A Magyar Királyság kapcsolatai Hispániával a 12. század végén és a 13. század első felében

The connections of the Kingdom of Hungary with Hispania at the end of the 12th and in the first half of the 13th century : Before the Mongol invasion in Europe, there is a period from 1172 to 1235, which can be considered to be the last golden era of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, during the reign of the House of Árpád. The rule of King Béla III, Emeric and Andrew II brought the Kingdom and its royal dynasty great growth of international prestige. Hungary went through a significant development in terms of culture, society, economy and especially foreign policy. At the same time, on the Iberian Peninsula another spectacular progression began. Under the reign of the House of Barcelona, King Alfonso II, Peter II and James I by name, the Crown of Aragon gradually became the most powerful monarchy of Hispania, due to its successful expansion and victories in the campaigns of Reconquista. Beside the simultaneous development of the Kingdom of Hungary and the Crown of Aragon, there were several other factors, which made these two countries surprisingly similar to each other. For example, both of these kingdoms’ rulers conceived monumental plans of imperial intensions. Furthermore, in the age of Crusades, both of these monarchies represented the bastions of the Roman Catholic Christianity. While the Crown of Aragon and other Iberian Christian states guarded the frontiers of the Catholic Europe in the west, the Kingdom of Hungary defended it in the east. In order to unite their strength and to make their interest association, Hispania and Hungary turned to each other and made political alliances by means of dynastic marriages. In 1196 Constance of Aragon married Emeric of Hungary, and in 1235 the wedding of Violant of Hungary and James I of Aragon took place. This study examines the aspects of these dynastic contacts, giving special attention to their cultural affections and heritage in the history of Hungary and Spain. This work presents the coherence between the diplomacy of these countries, together with those royal knights, who escorted Violant of Hungary to Aragon, and who took part in the fights of Reconquista