Béla was the only son of Duke Álmos, the younger brother of King Coloman of Hungary. Álmos devised several plots to dethrone his brother and in retaliation, according to one version of events, Coloman deprived Álmos of his duchy and also gave orders that the infant Béla should be castrated but the man who was instructed to blind them feared God and the sterility of the royal line, and therefore he castrated a dog and brought its testicles to the King! Álmos died in exile in 1127 and Coloman’s only son Stephen died in 1131 leaving Béla as the legitimate heir to the throne. Béla’s blindness prevented him from administering his kingdom without assistance and he appears to have regarded his wife Helena as co-ruler assisted by her brother Beloš. Béla’s reign was short at only 10 years, these silver denars were one of the few coins issued during his reign. They have a large cross on one side with crescents and pellets in the angles and a small cross within two circles on the reverse.
