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Admin moved page What Are the Origins of the Kingdom of Hungary? to What Are the Origins of the Kingdom of Hungary
[[File: MagyarInvasions.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|Map Showing the Dates and Locations of the Magyar Invasions: the Shaded Area is Roughly Equivalent to the Modern Nation-States of Hungary and Romania]]__NOTOC__
Although geographically smaller and less populated than other European kingdoms, the Kingdom of Hungary played an extremely important role in the development of European history and geopolitics. During the Medieval Period, Hungary served as an important conduit between the Western and the Eastern/Orthodox European civilizations. Although the Hungarians joined the Roman Catholic Church after they converted to Christianity in the mid-tenth century and were therefore directly tied to the Western world, they maintained close ties to the Russians, Bulgarians, and Greeks of the Orthodox world. The Hungarians played a major role in the organization of the failed Fifth Crusade, and the Kingdom of Hungary served as a buffer zone for Western Europe from the Mongol and Ottoman invasions. The Kingdom of Hungary was also important in modern European geo-politics, comprising part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later being one of the Axis Powers in World War II.
The manner by which this small yet influential kingdom came to be was completely different than its European peers. The Kingdom of Hungary formed as the end result of the Magyar raids in the tenth century. The Magyars were nomadic raiders who settled in the Carpathian Basin and established a dynasty as they wrought destruction to both West and East Europe. Eventually, though, the Magyars became sedentary, accepted the culture of Europe, and became Europeans themselves, establishing the Kingdom of Hungary in the process.
===The Magyar Invasions===
[[File: before_the_Magyar_invasion.jpg|300px250px|thumbnail|rightleft|Politcal Political Map of Central and Southeastern Europe on the Eve of the Magyar Invasions]]In order to understand how the Kingdom of Hungary formed, it is important to understand the background of the medieval Hungarians, who were descended from the Magyar ethnic group. Unlike most Europeans, who are descended from Indo-European speaking cultural groups, the Magyars were part of the Finno-Ugaric cultural family. The Magyars’ language was specifically a form of Ugaric, which was part of the eastern branch of the family. The Magyars were most closely related to the Finns and various Siberian tribes, but they were separated from the main body of the Ugaric people in the first century BC. <ref> Engel, Pál. <i> The Realm of St. Stephen: A History of Medieval Hungary.</i> Translated by Tamás Pálosfalvi. Edited by Andrew Ayton. (London: I. B. Tauris, 2015), p. 9 </ref> Although the Magyars would later be known, and feared, for their martial prowess, they were driven from Siberia by Sabir tribe, never to return. <ref> György, György. “Dual Kingship and the Seven Chieftains of the Hungarians in the Era of the Conquest and the Raids.” <i>Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarium Hungaricae</i> 47 (1994) p. 87</ref> The Magyars wandered south until they ended up in the Eurasian steppe where they established themselves as fearsome nomadic warriors.
As the former Ugaric tribe wandered the steppe, raiding and living much as the Turkic nomads before them, they began to coalesce into the new ethnic group known as the Magyars. The origins of the term “Magyar” are somewhat varied and refer to different aspects of their culture. Magyar referred to one of the group’s forefathers, was a toponym for their steppe homeland, and was also probably related to the word <i>Merger</i>, which was one of the seven original tribes that merged to form a single group before entering Europe. <ref> Szabados, György. “Magyar – A Name for Persons, Places, Communities.” <i>Hungarian Historical Review</i> 7 (2018) p. 82</ref>
===The Arpad Dynasty===
[[File: Arpad.jpg|300px250px|thumbnail|left|Modern Statue of Arpad in Hungary]]
Even before the Magyars were defeated at Lechfeld, they were making notable steps to integrate themselves into the greater European community. They had begun making diplomatic ties with dynasties in both West and East Europe and had established their own royal dynasty. The first king of Hungary is generally thought to have been a man named Arpad (ruled 895-907). Arpad was the son of Almos, and according to Constantine VII he was elected king of the Magyars at the urging of their Khazar allies.
===The Rule of St. Stephen===
[[File: St_Stephen_17th_century.jpg|300px250px|thumbnail|left|Seventh Century Painting of Stephen I, the King of Hungary (ruled 997-1038)]]
Stephen I was the first Magyar monarch to take the title “King of Hungary” and is today viewed by Hungarians as the patron saint of their country. Stephen brutally repressed all opposition within his kingdom and expanded his predecessors’ policies of diplomatic marriages and alliances with other European monarchs. He continued to foster good relations with the Holy Roman Empire and other German kingdoms, but also made diplomatic inroads with Hungary’s Orthodox neighbors. Stephen aided Basil II of Byzantium (ruled 976-1025) against the Bulgars<ref> Engel, p. 28</ref> and made peace with the powerful Rus’ principalities, namely Valdimir the Grand Prince of Kiev (reigned 980-1015).
“For Vladimir was fond of his followers, and consulted them concerning matters of administration, wars, and government. He lived at peace with neighboring Princes, Boleslav of Poland, Stephen of Hungary, and Udalrich of Bohemia, and there was amity and friendship among them.” <ref> Cross, Samuel Hazzard, and Olgerd P. Serbowitz-Wetzor, eds, and trans. <i> The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text.</i> (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Mediaeval Academy of America, 2012), p. 122</ref>
Perhaps most important, Stephen continued his predecessor’s policy of building the Church hierarchy in Hungary. Stephen had German, Italian, and French priests imported to Hungary to help in his project and to minister to the peasantry, many of whom were still pagans during his rule. Eventually ten dioceses and two archbishoprics of the Catholic Church were founded during Stephen’s rule, which along with his aggressive anti-pagan laws helped ensure that Hungary would become a Catholic kingdom. <ref> Engel, pgs. 42-45</ref>
===Conclusion===
The later Arpad Dynasty was consumed with internal conflict and was victim of the Mongol invasion of 1241, which led to the termination of the dynasty in 1301; but the political foundations the Arpad kings put in place persisted until World War II. The Kingdom of Hungary began as little more than a warrior coalition of Magyar nomads, but over the course of the tenth century it evolved into a legitimate European dynasty. The early Arpad princes and kings laid the foundations of the Hungarian state by cultivating good relations with their powerful Western and Orthodox neighbors and by becoming active members of the Roman Catholic Church. The Magyars’ brutality helped them win their land, yet it was their political acumen that mad made them members of the European community.
===References===
[[Category: European History]] [[Category: Medieval History]] [[Category: History of the Middle Ages]] [[Category: Hungarian History]] [[Category:Wikis]]
