| Árpád dynasty | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Country | Principality of Hungary, Kingdom of Hungary |
| Etymology | Árpád |
| Founded | c. 855 |
| Founder | Álmos |
| Final ruler | Andrew III |
| Titles | |
| Estate | Kingdom of Hungary |
| Dissolution | 1301 |
TheÁrpád dynasty consisted of the members of the royalHouse of Árpád (Hungarian:Árpád-ház), also known asÁrpáds (Hungarian:Árpádok,Croatian:Arpadovići). They were the rulingdynasty of thePrincipality of Hungary in the 9th and 10th centuries and of theKingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1301. The dynasty was named after theHungarianGrand PrinceÁrpád who was the head of theHungarian tribal federation during theconquest of the Carpathian Basin, c. 895. Previously, it was referred to as theTurul dynasty or kindred.
Both the firstGrand Prince of the Hungarians (Álmos) and the firstking of Hungary (Saint Stephen) were members of the dynasty.Christianity was adopted as the state religion for theKingdom of Hungary by the dynasty, and the Árpád's kings used the title of theapostolic king, the descendants of the dynasty gave the world the highest number of saints and blesseds from one family.[1] The Árpád dynasty ruled the Carpathian Basin for four hundred years, influencing almost all of Europe through its extensive dynastic connections.[2] Eight members of the dynasty werecanonized orbeatified by theCatholic Church; therefore, since the 13th century the dynasty has often been referred to as theKindred of the Holy Kings. Two Árpáds wererecognized as Saints by theEastern Orthodox Church.
The dynasty came to end in 1301 with the death of KingAndrew III of Hungary, while the last member of the House of Árpád, Andrew's daughter, BlessedElizabeth of Töss, died in 1336 or 1338. All of the subsequent kings of Hungary (with the exception of KingMatthias Corvinus) werecognatic descendants of the Árpád dynasty. TheHouse of Croÿ[3] and theDrummond family ofScotland[4] claim to descend fromGéza andGeorge, sons of medievalHungarian kings: Géza II and Andrew I, respectively.
According to recentY-STR andY-SNParchaeogenetic studies of the skeletal remains of dynasty descendant and KingBéla III of Hungary and unknown Árpád member named as "II/52" / "HU52" from theRoyal Basilica of Székesfehérvár, it was established that the male lineage belonged to theY-haplogroupR1a rare subclade R-Z2125 > R-Z2123 > R-Y2632 > R-Y2633 >R1a-SUR51. The subclade was also found in nearest contemporary matches of 48Bashkirs from theBurzyansky andAbzelilovsky districts of the Republic ofBashkortostan in theVolga-Ural region, and 1 individual from the region ofVojvodina,Serbia. The Árpád members and one individual from Serbia share additional private SNPs making a novel subcladeR1a-SUR51 >R-ARP, and as the mentioned individual has additional private SNPs it branches from the medieval Árpáds forming R-ARP > R-UVD.[5][6]
Based on the data of the distribution, appearance and coalescence estimation of R-Y2633 the dynasty traces ancient origin near NorthernAfghanistan about 4500 years ago, with a separation date of R-ARP from the closest kin Bashkirs from the Volga-Ural region to 2000 years ago, while the individual from Serbia (R-UVD) derives from the Árpáds about 900 years ago. As also the separation of haplogroup N-B539 between the Hungarians and Bashkirs is estimated to have occurred 2000 years ago, it implies that the ancestors of Hungarians left the Volga Ural region about 2000 years ago and started a migration that eventually culminated insettlement in the Carpathian Basin.[6][7][8]
Medievalchroniclers stated that the Árpáds' forefather wasÜgyek, whose name derived from theancient Hungarian word for "holy" (igy).[9] TheGesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum ("The Deeds of the Huns and Hungarians") mentioned that the Árpáds descended from thegens (clan)Turul,[10] and theGesta Hungarorum ("The Deeds of the Hungarians") recorded that the Árpáds'totemic ancestor was aturul (a large bird, probably afalcon).[10][11][12]
And among the captains,Árpád the son ofÁlmos, son ofElőd, son ofÜgyek, from theTurul clan, was richer in wealth and more powerful in war.
DukeGéza from theTurul clan was the one who, as they say, was the first among the Hungarians who got a summon from heaven in order to receive the Christian faith and baptism.
Medieval chroniclers also referred to a tradition that the Árpáds descended fromAttila the Hun – theanonymous author of theGesta Hungarorum, for example, has Árpád say:
The land stretching between the Danube and the Tisza used to belong to my forefather, the mighty Attila.
