Andrew II of Hungary: "The Braided King"

Andrew II King of Hungary

Manly King Andrew II, Braids & All

A leader of the wicked Crusades? Beginning with a murky tale of succession after Béla the III died.

Béla's son, Emeric, became King of Hungary and ruled for 8 years.
During which time Andrew convinced Emeric to forfeit his lands of "Dalmatia and Croatia", and title them to his name.

Then, Emeric became quite ill and died, leaving the Kingdom of Hungary to his 4-5 yr old son Ladislas the III.
Ladislas the III, died within 6 months of his "child rule", and immediately, thereafter: Andrew became King of Hungary.

Statue of Andrew II

Árpád Dynasty King at 28 Years Old

Now, if Andrew was dedicated to the "Throne", and exceedingly ambitious, he very well could have secretly ordered the death of the young boy. "A boy king?"
The chances are quite high Ladislas was poisoned.

Not much is said though, about the upstaging "all of a sudden" from Andrew.
After all, Andrew was a true descendant of Béla, just known to be pushy for land and titles with his older brother Emeric.
Therefore, thoughts can't help but to linger towards if the boy was assassinated in a quest for power.

It was power too, Andrew reigned from 1205 to 1235, 30 years as King.
He built an army of 15,000 men with horses, & countless infantry, all requiring food, housing and provisions. Andrew and his army traversed, and claimed: Halych and Lodomeria in the Rus territories after many failed battles.

Andrew's father, Béla the III
John of Gaunt, England
being his descendant look-a-like.

To the Crusades

However, Andrew's father, Béla the III had wanted the Crusades to take hold. So, in effect Andrew eventually followed his father's orders.

The dutiful son fulfilling his destiny off to the Holy Land, the 5th historical Crusade for a military coup d'etats. He had been fighting for years prior so he may have already experienced too much sadness from war and by losing his first Queen. Not alone in this quest, Leopold of Austria, The Templars, Teutonic Knights, & The Emperor of Constantinople, John of Brienne

In Jordan and Andrew achieved only a mild success, when the Egyptian Sultan Al-Adil I, Sultan of Egypt forfeited. Andrew became more intrigued though, by the local trinkets and after a years time returned to Hungary.

Returning to Hungary, finding disquieted nobles demanding freedoms from non-paid Military duty and over-taxation.

The Golden Bull

In 1222, he decreed "the Golden Bull", to include some limits to his power, increasing nobility power in the counties, plus freeing the elites from taxation and being in the military without a hefty pay scale. Surely, he was pushed to it, the expenditure of running his kingdom was costly, constantly having to sell his lands and castle quests, in order to maintain his "powerful stance in the public eye".

By creating his "rich coup of noble friends" they were given a trump card, to look lightly upon him with favoritism in the immediate future.

The Golden Bull was essentially the same as the rich guise under to this day. Using corporate leveraging to remove themselves from being drafted, and lobbyists to increase their business powers. The free taxation in our today's time is "Golden Bull" given to certain businesses: agriculture, forestry, weaponry, gas & oil and other tax-free and tax-reduced government granted subsidies.

What a tangle of the rich to keep, since 1222.

Queen Gertrude of Hungary
Mother of Béla the IV
Murdered by Peter

Andrew's Wives

During his campaign of Galicia in the Kingdom of Ruthenia, from the North Sea to the Black Sea. "When the cats away, the mice will play", and his Gertrude*, lost her life.
In 1213, The Lords of Hungary murdered his wife Queen Gertrude of Merania & most of her courtiers, due to her & her court, siding with the Germans. Upon his return Andrew had the murderer, "Peter, son of Töre" was executed, and Andrew left the other lords, to be named as perverts.

There was quite a bit of murderous fallout with the Germans, even between the Germans themselves at the time. The group of Lords feared a German takeover, and apparently not the wrath nor chance of death from Andrew, upon his return.

What can be said about the year 1213, a despicable number 13. Raining itself throughout history.

Three years past, and he married again, to Yolanda de Courtenay later to Beatrice d'Este in 1233.

Andrew's Age-gap Wives

1. Queen Gertrude (Merania) was 8 yrs younger.
2. Yolanda de Courtenay was 23 years younger.
3. & Beatrice d'Este was 38 yrs younger.

Andrew's End

Andrew died shortly after his trip to Vienna, in 1235. At the age of 58.

