Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 13:31, 22 September 2011

This article's factual accuracy is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help to ensure that disputed statements are reliably sourced. (September 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (September 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Principality of HungaryMagyar Nagyfejedelemség (hu)
895 – 1000
Government	Principality
Grand Prince
Historical era	Middle ages
• Established	9th century the 9th century
• ended at the coronation of     Stephen I	25 December 1000 or 1 January 1001 1000
Preceded by Succeeded by Eurasian Avars Principality of Lower Pannonia Kingdom of Hungary in the Middle Ages

The Principality of Hungary, also Hungarian Tribal Alliance or Duchy of Hungary (also "Grand Principality" Template:Lang-hu) was a first documented Hungarian state in the Carpathian Basin, established 895 or 896, following the 9th-century Magyar invasion of Pannonia.

The Magyars (Hungarians), a semi-nomadic group of people led by Árpád formed the Principality of Hungary at the very end of the 9th century, arriving from Etelköz, their earlier principality east of the Carpathians.

The principality was succeeded by the Christian kingdom of Hungary with the coronation of Stephen I in AD 1000.

In contemporary Byzantine sources, the territory of the Hungarian tribal alliance was also known as in Greek as "Western Tourkia", because of its allegiance to the the Khazar Khaganate.

History

Magyar invasion

On the eve of the arrival of the Magyars, East Francia, the First Bulgarian Empire and Great Moravia (a vassal state of East Francia) ruled the territory of the Carpathian Basin. This area had been sparsely populated, since Charlemagne’s destruction of the Avar state in 803 and the Magyars (Hungarians) were able to move in virtually unopposed, peacefully. The freshly unified Hungarians led by Árpád settled in the Carpathian Basin starting in 895. This now highly-centralized and controlled principality, with a new-found military force, conducted vigorous raids from Constantinople to as far away as central Spain and the periodic attacks lasted till 970.

Transition

The movement from a ranked chiefdom society to state society was one of the most important change during this time. In the first time, Magyars retained a semi-nomadic lifestye changing pastures between winter and summer, Hungarians would migrate between winter and summer dwelling-places along a river, finding water for their livestock. From placenames, Árpád's winter quarters -clearly after his occupation of Pannonia in 900- were possibly in 'Árpádváros' (Árpád's town), now a district of Pécs. His summer quarters -as confirmed by Anonymus- were in Csepel Island. Later, his new summer quarters were in Csallóköz.
Forced by changed economic circumstances, insufficient pasturage to support a nomad society and the impossibility of moving on, the semi-nomadic Hungarian lifestyle began to transform and they adopted settled life. Magyars ceased being semi-nomads and turned to agriculture. However the beginning of conversion of Hungarian society to agriculture can be dated back to the 8th century. The society began to show uniform image, the local Slavic and other populations merged with the Hungarians.The Hungarian tribal leaders and their clans established fortified centers in the country and later their castles became centers of the counties. The whole system of Hungarian villages grew up in the 10th century.
Fajsz and Taksony, the Grand Princes of the Hungarians, began to reform the power structure. They invited Christian missionaries for the first time and built forts. Taksony abolished the old center of the Hungarian principality (possibly at Upper Tisza) and sought a new one at Székesfehérvár and Esztergom. Taksony also renewed the old style military attendance, changed the weaponry of the army, implemented large-scale organized resettlements of the Hungarian population.
After the battle of Arcadiopolis, the Byzantine Empire was the primary enemy for the Hungarians. The Byzantine expansion threatened the Hungarians, because the subjugated First Bulgarian Empire were in alliance with the Magyars at that time. The situation became more difficult for the principality when the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire made an alliance in 972. In 973, twelve illustrious Magyar envoys, whom probably Géza had assigned, participated in the Diet held by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. Géza established closed ties with the Bavarian court, inviting missionaries and marrying his son to Gisela, daughter of the Duke Henry II. Géza of the Árpád dynasty, Grand Prince of the Hungarians, who ruled only part of the united territory, the nominal overlord of all seven Magyar tribes, intended to integrate Hungary into Christian Western Europe, rebuilding the state according to the Western political and social model. Géza's first-born son, Saint Stephen I became the first King of Hungary after defeating his cousin Koppány, who also claimed the throne.

Christianization

Hungary was emerged on the frontier of Christendom. From the second half of the 10th century, Christianity flourished as Catholic missionaries arrived from Germany. Between 945 and 963, the main office-holders of Principality (the Grand Prince (Taksony), the Gyula, and the Horka) were willing to christen. In 973 Géza I and all his household were baptised, and a formal peace concluded with Emperor Otto I, however he remained essentially pagan even after his baptism. Due to Géza's fater, Taksony, Géza was educated to become a pagan prince. The first Hungarian Benedictine monastery was founded in 996 by Prince Géza. During Géza's reign, the nation conclusively renounced its nomadic way of life and within a few decades of the battle of Lechfeld became a Christian kingdom.

Organization of the state

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2011)

Until 907 (or 904), the Hungarian state was controlled by joint rule (shaped from the Khazars). The kingship was divided between the spiritual leader Kende and the military leader Gyula. Possibly, after the Kende Kurszán's death, the principality changed its conformation and became a single-head principality led by Árpád. According to the Agnatic seniority the oldest members of the ruling clan inherited the principality. Likely, the Grand princes of Hungary did not possess superior power, because during the military campaigns to the west and to the south the princely power had diminished. Moreover, the records did not negotiate Grand Princes in the first half of the 10th century, except in one case, when they mention Taksony as 'king of Hungary' (Taxis-dux, dux Tocsun) in 947. The role of military leaders (Bulcsú, Lél) grew more significant.

