Various angles of the skull identified as belonging to Béla de Macsó
The identity of a skeleton buried beneath a convent in Budapest has been confirmed as that of Béla de Macsó – a Hungarian nobleman murdered in a 13th century power struggle. Archaeologists were able to reconstruct the brutality of the attack.
Archaeologists discovered the remains of a man — who had been buried in pieces dismembered on the convent floor — during an excavation, in 1915, of a Dominican convent on Margaret Island, in the middle of the Danube River, in Budapest.
At the time, investigators suspected that it could be the body of Béla de Macsó29 years old, grandson of King Béla IV, who had ordered the construction of the convent.
The story already told that the Hungarian duke had murdered in a brutal and extremely bloody attack in a convent, more than 700 years ago.
In more detail, historical records from 13th century Austria, cited by , indicate that the young duke was murdered on Margaret Island in November 1272, due to a dispute over the Hungarian throne.
Who should it be…
The bones of the skeleton found in 1915 showed multiple signs of trauma, but scientists at the time did not have the tools or technology necessary to confirm their suspicions.
The skeleton apparently disappeared during World War II, but reappeared in 2018inside a wooden box, in the Hungarian Museum of Natural History. The rediscovery has led to further investigations using modern techniques, including a facial reconstruction carried out last year.
The skeleton had nine wounds on the head and face, and another seventeen on the rest of the body, all inflicted at the time of death.
“There were many more serious injuries than needed to kill someone,” he told New Scientist. Martin Trautmannfrom the University of Helsinki, Finland, which was part of the .
According to the investigation, the injuries suggest that two or three people approached the man from the front and sidesand that he used his arms to block the blows: “they flanked the victim, so it was not easy to escape.”
Eventually, the Duke fell and fractured his skullbut continued to fight with his left leg, lying on his side, until someone pierced him through the spine. The attackers then inflicted multiple wounds on the head and face.
These wounds could have been fatal, but it is also possible that the man died due to hemorrhage, says Trautmann: “There was a lot of blood loss.”
DNA analysis identified the man as being a descendant of fourth generation of King Béla III of Hungary and eighth-generation relative of a 13th-century regional Russian prince, Dmitry Alexandrovich — matching historical records on the duke’s family lineage.
Additional genetic analyzes showed Eastern Mediterranean origins on the maternal side and Scandinavian origins on the paternal side — consistent with historical knowledge of the duke’s ancestry — and that he likely had dark skin, dark curly hair, and light brown eyes.
