Andrew III of Hungary

Andrew III
Andrew depicted in the Chronica Hungarorum in 1488
King of Hungary and Croatia
Reign	10 July 1290 – 14 January 1301
Coronation	23 July 1290, Székesfehérvár
Predecessor	Ladislaus IV
Successor	Wenceslaus
Born	c. 1265 Venice, Republic of Venice
Died	14 January 1301(1301-00-00) (aged 35–36) Buda, Kingdom of Hungary
Burial	Greyfriars' Church, Buda
Spouses	Fenenna of Kuyavia Agnes of Austria
Issue	Elizabeth of Töss
Dynasty	Árpád
Father	Stephen the Posthumous
Mother	Tomasina Morosini
Religion	Roman Catholic

Andrew III the Venetian (Hungarian: III. Velencei András, Croatian: Andrija III. Mlečanin, Slovak: Ondrej III.; c. 1265 – 14 January 1301) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1290 and 1301. His father, Stephen the Posthumous, was the posthumous son of Andrew II of Hungary although Stephen's older half brothers considered him a bastard. Andrew grew up in Venice, and first arrived in Hungary upon the invitation of a rebellious baron, Ivan Kőszegi, in 1278. Kőszegi tried to play Andrew off against Ladislaus IV of Hungary, but the conspiracy collapsed and Andrew returned to Venice.

Being the last male member of the House of Árpád, Andrew was elected king after the death of King Ladislaus IV in 1290. He was the first Hungarian monarch to issue a coronation diploma confirming the privileges of the noblemen and the clergy. At least three pretenders—Albert of Austria, Mary of Hungary, and an adventurer—challenged his claim to the throne. Andrew expelled the adventurer from Hungary and forced Albert of Austria to conclude a peace within a year, but Mary of Hungary and her descendants did not renounce their claim. The Hungarian bishops and Andrew's maternal family from Venice were his principal supporters, but the leading Croatian and Slavonian lords were opposed to his rule.

Hungary was in a state of constant anarchy during Andrew's reign. The Kőszegis, the Csáks, and other powerful families autonomously governed their domains, rising up nearly every year in open rebellion against Andrew. With Andrew's death, the House of Árpád became extinct. A civil war ensued which lasted for more than two decades and ended with the victory of Mary of Hungary's grandson, Charles Robert.