— Gesta Hungarorum[15]
The first member of the dynasty mentioned by a nearly contemporary written source wasÁlmos. TheByzantine EmperorConstantine VII recorded in hisDe Administrando Imperio that Álmos was the first Grand Prince of the federation of the seven Magyar tribes (megas Turkias arkhon).[16] Álmos probably accepted the supremacy of theKhagan of theKhazars in the beginning of his rule, but, by 862, the Magyar tribal federation broke free from the Khazar Khaganate.[17] Álmos was either the spiritual leader of the tribal federation (kende) or its military commander (gyula).[18]
TheHungarians took possession of theCarpathian Basin in a pre-planned manner, with a long move-in between 862–895.[19][20] PrinceÁlmos, the sacred leader of theHungarian Great Principality died before he could reachPannonia, he was sacrificed inTransylvania.[21][22]
Between 899 and 970, the Magyars frequently conducted raids into the territories of present-dayItaly,Germany,France andSpain and into the lands of theByzantine Empire.[23] Such activities continued westwards until theBattle of Lechfeld (955), whenOtto, King of the Germans destroyed their troops; their raids against the Byzantine Empire ended in 970.[24]
From 917, the Magyars made raids into several territories at the same time, which may have led to the disintegration of their tribal federation.[25] The sources prove the existence of at least three and possibly five groups of tribes within the tribal federation, and only one of them was led directly by the Árpáds.[26]
The list of the Grand Princes of theMagyars in the first half of the 10th century is incomplete, which may also prove a lack of central government within their tribal federation.[27] The medieval chronicles mention that Grand Prince Árpád was followed by his son,Zoltán, but contemporary sources only refer to Grand PrinceFajsz (around 950).[28] After the defeat at theBattle of Lechfeld, Grand PrinceTaksony (in or after 955 – before 972) adopted the policy of isolation from the Western countries – in contrast to his son, Grand PrinceGéza (before 972–997) who may have sent envoys toOtto I, Holy Roman Emperor in 973.[29]
Géza was baptised in 972, and although he never became a convincedChristian, the new faith started to spread among the Hungarians during his reign.[30] He managed to expand his rule over the territories west of theDanube and theGaram (todayHron in Slovakia), but significant parts of the Carpathian Basin still remained under the rule of local tribal leaders.[31]
Géza was followed by his sonStephen (originally called Vajk), who had been a convinced follower ofChristianity.[32] Stephen had to face the rebellion of his relative,Koppány, who claimed Géza's inheritance based on the Magyar tradition ofagnatic seniority.[33] He was able to defeat Koppány with the assistance of the German retinue of his wife,Giselle of Bavaria.[34]
The Grand Prince Stephen was crowned on 25 December 1000 or 1 January 1001, becoming the firstKing of Hungary (1000–1038) and founder of the state.[35][36] He unified the Carpathian Basin under his rule by 1030, subjugating the territories of theBlack Magyars and the domains that had been ruled by (semi-)independent local chieftains (e.g., by theGyulaProkuj,Ajtony).[37][38] He introduced the administrative system of the kingdom, based oncounties(comitatus), and founded an ecclesiastic organization with two archbishoprics and several bishoprics.[39] Following the death of his son,Emeric (2 September 1031), King Stephen I assigned his sister's son, the VenetianPeter Orseolo as his heir which resulted in a conspiracy led by his cousin,Vazul, who had been living imprisoned inNyitra (todayNitra in Slovakia). Vazul was blinded on King Stephen's order and his three sons (Levente,Andrew andBéla) were exiled.[40][41]
When King Stephen I died on 15 August 1038,Peter Orseolo ascended to the throne, but he had to struggle with King Stephen's brother-in-law,Samuel Aba (1041–1044).[42] King Peter's rule ended in 1046 when an extensive revolt of the pagan Hungarians broke out and he was captured by them.[43]
With the assistance of the pagans, Duke Vazul's son, Andrew, who had been living in exile in theKievan Rus' and had been baptized there, seized power and was crowned; thus, a member of a collateral branch of the dynasty seized the crown.[44][45] KingAndrew I (1046–1060) managed to pacify the pagan rebels and restore the position of Christianity in the kingdom.[46] In 1048, King Andrew invited his younger brother, Béla to the kingdom and concededone-third of the counties of the kingdom(Tercia pars regni) inappanage to him.[47] This dynastic division of the kingdom, mentioned as the first one in theChronicon Pictum(prima regni huius divisio), was followed by several similar divisions during the 11th through 13th centuries, when parts of the kingdom were governed by members of the Árpád dynasty.[48] In the 11th century, the counties entrusted to the members of the ruling dynasty did not form a separate province within the kingdom, but they were organized around two or three centers.[47] The dukes governing theTercia pars regni accepted the supremacy of the kings of Hungary, but some of them (Béla,Géza andÁlmos) rebelled against the king in order to acquire the crown and allied themselves with the rulers of the neighboring countries.[49]
