Árpáden
The Árpáden were the first ruling family of Hungary , whose members ruled the country as kings from 1001 to 1301 .
Its name goes back to the first Hungarian Grand Duke Árpád († 907). From 890 on it united the tribes of the Magyars , who at that time settled on the lower reaches of the Danube . Under his rule in 896 the Hungarians began to take over the Carpathian Mountains .
Even before Árpád and the settlement of the Magyars in the Carpathian Arch, Álmos (approx. 820–895) established the power of his family over the various Finno-Ugric and Turkish tribes. At that time these peoples still lived in the land of the Khazars . Here Álmos' son Árpád was elected Grand Duke.
In 892 the Magyars went to war on the side of the East Franconian ruler Arnulf of Carinthia against the Moravian Empire , then on the side of the Byzantine emperor Leo VI. against the Bulgarians .
Origin of the dynasty
Among the nomads in Asia it was common for different animals to play an important role in the legends of origin of their ruling dynasties (see also Genghis Khan ). The origin of the Árpáden is described in Emese's dream , which exists in two versions.
The dream of Emese
The author of the Gesta Hungarorum , whose name is unknown and who calls himself P. dictus magister (P., called Magister) in the prologue, first reported in writing in the 13th century, and another version appeared in the 14th century. It is a totemic legend. In the first version, Emese is made pregnant by a falcon in a dream. In the other version, Emese was already pregnant when the falcon visited her in her dream. (The old Hungarian word for falcon is turul , which actually comes from Turkic ). The Turul bird was the symbol of the Árpád dynasty, later it became the symbol for all of Hungary.
This is how one writes about the dream of Emese in the 14th century, at the court of King Béla:
" In the year 819 of the lord's embodiment [...] Ügyek, the noblest ruler of all Scythians, married Emese, the daughter of Eunedubelianus [...] in Dentümogyer. Emese gave birth to a son who they named Álmos [...] because when Emese was expecting the child, she saw a hawk in her dream. The falcon informed Emese that a spring rises from her womb and that kings will come from her womb, but that they will not reproduce in her land. Dream is called álom in Hungarian, so they called the child Álmos. [...] "
The Árpád kings are derived from Álmos, but the namesake of the dynasty is the Grand Duke who introduced the seven Hungarian tribes (and the Kabars , who were not Magyars) into the Carpathian Arch: Árpád , the son of Álmos.
Namesake
There are also several theories about the origin of the name Álmos . The Latin almus has the connotation sacred . But it is also possible that the Turkic word for take is in the name of Álmos (compare Turkish : almak , aser .: Almaq , usb .: Eltmoq , turkmen .: Almak ). In Hungarian, Álom is the "dream". Anonymous mentions 819 as the year Álmos was born, which can be quite accurate, as modern research estimates that the birth is dated around 820.
Emese, the name of Álmos' mother (Eme means mother in Old Hungarian , while Emese means little mother ) and the Latin-sounding name of the father, Eunedubelianus , appear to be later additions that the chroniclers added to the saga. There is no precise information about who Álmos's parents actually were. There are theories that the father was called Ügyek or Előd . But since Előd means ancestor in Hungarian and Ügyek means holy in Old Hungarian , these names seem to be rather fictional.
Settlement areas
Before 830 the chronicles almost never mention the Magyars, after that the people (actually the people) appear more and more often in the written sources. This fact suggests that during this period the Magyars appeared in the South Russian-South Ukrainian steppe , where they stayed until they settled in the Carpathian Arch. So Álmos could have been born somewhere on the Volga around 820 . (The names Scythia and Dentümogyer mentioned by Anonymus do not help. Scythia was the general description of the settlement areas of all nomads at that time, while Dentümogyer has not been found to this day). In any case, Álmos lived somewhere north of the Black Sea .
The Hungarian tribes and the Grand Duchy
Constantine VII reported extensively on the Magyars. He mentions the seven tribes: Nyék, Megyer (i), Kürtgyarmat, Tarján, Jenő, Kér (i), Keszi, but the chronicles of the Byzantine emperor do not reveal which tribe Álmos led. Initially these tribes were under the leadership of a man whom the chronicles call Levedi or Levedias . A rift among the tribes occurred when they were defeated in a battle against the Pechenegen around 840/850 under the rule of the Khazars . Part of the Magyars then migrated south, towards Persia , while the others moved west, in a place that Konstantin Etelküzü called. There, giving in to a Khazarian demand, Levedi handed over the leadership to Álmos' son Árpád , who was popular with the Magyar princes at the time.
Again, the chronicles are imprecise. If the invitation of the Khazars actually took place around 850, Árpád would have been only ten years old and therefore could not have been elected Grand Duke. In any case, there were several princes and leaders of the Magyars before Álmos, while after Álmos the chronicles only ever tell of a single ruler. According to Anonymus' Gesta Hungarorum , a grand prince election took place in Scythia, in which they appointed Álmos as grand duke. But since Álmos had several sons, Árpád had to exclude his brothers from power. Presumably he solved that through violence. But there was also a message to Constantinople , with which they announced that the grand dukes of the Magyars should always be chosen by the descendants of Árpád. As a result, it is possible that less is written about the Grand Duke Álmos in the chronicles.
