One of the pairs of figures in the historical arcade is Kálmán the Learned and Béla the Blind, whose fates were closely intertwined with the internal struggles for power within the House of Árpád. Bory Jenő portrayed the two rulers side by side, conveying the familial and political relationship that shaped the history of the dynasty for a long time.
Kálmán the Learned ruled Hungary from 1095 to 1116. Medieval chronicles often attributed unfavourable physical characteristics to him, but these descriptions were probably politically motivated, since later kings descended from the line of his younger brother, Prince Álmos. Kálmán’s contemporaries chiefly emphasised his learning, remarkable even among the rulers of his age. This is the origin of the epithet ‘the Learned’. During his reign royal authority was consolidated, and Hungary remained a significant power in the Central European region.
The other figure in the sculptural group is Béla II, known to history as Béla the Blind. In childhood he was blinded together with his father, Prince Álmos, when the struggle for the throne reached another stage. The young Béla then disappeared from political life for a long time and was brought up in an ecclesiastical environment. Later, however, an unexpected turn came: changes in the succession made it possible for the Álmos branch of the House of Árpád once more to play a role. After the death of Stephen II, Béla successfully gained the crown and was crowned king in Székesfehérvár in 1131. With his accession, power passed from Kálmán’s line to the descendants of Álmos. His reign was greatly assisted by his wife, Queen Ilona, and those close to him, since his blindness obliged him to rely upon his entourage in many affairs of state.
Bory Jenő’s work does not emphasise the conflict between the two kings, but the continuity of Hungarian history. The pair of statues evokes at once the learned ruler and the king who attained the throne after grave personal trials. The two figures thus preserve the memory both of the power struggles of the Árpád period and of the dynasty’s survival.