Denier - Béla II

Béla II, known as "the Blind," owed his reign entirely to a political catastrophe: as a child, he and his father Álmos had been seized on orders of King Kálmán, who had both of them blinded and Álmos castrated to eliminate the dynastic rival. Béla survived, was sheltered by the church, and eventually took the throne in 1131 — the very year this issue begins. His queen, Helena of Raška, effectively governed during the early years, and it was she who orchestrated the massacre of some 68 magnates at the Diet of Arad, held responsible for the mutilations.

The multiple H references reflect ongoing scholarly disagreement over die groupings within the type.