In the Summer of 1235, he made a trip of demands to Austria, to retrieve indemnification costs from Duke Frederick, whose troops had recently caused damages when they raided Hungary.

Béla the IV King of Hungary
Son of Andrew II & Gertrude

Andrew's Son: The next King of Hungary, "Béla the IV"

*During Gertrude's short life, before being murdered in the Pilis Hills, on 28 September 2013, Queen Gertrude of Merania, bore Andrews' Royal son, Béla. He became the next King of Hungary, "Béla the IV" immediately after Andrew's death. Béla, was named ruler of Hungary at the age of 29, and ruled for 35 years. A larger Army than his father, of 60,000, with many battles away from Hungary, and yet he was known more for being defeated by the Mongols.

Son of Béla III of Hungary. Andrew reigned during 1205 to 1235, 30 years. King of Jerusalem, Hungary and Croatia.

Genealogy Notes

*My ancestral Queen from Andrew's wives: Queen Gertrude.
link to wiki: Andrew II
xlsx sheet link: 10 "Andrew II" Crowns:
Mother’s Ancestry side: Baker, Thomas (4), Sevey (2), Vaux (2), Williams
or the Kings of Europe Chart: Ancestry Kings Chart

Theme Gardens: Japanese Shofuso with Zen

A Serene Garden

Zen, Shofuso & Ikebano

The Tranquil, "Pine Breeze Villa", Flower arrangements on a grand scale.
Imagine walking into your own backyard, and it was a real forest scene with delicate formed topiaries of azaleas with thick green carpets of clovers and mosses.

A large pond or waterfall hosting fish, with tall pines to nest the birds.
Poetic, quiet, and serene.

Pond with Floral Bushes

Japanese Garden House

Well, the option to create a little Japanese house that borders the garden edge would be more official-looking. Yet, it's not necessary. A few Japanese-looking screens, and occasional lanterns along the side of the house area will help fit the Japanese style.

How Popular Are They?

The sanctuary garden effect is really for the home-owner to experience every day. However, they're such interesting gardens, that you might attract a bunch of curious people, who would love to see your "Japanese Forest"

Smaller Shofuso Garden

Backyard Spaces: Large & Small

The conversion would take some effort, but even a smaller garden can accommodate the theme., A few basic items help to define the space as a Shofuso:

1. Pine trees
2. Water feature: waterfall, pond or brook (river)
3. Floral bushes
4. Calm ground-covers
5. Delicate Pathways
6. A Bridge, with or without a small island.
7. Large Garden Ornament(s), boulders
8. Low maintenance, once established.

Oddly, planting varieties are much more minimal in retrospect to a typical English Cottage Garden. The bushes tamed into rounded forms, with ground-cover which takes up most of the ground space.

The sky itself is often an important interplay, where clouds chance the mirror upon the water.

However, it's not for everyone to have an open garden look. If left too-open, the garden could be appear as "amusement-park tacky", like a disneyland with it's very open sky, waiting for a giant costumed creature to shake your hand.
The trusty trees are a mandatory planting, in order to create the "symbolic refuge effect".

Shofuso River Look

Waterfalls & Rivers

The meandering river directly off from a back porch would be amazing. Water intensive though, an easier garden in rainy regions, especially.

Desert gardeners, the re-circulation process can be done, even filtered gray water sent from the house to create a humid environment. In drought areas, ponds & mini-rivers would need to be replenished with water often. i.e., an average desert region pond requires a refill once a week during the summer of approx 10 - 20%.

Waterfall with Koi Fish

Believe it or not, some states do not allow the plumbers to re-route gray water, so, gray-water is an Ecological Political issue.
Converted, Laundry and shower water (botanical soaps) can bring thousands of gallons into a garden space from an avergae sized house. If you do it yourself, it may effect your property re-sell values. The thousands of gardening gallons are there, they're simply going into the sewer systems. Another political fight on the eco-table.

Mosquitoes are an issue, but with fish the larvae doesn't late long, and becomes their dinner. I prefer to include the mosquito dunks & recirculating the water as a precaution.

Water features of course also attract, small mammals, birds, amphibians (toads, frogs and salamanders), snakes and even turtles.

Philadelphia Shofuso Gardens

Famous Japanese Gardens

There are the Shofuso in Philadelphia and The Huntington Botanical in Los Angeles. As well as a few other notables like the busy Japanese Tea Gardens in San Francisco, with it's steep bridge.

