everyone killed as many as he wanted;
In the third, the wagon carried the body of Saint László to Várad without any human or animal help, because the king had chosen this place for his tomb;
In the fourth, a bad man called the holy king’s sweet-smelling corpse musty, and his face was twisted behind his back, and remained so until the liar confessed his sin and begged forgiveness;
In the fifth, an evil Comes wanted to take the silver plate from a poor soldier, but when they put it on the grave of St. László, he collapsed unconscious;
In the sixth, for two hours, the people saw the shining star that shone above the monastery where the king’s body was kept during the canonization of Saint László.
His increasing reverence
Trust in the relics of the holy king grew, and it became customary to decide important trials here and to swear oaths before the altar of László. The national synod of 1134 was held here, and once the trial of the bishop of Zagreb was decided here. It did not take long for the Church to take official action. At the insistence of King Béla III, Pope Celestine III canonized King László in 1192.
The influence of the holy knight-king among his people grew with time, some say even surpassing that of St. Stephen. His famous equestrian statue, the work of the Kolozsvár brothers, was erected in front of the cathedral of Nagyvárad, which, according to the hymn, “shines like the sun, shines like gold: no one is content to look at your face”.
Supposedly, his head reliquary in Győr Cathedral is a copy of this, radiating majesty, power, and at the same time gentleness; this would be the true face of the holy king. The always victorious “Brave László” became the patron saint of the soldiers, they marched into battle under the protection of his name and this was their battle cry: “Saint László, help me!”
In 1684, during the war of liberation against the Turks, a foreign eyewitness recorded that the Hungarian soldiers at the campfire “played music and sang Hungarian songs for half an hour in honor of Saint László, whose feast day it was”, so his veneration was still alive.
So what was his power of magic? Perhaps Ottokar Prohászka put it best: “The Hungarian ideal became a Christian and a holy man in László… Christianity became a national life, the Christian king became the hero of the nation.
That’s how the songwriter felt and knew it:
“Hail, most gracious King Saint László!
Sweet protection of Hungary,
Precious pearl among holy kings,
Among the stars a bright star!
Thou servant of the Trinity,
You follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ;
Thou pure vessel of a holy spirit,
Chosen servant of the Virgin Mary.”
Further legends
The life and death of one of the greatest Hungarian kings was full of wonderful stories. The most famous of these legends, which have been immortalized in numerous murals, was the defeat of the Cuman. As Duke of Bihar, he played a part in driving back the pagan Cuman army that was invading what is now Transylvania. The invaders took many captives they wanted to take with them, including a warrior who kidnapped a girl. St. László pursued him, and with the help of the girl, he pulled him off his horse and killed the kidnapper.
Just before the decisive battle of Mogyoród, Saint László was discussing with his brother the battle plan to stop Salamon, when a heavenly vision appeared to him in broad daylight. He interpreted it to Géza as follows: “As we were deliberating, an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, bearing a golden crown in his hand, and placed it on my head. So it is clear that we will prevail over Salamon, who will flee from the kingdom in exile, and the crown will be given to you by the Lord.” Also, according to the legend, God’s support was shown by the fact that when László urged his soldiers to fight on, he hit a bush before the battle and a snow-white weasel jumped up from it on the handle of a spear and jumped straight into the prince’s lap. This celestial sign strengthened the army’s faith in victory.
The battle with the Cumans is connected with another legend, which is also a well-known story. Near Torda the king found himself in a difficult situation, he had to flee from the enemy, but it was not easy in the mountains. So he prayed to the Lord, “Save me, Lord, for I have fought for you!” God heard Saint László’s prayer and did a miracle! He split the mountain behind the king in two. The Cumans were frightened and held back their horses, for a great abyss opened in front of them. The place where the king’s horseshoe had been struck was still visible centuries later.
Saint László is said to have been able to do many things with the help of the Lord. For example, he could turn gold into stone. When the Cumans fled with their stolen loot – to save their lives – they scattered the gold from the sacks, which the pursuing Hungarian soldiers then had no hesitation in collecting. Then St. László again asked the Lord for help, who turned the gold coins into stones.
We have already mentioned one of the legends that arose after his death:
King László, in his lifetime, ordered his final resting place to be the castle of Nagyvárad (Várad, Oradea), but the chiefs wanted to lay him to rest in Székesfehérvár alongside the other kings. In the summer heat, the body would have decomposed quickly, so they set off for Székesfehérvár. They rested for the night, but the next day they were confronted with the fact that the wagon, pulled by angels, was traveling in the opposite direction on the road to Nagyvárad.
The holy king had been dead for 200 years when he was still associated with a legend worthy of wonder. At that time Transylvania was under heavy attack by the Crimean Tatar armies, so the Székelys prayed to Saint László for help. It is said that a tall warrior appeared on horseback, with a golden crown on his head and a battle-axe in his hand. He galloped towards the Crimean Tatars, then he cut them down with his axe like lightning, and the best soldiers of the enemy melted like wax before him.
Above his head flew a female figure, also with a shiny crown, who, according to legend, was the Virgin Mary. With their help, the Székelys were able to defeat the Tatars. The leader of the Tatars said: -Not the Székely, not the Hungarian beat us, but the László they called for help! At the time of the battle, a miracle also happened in the church of Nagyvárád: the guardian of the church could not find the skull of the king anywhere. It was only found after the battle as if it had returned from there. This is how St. László defeated the Tatars, and even dead.
When the plague, the pestilence began to ravage, the whole nation ran to King László, and everyone looked to him for help. Like sheep to a good shepherd, they flocked to the king’s tent. And Saint László prayed to God, looking to him for help. One night God sent a dream to the king. An angel appeared to the holy king and said to him:
“Take your bow and your quiver, go out to your tent, and without aiming at anything, release your arrow. The arrow will show you what you must do.”
When King László awoke, he took his bow and quiver, stepped out of his tent, drew his bow, and shot without aiming. The arrow flew far and wide, and where it landed it pierced a blade of gentian grass. It was the Gentiana
(Gentiana cruciate), the anointing of the so-called cross-grass, that saved the people from death, and since then it has been called the grass of St. László.
It was also used in the past to treat patients with plague. Its root has stomach-strengthening, appetite-stimulating, and fever-reducing properties.
László and Lancelot
At last but not at least, there is one more thing that is more than a mere legend. Did you know that the legendary name and figure of Sir Lancelot was inspired by Saint László? As Dominique Boutet notes, the pre-Arthurian origins of Sir Lancelot remain a mystery. He cannot be traced to the “Matter of Britain,” as he is absent not only in Welsh mythology but also in the works of Geoffrey of Monmouth and Wace.
Making an abrupt entrée in Chrétien de Troyes’ Le Chevalier de la charette at the end of the twelfth century, Sir Lancelot quickly emerges as the preeminent and most popular of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. While some unpersuasive theories have been offered in the past for the pre-Arthurian origins of the perfect knight, this talk suggests that the original inspiration for Lancelot appears to be none other than the King-Knight Ladislaus I of Hungary (1077-1095), leader-elect of the First Crusade and sainted monarch of the Árpádian dynasty.
More about Lancelot and St László’s connection: https://konyvtar.elte.hu/en/node/3348
Other sources: https://itthonrolhaza.hu/, Magyarforumonline, https://szentlaszlooroksege.blog.hu/
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