Forensic Study Confirms Brutal, Coordinated Assassination of Medieval Hungarian Duke Béla of Macsó

Forensic and genetic evidence identify 750-year-old remains as Duke Béla of Macsó

A multidisciplinary forensic investigation has confirmed that a roughly 750-year-old skeleton excavated on Margaret Island in the Danube near Budapest belongs to Béla, Duke of Macsó — a grandson of King Béla IV — and reveals he was the victim of a violent, coordinated assassination.

Discovery, loss and rediscovery

The bones were first unearthed in 1915 at a 13th-century Dominican monastery on Margaret Island. Because historical records describe the recovery and burial of Béla’s mutilated body at this site after his recorded assassination in 1272, the skeleton was long assumed to be his. The remains vanished during World War II and were only rediscovered in 2018 inside a wooden box at the Hungarian Natural History Museum, prompting a fresh, multidisciplinary reexamination led by Tamás Hajdu (Eötvös Loránd University) and colleagues.

Radiocarbon dating and diet: resolving an anomaly

Initial radiocarbon dating produced an unexpectedly early date that would predate Béla’s birth. The team investigated dietary causes and analysed microfossils trapped in dental calculus (tartar). Those micro-remains indicated a high-status medieval diet that included bread and cooked semolina, abundant terrestrial animal protein, and a notable amount of aquatic foods such as fish. Because aquatic diets can produce a reservoir effect that makes bones appear artificially old in radiocarbon assays, the researchers adjusted the calibration to account for this marine component. After correction, the date moved into the period consistent with a mid-13th-century death.

Genetic confirmation

To strengthen the identification, the team compared DNA from the skeleton with reference samples associated with royal relatives. Genetic matches supported the conclusion that the individual was a grandson of King Béla IV, consistent with the historical identification of the remains as Béla, Duke of Macsó.

Forensic trauma analysis: a coordinated, personal killing

Forensic osteoarchaeological analysis documented 26 perimortem injuries: nine to the skull and 17 to other bones. The pattern of wounds, their depth and placement, and overlapping blow sequences allowed reconstruction of the attack. Key findings include:

• Evidence of at least two distinct edged weapons (notably a saber and a long sword) and therefore multiple attackers — the team infers at least two assailants and considers the possibility of more.
• Defensive wounds on the arms and hands, indicating the victim attempted to parry or block blows and likely had no effective weapon or shield at hand.
• The depth and placement of cuts suggest he was not wearing protective armor, consistent with an ambush rather than battlefield injuries.
• A probable sequence beginning with frontal strikes to the head and upper body, a lateral blow that caused a fall and head impact, further defensive injuries while dazed, a back wound that likely paralysed him, and additional blows to the head. The number of lethal wounds well exceeded what would have been necessary to kill — a classic instance of forensic "overkill", pointing to intense hostility.

"We reconstructed the order in which the blows landed by how they overlap and how a body would react, then what parts of the body would be exposed and suffer the next blows," said Martin Trautmann, an osteoarchaeologist at the University of Helsinki and co-author of the study.

Historical context

Medieval chronicles implicate the noble Henrik Kőszegi and his followers in Béla’s murder. Trautmann and colleagues note that political factionalism and dynastic rivalry were intense in 13th-century Hungary; Béla’s status and claim to power would have made him a target. Contemporary accounts describing mutilation and burial of his body at the monastery align with the forensic picture of a deliberate, personal assassination.

Publication and peer view

The detailed forensic-genetic study is published in the February 2026 issue of Forensic Science International: Genetics. Independent specialists not involved in the research, such as forensic scientist Eleanor Graham (Northumbria University), expressed confidence in the combined archaeological, dietary, genetic and traumatological evidence, while noting the authors’ appropriately cautious interpretation of the radiocarbon anomaly and other complexities.

Conclusion: The combined archaeological, biochemical and genetic evidence makes a strong case that the long-lost skeleton is Béla, Duke of Macsó, and that he was killed in a brutal, coordinated assassination carried out by multiple assailants — a violent act consistent with the turbulent dynastic politics of medieval Hungary.