King Andrew I was the first king who had his son,Solomon crowned during his life in order to ensure his son's succession (1057).[50] However, the principle ofagnatic primogeniture was not able to overcome the tradition ofseniority, and following King Andrew I, his brother, King Béla I (1060–1063) acquired the throne despite the claims of the young Solomon.[51] From 1063 until 1080 there were frequent conflicts between King Solomon (1057–1080) and his cousins,Géza,Ladislaus andLampert who governed theTercia pars regni.[52] Duke Géza rebelled against his cousin in 1074 and was proclaimed king by his partisans in accordance with the principle of seniority.[53] When King Géza I died (25 April 1077) his partisans, disregarding his young sons, proclaimed his brother Ladislaus king.[54][47]King Ladislaus I (1077–1095) managed to persuade King Solomon, who had been ruling in some western counties, to abdicate the throne.[55] During his reign, the Kingdom of Hungary strengthened and Ladislaus I was able to expand his rule over neighboringKingdom of Croatia (1091).[56] He entrusted the government of the newly occupied territories to his younger nephew,Álmos.[57]
On 20 August 1083, two members of the dynasty, King Stephen I and his son, Duke Emeric, were canonized inSzékesfehérvár upon the initiative of King Ladislaus I.[58][59] His daughterEirene, the wife of the Byzantine EmperorJohn II Komnenos, is venerated by theEastern Orthodox Church.[60]
When King Ladislaus I died, his elder nephewColoman was proclaimed king (1095–1116), but he had to concede theTercia pars regni in appanage to his brother Álmos.[61] King Coloman defeated Croatian army led byPetar Snačić inBattle of Gvozd Mountain (1097) and was crownedKing of Croatia and Dalmatia in 1102 in Biograd.
KingColoman deprived his brother Álmos of his duchy (theTercia pars regni) in 1107.[62] He caught his second wife,Eufemia of Kiev, in adultery; she was divorced and sent back toKiev around 1114.[63]Eufemia bore a son, namedBoris in Kiev, but King Coloman refused to accept him as his son.[64] Around 1115, the king had DukeÁlmos and his son, KingBéla, blinded in order to ensure the succession of his own son, KingStephen II (1116–1131).[47]
KingStephen II did not father any sons, and his sister's sonSaul was proclaimed heir to his throne instead of the blind DukeBéla.[65] When King Stephen II died on 1 March 1131, his blind cousin managed nevertheless to acquire the throne.[66] King Béla II (1131–1141) strengthened his rule by defeating KingColoman's alleged son,Boris, who endeavoured to deprive him of the throne with foreign military assistance.[67] King Béla II occupied some territories inBosnia, and he conceded the new territory in appanage to his younger son,Ladislaus.[68] Henceforward, members of the Árpád dynasty governed southern or eastern provinces (i.e.,Slavonia, andTransylvania) of the kingdom instead of theTercia pars regni.[47]
During the reign of KingGéza II (1141–1162), the BishopOtto of Freising recorded that all the Hungarians "are so obedient to the monarch that not only irritating him by open opposition but even offending him by concealed whispers would be considered a felony by them".[69] His son, KingStephen III (1162–1172) had to struggle for his throne against his uncles, KingsLadislaus II (1162–1163) andStephen IV (1163–1165), who rebelled against him with the assistance of theByzantine Empire.[70] During his reign, the EmperorManuel I Komnenos occupied the southern provinces of the kingdom on the pretext that the king's brother,Béla (theDespotes Alexius) lived in his court.[71] As the fiancé of the Emperor's only daughter,Despotes Alexius was theheir presumptive to the Emperor for a short period (1165–1169).[72]
Following the death of King Stephen III, KingBéla III (1173–1196) ascended the throne, but he had imprisoned his brotherGéza in order to secure his rule.[73] King Béla III, who had been educated in theByzantine Empire, was the first king who used the "double cross" as the symbol of theKingdom of Hungary.[74] In 1188, Béla occupiedHalych, whose prince had been dethroned by hisboyars, and granted the principality to his second sonAndrew, but his rule became unpopular and the Hungarian troops were expelled from Halych in 1189.[75]
