Knez Mačve Bela - "Rjurikovič" pretendent na Ugarski presto?

Béla Rostislavich was the son of Prince of Galicia Rostislav Mikhailovich and Princess Anna, the daughter of Hungarian King Béla IV. Through his parents, he inherited the title of ruler of Mačva and (northern) Bosnia, territories located on the southern Hungarian–Balkan border. Owing to his influential mother, Anna, at the royal court and his sister Kunigunda, who became Queen of Bohemia as the wife of Přemysl Otakar II, he played a significant political role in Hungary and Hungarian–Bohemian relations from the mid–1260s until his tragic death in November 1272. Only one contemporary source, the author of the Continuatio Lambacensis chronicle, explicitly states that following the death of Hungarian King Stephen V, Béla attempted to usurp the throne (from the underage Ladislaus IV) and was consequently tragically killed by the Hungarians. In this study we examine various historiographical interpretations of whether Béla was indeed a candidate for the Hungarian throne backed by his relative, the Czech King Přemysl Otakar II, or if he fell victim to rumors, conspiracies and political struggles at the Hungarian royal court. This discussion raises another key question, which the paper explores: was the Prince of Mačva one of the few representatives of the Russian ruling dynasty who secretly emerged as a pretender to the Crown of Saint Stephen? From the perspective of identity, Béla was indeed a "Rurik" by descent, but his life circumstances positioned him primarily as a prominent member of the Hungarian royal family. This latter fact ultimately cost him his life.