According to the chronicles, Árpád was the Grand Duke of the Magyars streaming into the Carpathian Arch in 895, who had the title of gyula . Gyula was then the title of those who had the actual military power of the Magyars. The sacred leader of the ancient Magyars was called künde . From the reports in the chronicles of Álmos' death and burial, one can conclude that Álmos possessed the title herald .
The first rulers
When the Hungarians settled in the Carpathian Arch around 895, they carried out regular raids against the western countries of Europe. After the defeat in the Battle of Lechfeld in 955 under the leadership of Bulcsú and Lehel (see also Hungarian invasions ), the Grand Duke realized that the Magyars had to integrate into Christian Europe if they wanted a stable state. Grand Duke Géza (approx. 970-997) made peace with Otto I in Quedlinburg in 973 and took over Christianity.
Árpád's fourth successor, Grand Duke Vajk (* 975 near Gran , † August 15, 1038 in Buda ), was baptized Stephan at the end of the 10th century. In the year 1001 he accepted a crown sent by Pope Silvester II and, as Stephen the Holy, became the founder of the Hungarian kingdom. New Year's Eve II also gave the King of Hungary the title of Apostolic King . The kings of the house of Árpád, and all their successors as bearers of the St. Stephen's Crown of Hungary until 1918, are therefore called "Apostolic Kings".
His dynasty ruled Hungary until 1301 with King Andrew III. died out in the male line. After years of internal turmoil sat down in 1308 with Charles I , the House of Anjou by a new dynasty.
The Vazul Branch (1046-1095)
After Stephen I , the Kingdom of Hungary remained without the Árpáden kings; for a short period the Venetian Peter Orseolo ruled the Hungarian throne. His contemporaries saw his rule as a tyranny from which the whole country suffered. Peter ruled with the support of German tank knights, which the Hungarian nobles did not like. King Peter's reign (1038-1041, or 1044-1046) was temporarily interrupted by Samuel Aba's reign (1041-1044).
It was in this situation that the idea arose of lifting Vazul's sons , Andreas, Béla and Levente to the Hungarian throne. For this purpose, Samuel Abas captain Viska organized a conspiracy against the king. Viska was supported by Bolya and Bonyha, the sons of Prince Gyula, defeated in 1003. These men were not supporters of the new order of Christianity .
The conspirators sent messengers to Vazul's sons, but Peter found out about their plan and beat the traitors. Some he had tortured to death, others he had their eyes scratched out.
Regardless of this conspiracy, a similar movement started from Csanád , Bishop Gellért's city, probably under the leadership of the bishop himself. The participants in this movement also sent messengers to the three sons of Vazul who were staying in Kievan Rus at that time . So Andreas and Levente came to Hungary. They were received by a large crowd, and so the pagan revolt began in late summer 1046. Peter was throne and blinded . It is questionable whether he died in the process; Some sources report that Peter did not die until 1059 after he had taken the Bavarian Princess Judith von Schweinfurt as his wife in exile in 1055 .
The brothers Andreas and Levente were expected to restore the old order, paganism. Levente died in 1046 and Andrew was crowned. The new king was terrified by the horrific deeds of the pagans (they had blinded Peter and killed Bishop Gellért), and there was also powerful pressure from the Holy Roman Empire to restore Christian order. Andreas stabilized his power and urged his subjects to become Christian again.
During his reign, Andreas tried to follow in the footsteps of Stephan I. So he established the power of the Vazul branch of the Árpáden in Hungary. They remained on the Hungarian throne in 1095 when Ladislaus I, the Saint, died.
Árpád rulers of the Vazul branch:
The Kálmán (Koloman) branch (1095–1131)
The Kálmán or Koloman branch consists only of two kings, father and son.
Koloman, the older son of Gézas I, was the only Árpáden king who received a priestly education. That was then reflected in his government. He continued Stephen I's traditions, issued many laws, completed the consolidation of the kingdom and conquered Croatia and Dalmatia . He was the only Árpáden king who could read and write and in whose court a flourishing cultural life developed.
Koloman's son, Stephan, was the exact opposite of his father. His abilities were rather modest; during his reign, the kingdom isolated itself in terms of foreign policy. Stephan II lost his prestige as king and had to rely on the support of the Pechenegs, whom he invited to the country.
In the last years of his reign, Stephen II was often ill and was therefore unable to exercise royal power indefinitely. At the end of his reign, the dynasty was on the verge of extinction. Álmos, Koloman's brother had died and his son, Béla was not yet born; Stephan himself had no children and Koloman had no other legitimate sons. There was only one member of the family living next to the king: the blinded Béla. However, several descendants lived in the female branches, such as Saul, whom Stephan appointed as his successor. So the government of the Koloman branch could still have been guaranteed, but it turned out differently.