On 27 June 1192 the third member of the dynasty, KingLadislaus I wascanonized inVárad (todayOradea inRomania).[76]
KingBéla III bequeathed his kingdom intact to his elder son, KingEmeric (1196–1204), but the new king had to concede Croatia andDalmatia inappanage to his brotherAndrew, who hadrebelled against him.[77]
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King Emeric marriedConstance of Aragon, from the house of Barcelona, and he may have followed Barcelonese (Catalan) patterns when he chose hiscoat-of-arms that would become the Árpáds' familiar badge (anescutcheonbarry of eightGules andArgent).[78] His son and successor, KingLadislaus III (1204–1205) died in childhood and was followed by his uncle, KingAndrew II (1205–1235).[79]
His reign was characterized by permanent internal conflicts: a group of conspiratorsmurdered his queen,Gertrude of Merania (1213); discontent noblemen obliged him to issue theGolden Bull of 1222 establishing their rights (including the right to disobey the king); and he quarreled with his eldest son,Béla who endeavoured to take back the royal domains his father had granted to his followers.[80] King Andrew II, who had been Prince ofHalych (1188–1189), intervened regularly in the internal struggles of the principality and made several efforts to ensure the rule of his younger sons (Coloman orAndrew) in the neighboring country.[81] One of his daughters,Elizabeth was canonized during his lifetime (1 July 1235) and thus became the fourth saint of the Árpáds.[82] King Andrew's elder sons disowned his posthumous son,Stephen, who would be educated inFerrara.[83]
Members of the family reigned occasionally in the Principality (later Kingdom) ofHalych (1188–1189, 1208–1209, 1214–1219, 1227–1229, 1231–1234) and in theDuchy of Styria (1254–1260).
KingBéla IV (1235–1270) restored the royal power, but his kingdom became devastated during theMongol invasion (1241–1242).[84] Following the withdrawal of the Mongol troops, several fortresses were built or enstrengthened on his order.[85] He also grantedtown privileges to several settlements in his kingdom,e.g.,Buda,Nagyszombat (todayTrnava inSlovakia),Selmecbánya (nowBanská Štiavnica inSlovakia) andPest received their privileges from him.[86] King Béla IV managed to occupy theDuchy of Styria for a short period (1254–1260), but later he had to abandon it in favour of KingOttokar II of Bohemia.[87] During his last years, he was struggling with his son,Stephen who was crowned during his lifetime and obliged his father to concede the eastern parts of the kingdom to him.[83] Two of his daughters,Margaret andKinga were canonized (in 1943 and 1999 respectively) and a third daughter of his,Yolanda was beatified (in 1827).[88][89] His fourth daughter,Constance was also venerated inLviv.[90]
When KingStephen V (1270–1272) ascended the throne, many of his father's followers left forBohemia.[91] They returned during the reign of his son, KingLadislaus IV the Cuman (1272–1290) whose reign was characterized by internal conflicts among the members of different aristocratic groups.[92] KingLadislaus IV, whose mother was ofCuman origin, preferred the companion of thenomadic and semi-pagan Cumans; therefore, he was excommunicated several times, but he was murdered by Cuman assassins.[93] The disintegration of the kingdom started during his reign when several aristocrats endeavoured to acquire possessions on the account of the royal domains.[94]
When KingLadislaus IV died, most of his contemporaries thought that the dynasty of the Árpáds had come to an end, because the only patrilineal descendant of the family,Andrew, was the son of Duke Stephen, the posthumous son of King Andrew II who had been disowned by his brothers.[95] Nevertheless, DukeAndrew "the Venetian" was crowned with theHoly Crown of Hungary and most of the barons accepted his rule.[96] During his reign, King Andrew III (1290–1301) had to struggle with the powerful barons (e.g., with members of theCsák andKőszegi families).[97] The male line of the Árpáds ended with his death (14 January 1301); one of his contemporaries mentioned him as"the last golden twig".[98] His daughter,Elizabeth, the last member of the family, died on 6 May 1338; she isvenerated by theRoman Catholic Church.[99]
Following the death of King Andrew III, several claimants started to struggle for the throne; finally, KingCharles I (the grandson of KingStephen V's daughter) managed to strengthen his position around 1310.[100] Henceforward, all the kings of Hungary (with the exception of KingMatthias Corvinus) were matrilineal or cognate descendants of the Árpáds. Although the agnatic Árpáds have died out, their cognatic descendants live everywhere in thearistocratic families of Europe.