The Huntington using more of the Ikenobo technique which can look a bit more wilded. Allowing for large decorative grasses.

Huntington Botanical Gardens

Note, the size of the Huntington, which in the image, is actually the same as a typical backyard (rear garden) space in the USA.
 
Showing that given the chance, the delicate theme of a Zen directional garden, from Japan can exist on most plots of property.
 

List of Japanese Gardens
in the United States.

Cherry Blossoms & Geta's

Don't forget your Geta's !
Fun wooden sandals worn by men and women.
Ready to pour tea,
while resting into the ideal of a respected space.

Japanese Geta Garden Shoes

Waterfall's Plethera

Cherry blossoms to Weeping pines
bringing the Japanese motif into reality.
Imagine the birds, as they stop over,
 

"What is this magnificence,
the land of Nature's Utopia?
I must stay & rest my idle hours,
to ponder my journey's next."

Mazes & Grassy Swirls: French Chateau's of France

Indifference,
Spelling Disaster: Fontainebleau

The Mazes of France

Before, I naturally dedicate my time and energy over the topic of Shofuso Japanese Gardens, with their design and structure. I'm afraid I have a few French Garden relics to swelter into my dis-enchantment of.

A long wait, for those trees to grow

Why so Atrocious,
Large and Empty?

Disappointment, begins, on the very sight of them. Mazes so vast, an airplane can land in their fields.
Gardens with swirled hedges like a wallpaper canvas, & very little topiary. They've been a real ecological plight for native and visiting wildlife.

Certainly not a preferred garden for this era of Climate Warming, rather a garden who's time really needs to end.

A Helipad Wannabee?

 
 
 

No longer are we playing court games with a free romp in the "maze", under petticoats and satin's.

 
Away from the "party" of courtiers, those times have past, and the mazes have become just a cheap & lazy garden blanket of hedges with shapes.

Large grounds adrift in surreal,
"Where are the roses, the chameleons, lilacs & honeysuckle for the birds & the bees?"

Beauregard, too busy for life?

I'm all for a smaller maze,
then, there is intrigue and mystery.
The large mazes are just a blatent shock design to view from outer space.

The show of opulence for the excitable tourists can be accomplished even more so,
without the blight of another "fibonnaci" stuck into form.

An open wedding plan?
Well, it's gone too far.
The French maze-gardens are shouting the words,
"emptiness, too-wicked, and disheartening"

As, I list each of these Chateaus, there is hope, they can be modified. Gardens can flourish there again. & Visitors will be "pleased" with their visits.

Nature and natural places are our time now, instead of Hectares of devoid, unloved and sterile.

Hopefully, after my admonishment of their lazy indifference on offer, the Chateaus in question will make amends and jump into our 21rst Century.

Vaux Vicomte

The Vaux Le Vicomte's garden design is enough for anyone to hate politics forever, Helipads and mazes. What a concrete bore!

& to change those horrible gardens of tragic emptiness, one would have to re-locate the rich & famous EU participants into the reality of today.

Aonach: A beautiful change !

Today ! Look at Aonach!

Today brings the chance for aromas
of scented-florals,
birds nesting and chattering at dusk,
ducks swimming and devouring delicate grasses.
 
All the while,
gorgeous blooms proliferate,
instead of the decadent treaties
that forever fail.

Brought into the light

As an amendment to our times: I suggest 75% of the formal Maze* gardens (*they are practically from Mars) per Chateau, officially be turned into true gardens. Gardens that are intimate with nature; ... gardens with: trees, fruits, berries, flowers, billowing vines, pergolas, bridges, ponds and bushes.

Charming... but, needs limits

Take Heed of my Critical Review?

 
 
Absolutely,
the 14th Century
and King Louis' games
with the Bourgeosie have changed.

Sweet-Styled

"Dream Forests Only"

A dream forest and cottage gardens of blooms, that's what people want.
They want gardens of opportunity, because it states "survival", and the old regime of 5 HA's of mazes & grassy swirls has become just a kick in the teeth.

Addressing the chateau owners who are "history-locked" into placation

Massive door-keys, & gate-keys are real locks, but the key to a Garden is simply, "the choice of making a change".

& Yes, this applies to you also, "Decadent Castles of Austria." known for keeping gardens, without any love.

Castle Notes

The above castles, are from my Vaux line.