After the death of Stephen II the arms decided the question of his successor and the blinded Béla II became King of Hungary. This ended the reign of the Koloman branch.
Rulers of the Koloman Branch:
The Álmos branch (1131–1196)
During the 12th century, Hungary was ruled by the descendants of Álmos, blinded by Koloman. That was the time when Hungary appeared as an active member of European politics, but the power of kings was constantly threatened by claims to the throne from both inside and outside the branch. Béla the Blind suffocated his grief in alcohol, while his son could not properly assess his military power and overwhelmed the country's capacities. Béla III. organized the first law firm and ruled a Hungary that had become a great power at that time.
Árpád rulers of the Álmos branch:
- Béla II. The blind
- Géza II.
- Stephan III.
- Ladislaus II , anti-king
- Stephan IV. , Anti-king
- Béla III.
The Imre (Emmerich) branch (1196–1205)
The two kings of the branch ruled Hungary for nine years.
Béla III. bequeathed the land of Emmerich in his will, but his brother Andreas, to whom Béla gave many lands and whom the old king ordered to take part in crusades, fought his brother. The Pope asked Andrew to end the dispute, but after Andreas defeated his brother, he set up his own kingdom in Dalmatia. From there he attacked the Hungarian kingdom several times. Emmerich therefore had his son crowned early.
When King Emmerich died in 1204, his son Ladislaus was only four or five years old. His uncle, Andreas II, ruled for him. The circumstances of Ladislaus III. Death 1205 are not clear. Some claim that Andreas played a role in this.
The rulers of the Emmerich branch:
The András II (Andrew II) Branch (1205–1301)
The final chapter of the 450 years of Arpad rule are the 96 years that the country experienced under the government of Andrew II and his descendants. Their rule lasted almost the entire 13th century. The most important elements are the rule of the Meranians , the Golden Bull , the Tatar invasion and afterwards the reconstruction of the country, the construction of castles and cities and the gradual dissolution of royal power. When Andreas III. 1301 died, with him the Árpádendynasty died out. In Hungary the 14th century began with feudal anarchy.
Ruler of the Andrew II branch:
Saints of the Dynasty
Canonized members of the family:
- Stephan I. the saint
- Gisela , Stephan's wife
- Emmerich the saint , Stephen I's son, who died prematurely, Prince of Hungary
- Ladislaus I the Saint
- Piroska (Eiréne) the saint , daughter of Ladislaus I.
- Elisabeth
- Kinga the saint
- Yolanda the saint
- Margaret the Holy , daughter of Béla IV. , Namesake of Budapest's Margaret Island
- Agnes the Saint or Agnes of Prague
genealogy
(I) Großfürst Árpád (895-907) │ (II) Solt/Szabolcs (907-940?) │ (III) Taksony (955?-972) │ ┌─────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ (IV) Géza (972-997) Mihail │ │ ┌────────────┴───────────────────┐ │ │ │ │ Unbekannte Tochter Stephan I. Vazul │ (V) (997-1000) │ │ (1) (1000–1038) │ Peter Orseolo │ (2) (1038–1041) ┌──────────────────────────────┤ (3) (1044–1046) │ │ (4) Andreas I. (1046–1060) (5) Béla I. (1060–1063) │ │ (6) Salomon (1063–1074) │ │ ┌────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ │ (7) Géza I. (1074–1077) (8) Ladislaus I. (1077–1095) │ ┌──────────────────┴───────────────────┐ │ │ (9) Koloman (1095–1116) Fürst Álmos │ │ (10) Stephan II. (1116–1131) (11) Béla II. (1131–1141) │ │ ┌──────────────────────────┬────────────────┴───────────┐ │ │ │ (12) Géza II. (1141–1162) (13) Ladislaus II. (1162–1163) (14) Stephan IV. (1163–1164) │ │ ├───────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ (15) Stephan III. (1162–1172) (16) Béla III. (1172–1196) │ │ ┌────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ (17) Emmerich (1196–1204) (19) Andreas II. (1205–1235) │ │ (18) Ladislaus III. (1204–1205) ├──────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ │ (20) Béla IV. (1235–1270) │ │ Prinz Stephan (21) Stephan V. (1270–1272) │ │ │ (22) Ladislaus IV. (1272–1290) (23) Andreas III. (1290–1301)
The Roman numerals in brackets denote the grand dukes (I.–V.), the Arabic numerals (1.–23.) The kings.
See also : List of the rulers of Hungary
literature
- Pál Engel: The Realm of St Stephen. A History of Medieval Hungary, 895-1526. IB Tauris, London / New York 2001. [with further literature]
- György Györffy: Arpaden . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 1, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1980, ISBN 3-7608-8901-8 , Sp. 1022-1024.
- Cameron Sutt: Slavery in Árpád-era Hungary in a Comparative Context. Brill, Leiden / Boston 2015, ISBN 978-90-04-24833-5 . (Google book preview [1] )