| Álmos | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Árpád | House of Árpád | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zoltán | House of Aba | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taksony | House of Orseolo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michael | Géza | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vazul | Stephen I 1001–1038 | Helen? | Sarolta? | Samuel 1041–1044 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Andrew I 1046–1060 | Béla I 1060–1063 | Peter 1038–1041 1044–1046 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Solomon 1063–1074 | Géza I 1074–1077 | Ladislaus I 1077–1095 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coloman 1095–1116 | Álmos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stephen II 1116–1131 | Béla II 1131–1141 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Géza II 1141–1162 | Ladislaus II 1162–1163 | Stephen IV 1163–1164 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stephen III 1162–1172 | Béla III 1172–1196 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Emeric 1196–1204 | Andrew II 1205–1235 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ladislaus III 1204–1205 | Béla IV 1235–1270 | Stephen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stephen V 1270–1272 | Andrew III 1290–1301 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ladislaus IV 1272–1290 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Several members of the dynasty werecanonized orbeatified by theCatholic Church or byEastern Orthodox Church, therefore, since the medieval times the dynasty has often been referred to as the "Lineage of the Holy Kings". Although the male branch of the Árpád dynasty extinct in 1301, the female branch lived much longer, and the Hungarian Anjou monarchs (KingCharles I, KingLouis I), andSigismund of Luxembourg were proud to claim themselves members of the “Clan of Holy Kings” in their times.[101][better source needed] The Árpád dynasty gave the world the most saints and blessed from a single family.[1]
In the 819th year of Our Lord’s incarnation,Ügyek, who, as we said above, being of the family of King Magog became a long time later the most noble prince ofScythia, took to wife inDentumoger the daughter of Duke Eunedubelian, calledEmese, from whom he sired a son, who was namedÁlmos. But he is calledÁlmos from a divine event, because when she was pregnant a divine vision appeared to his mother in a dream in the form of a falcon that, as if coming to her, impregnated her and made known to her that from her womb a torrent would come forth and from her loins glorious kings be generated, but that they would not increase in their land. Because, therefore, a dream is called "álom" in theHungarian language and his birth was predicted in a dream, so he was calledÁlmos. Or he is thus calledÁlmos, that is holy, because holy kings and dukes were born of his line.
The following members of the Árpád dynasty were canonized or beatified:
| Portrait | Name | Born | Died | Canonized / Beatified | Relationship with the Árpád dynasty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Saint Stephen of Hungary King of Hungary | c. 975 | 15 August 1038 | 1083 Canonized by the Catholic Church 2000 For the first time ever, the Eastern Orthodox Church canonized a saint of the Roman Catholic Church[103] | Son ofGéza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians |
 | Saint Emeric of Hungary Prince of Hungary | 1007 | 2 September 1031 | 1083 | Son of SaintStephen I, King of Hungary |
 | Saint Ladislaus of Hungary King of Hungary | c. 1040 | 29 July 1095 | 27 June 1192 | Son ofBéla I, King of Hungary |
 | Saint Irene of Hungary Princess of Hungary Empress consort of the Byzantine Empire | 1088 | 13 August 1134 | Canonized by the Eastern Orthodox Church | Daughter ofLadislaus I, King of Hungary |
 | Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Princess of Hungary Landgravine of Thuringia | 7 July 1207 | 17 November 1231 | 27 May 1235 | Daughter ofAndrew II, King of Hungary |
.jpg) | Saint Kinga of Hungary Princess of Hungary Princess of Poland | 5 March 1224 | 24 July 1292 | 11 June 1690 Beatified 16 June 1999 Canonized | Daughter ofBéla IV, King of Hungary |
 | Blessed Yolanda of Hungary Princess of Hungary Princess of Poland | 1235 | 1298 | 1827 | Daughter ofBéla IV, King of Hungary |
 | Saint Margaret of Hungary Princess of Hungary | 27 January 1242 | 18 January 1270 | 28 July 1789 Beatified 19 November 1943 Canonized | Daughter ofBéla IV, King of Hungary |
%2c_*%7e1255%2c_%25E2%2580%25A0vor_1323_.jpg) | Blessed Elizabeth of Hungary Princess of Hungary Queen of Serbia | 1255 | 1322 | Daughter ofStephen V, King of Hungary | |
| Blessed Elizabeth of Hungary Princess of Hungary | 1292 | 31 October 1336 6 May 1338 | Formally never canonized but venerated locally | Daughter ofAndrew III, King of Hungary |
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