King of Rama (Latin: Rex Ramae) was a title used by the monarchs of Hungary to provide a legal basis for their pretence of supremacy over Bosnia. A state called Rama never existed; the title of King of Rama became incorporated into the royal style of the Hungarian monarchs due to some kind of misunderstanding.[1]
The title refers to the Rama River, a small tributary of the Neretva River. King Béla II of Hungary adopted the title of King of Rama in 1137, after his army had reached the mountains of Bosnia though it did not actually gain any land. Béla II, as the new "King of Rama", appointed his son, the future King Ladislaus II of Hungary, as Duke of Bosnia. Hungary did succeed in asserting control over Bosnia and the Bosnian rulers were vassals of the Hungarian monarchs until the conquest of Bosnia by the Ottomans.[1][2]
Since the reign of Béla II, all the kings and queens regnant of Hungary continued to claim supremacy over Bosnia. Thus, the title was in official use until 1918. In 1878, Bosnia and Herzegovina was occupied by Austria-Hungary and in 1908, it was annexed, thereby giving the title a more practical significance than it had ever possed.[1]