Titles

• Megas archon or Magnus princeps, the Grand Prince of Hungarians (first rank)
• Gyla or djila, Gyula, the military leader (second rank)
• Horca, Kharkhas, the judge (third rank)
• Kende, the spiritual leader (until 907 CE)

See also

• List of Hungarian rulers
• Magyar tribes

References

1. ^ George H. Hodos, The East-Central European region: an historical outline, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999, p. 19
2. Ferenc Glatz, Magyar Történelmi Társulat, Etudes historiques hongroises 1990: Environment and society in Hungary, Institute of History of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1990, p. 10
3. Acta historica, Volumes 105-110, József Attila Tudom. Bölcs. Kar, 1998, p. 28
4. ^ Paul Lendvai, The Hungarians: a thousand years of victory in defeat, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2003, p. 15-29, p. 533
5. Colin Davies, The emergence of Western society: European history A.D. 300-1200, Macmillan, 1969, p. 181
6. Jennifer Lawler, Encyclopedia of the Byzantine Empire, McFarland & Co., 2004, p.13
7. ^ Louis Komzsik, Cycles of Time: From Infinity to Eternity,Trafford Publishing, 2011 p. 54
8. The encyclopedia Americana, Volume 14, Grolier Incorporated, 2002, p. 581
9. Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 1, Scholastic Library Pub., 2006, p. 581
10. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae" (published by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Volume 36, 1982, Cited: "Prior to the foundation of the Hungarian Kingdom, in the age of principality, ie between 896 and 1000 AD, the princes of the Arpad dynasty, like the majority of the land-conquering tribes, bore Turkic names"
11. Zahava Szász Stessel, Wine and thorns in Tokay Valley: Jewish life in Hungary : the history of Abaújszántó, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1995, p. 47
12. ^ Antal Bartha, Hungarian society in the 9th and 10th centuries, Akadémiai Kiadó, 1975, pp- 53-84, ISBN 978-9630503082
13. Imre Lukinich, A History of Hungary in Biographical Sketches, Ayer Publishing, 1937, p. 15, Cited: 'Geza's principality' (Geza, the Grand Prince of the Hungarians)
14. Peter B. Golden, Nomads and their neighbours in the Russian steppe: Turks, Khazars and Qipchaqs, Ashgate/Variorum, 2003. "Tenth-century Byzantine sources, speaking in cultural more than ethnic terms, acknowledged a wide zone of diffusion by referring to the Khazar lands as 'Eastern Tourkia' and Hungary as 'Western Tourkia.'" Carter Vaughn Findley, The Turks in the World History, Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 51, citing Peter B. Golden, 'Imperial Ideology and the Sources of Political Unity Amongst the Pre-Činggisid Nomads of Western Eurasia,' Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi 2 (1982), 37–76.
15. ^ Kirschbaum, Stanislav J. (1995). A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival. New York: Palgrave Macmillan; St. Martin's Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-312-10403-0. Retrieved 9 October 2009. Cited: "Great Moravia was a vassal state of the Germanic Frankish Kingdom and paid an annual tribute to it."
16. Bryan Cartledge, Bryan Cartledge (Sir.), The will to survive: a history of Hungary, Timewell Press, 2006, p.6
17. Alfried Wieczorek, Hans-Martin Hinz, Council of Europe. Art Exhibition, Europe's centre around AD 1000, Volume 1, Volume 1, Theiss, 2000, pp. 363-372
18. ^ Dora Wiebenson, József Sisa, Pál Lövei, The architecture of historic Hungary, MIT Press, 1998, p. 11, ISBN 978-0-262-23192-3
19. ^ Lajos Gubcsi, Hungary in the Carpathian Basin, MoD Zrínyi Media Ltd, 2011
20. The New Hungarian quarterly, Volumes 31-32, Corvina Press, 1990, p. 140
21. ^ Nóra Berend, At the gate of Christendom: Jews, Muslims, and "pagans" in medieval Hungary, c. 1000-c. 1300, Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 19
22. ^ László Kósa, István Soós, A companion to Hungarian studies, Akadémiai Kiadó, 1999, p. 113
23. ^ Révész, László (20.12.2010). Hunok, Avarok, Magyarok (Huns, Avars, Magyars) (PDF). Hitel folyóirat (Magazine of Hitel). {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
24. Révész, László (02.2008). A Felső-Tisza-vidék honfoglalás kori temetői. História (Magazine of História). {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
25. ^ József Attila Tudományegyetem., Bölcsészettudományi Kar (University of József Attila), Acta historica, Volumes 92-98, 1991, p. 3
26. András Gerő, A magyar történelem vitatott személyiségei, Volume 3, Kossuth, 2004, p. 13, ISBN 978-9630945974
27. Ferenc Glatz, Magyarok a Kárpát-medencében, Pallas Lap- és Könyvkiadó Vállalat, 1988, p. 21
28. ^ Timothy Reuter, The New Cambridge Medieval History: c. 900-c. 1024, Cambridge University Press, 1995, p. 543-545, ISBN 9780521364478
29. ^ András Róna-Tas, A honfoglaló magyar nép, Balassi Kiadó Budapest, 1997, ISBN 963 506 140 4

• Use dmy dates from September 2011
• History of the Hungarians
• History of Hungary