Stephan I (Hungary)

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Statue of Stephen I on the Fisherman's Bastion in Budapest
10,000 forint note from 1998
Statue of Stephen I next to the Hungarian Chapel of Aachen Cathedral , donated in 1993 by Hungarian pilgrims

Stephan I the Saint ( Latin : Sanctus Stephanus , Hungarian : Szent István , Slovak : Svätý Štefan ; * 969 near Esztergom ; †  August 15, 1038 ) was a Magyar prince from the Árpáden dynasty and from 1000 to 1038 first king of Kingdom of Hungary founded by him . He is considered the national saint of today's Hungary and Christianized the pagan Magyars . His feast day is August 20th , which is also a national holiday in Hungary . The Roman Catholic Church in Hungary commemorates him as an apostle-like saint . Remembrance day is August 16 .

Life

Géza was baptized by Adalbert of Prague in 985 together with his son Vajk, who was given the name Stephan . While Grand Duke Géza basically remained a pagan despite his baptism, Stephan received a Christian upbringing. This was reinforced by Stephen's marriage to the ten-year-old Bavarian duke's daughter Gisela , the sister of the later Emperor Heinrich II. In addition, the marriage strengthened Hungary's alliance with the Bavarian princes, who had been campaigning against the Hungarians in 991, and sealed the bond of Hungarians to the Western Church. When Stephan became Grand Duke in 997 after the death of his father, he was probably a staunch Christian, thanks in part to the influence of Adalbert of Prague. At the beginning of his rule he had to assert himself against his uncle Koppány , who as the clan elder himself claimed the prince's seat.

Statue of S. Stephanus Rex in Aachen Cathedral

In the year 1000, Stephan sent the abbot Astricus (Anastasius) from Adalbert's entourage to Pope Silvester II with the request to grant the royal dignity. This concern was supported by the German Emperor Otto III. who was related to Stephen and was in Rome at the same time. Anastasius finally brought the coronation insignia to Hungary. The coronation of Stephen by a papal envoy in Gran on August 17, 1000 was associated with the installation of a regional church and probably also with the donation of the Kingdom of Hungary to the Pope, who gave it to Stephen as a fief . This step, analogous to the creation of the Kingdom of Poland , was intended to secure the rule of Stephen and the continuity of the line of succession in his family. Anastasius was later appointed bishop of Gran (Esztergom), and thus head of the Hungarian national church .

Stephan continued the Christianization as king. He brought missionaries into the country, especially German religious. He was in contact with Bruno von Querfurt and Odilo von Cluny . In addition, he rearranged the political structure of Hungary. He replaced the old tribal areas with around 40 counties (vármegye) . Each Gespan (ispán) served as regional administrator and general of the free warriors, the Jobagions , of his county.

On September 2, 1031, Stephan's only son Emmerich (Imre) had a fatal accident while hunting, so that now the sons of Géza's brother Michael were heirs to the throne, but they tended to be pagan. Stephan I made his cousins incapable of government by blinding them and having lead poured into their ears. The others then fled to Poland and Russia. He finally appointed Peter Orseolo , the son of his sister Maria, as his successor. Stephan died in 1038 and was buried next to his son in St. Mary's Church in Székesfehérvár (Stuhlweissenburg). His bones were later transferred to Buda . On August 20, 1083, Stephan was canonized together with his son .

Appreciations

The crown of St. Stephen, heraldic representation

The crown that Stephan I wore, the St. Stephen's Crown , was the state insignia of Hungary as a kingdom and in the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy and also crowns Hungary 's current coat of arms . Today it is kept as a national treasure in the Hungarian parliament building. In fact, however, all of its parts are more recent, so it cannot be Stephen's crown.

For the churches consecrated to him see König-Stephan-Kirche . The main church is St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest , where his hand is kept as a relic.

One of the monuments dedicated to Stephen I is an equestrian statue erected in Budapest between the Fishermen's Bastion and the Matthias Church.

August 20th is a national holiday called Szent István Nap (St. Stephen's Day). The festivities in Budapest will end with fireworks at the Chain Bridge , which will be broadcast on Hungarian television.

In 1983 the rock opera István, a király (Stephen the King) premiered in Budapest . The film version of this performance was also released in cinemas. On September 27, 2013 the musical Gisela & Stephan was premiered in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm . In 2016 there were further performances in the Hungarian city of Veszprém as well as in Scheyern and Passau.

literature

Monographs

Movie

Lexicon article

Web links

Commons : Stephan I. (Hungary)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gisela and Stefan - The Musical. In: v2.gisela-musical.eu. Retrieved July 5, 2016 .
predecessor Office successor
Géza Grand Duke of the Magyars
997–1000 / 1001 		himself as king
himself as Grand Duke King of Hungary
1000 / 1001-1038 		Peter Orseolo
personal data
SURNAME Stephan I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES I. István (Hungarian); Szent István (Hungarian); Vajk (pagan)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Hungarian King Stephan I (997-1038)
DATE OF BIRTH 969
PLACE OF BIRTH near Esztergom , Hungary
DATE OF DEATH August 15, 1038