Episodes from the reign of the Hungarian kings from Saint Stephen to Coloman the book lover (based on illustrated chronicles)

Victory over Koppány

997

After the battle in 997, the chronicle says that Stephen cut Koppány into four pieces. The miniature depicts the scene when the Bavarian Prince Vencellin is about to behead King Koppány, illustration from the Pictorial Chronicle

The reign of Stephen I

Period: 997 to 1038

The first Hungarian king. (King from 1001)

The foundation of the archbishopric of Esztergom

1001

The Archbishoprics of Esztergom was one of the 10 bisophrics founded by Stephen I (Saint Stephen) (the dioceses of Veszprém, Győr, Esztergom, Pécs, Eger, Kalocsa, Transylvania, Chanádi, Bihar and Vác), which immediately had the rank of archbishoprics. It is important to mention that the Archbishop of Esztergom was given the privilege of crowning the Hungarian kings.

The Coronation of Stephen I.

Jan 1, 1001

The coronation ceremony took place in Esztergom, according to some, and in Székesfehérvár, according to others. The coronation rite followed that of the German monarchs. It was anointed with oil. The heads used at the coronation are depicted on a cloak from 1031, which shows open crown decorated with jewels.

Stephen's victory over his uncle, Gyula

1003

After his coronation, Stephen still had to defeat his tribal opponents to consolidate his actual power. He first started fighting in 1002 or 1003 against Transylvania, where he had to contend with his own uncle, Gyula 'the Younger'. After his victory, he and his family were taken prisoner, his salt mines confiscated, his country incorporated into his own, and he began the Christian conversion there too.

The foundation of the bishopric of Pécs

Aug 23, 1009

A Szent István király által alapított püspökségek közül a pécsi az egyetlen, amelynek az alapítási dátumát napra pontosan ismerjük: ez 1009. augusztus 23-a. Az alapító okirat tartalmazza a püspökség határleírását, ami a következő: a Duna, a Száva, a Bródnál beléfolyó Lisnice, a Baranya vármegye és Somogy vármegye határait alkotó Alma patak, a Tolnát határoló Lápa és Ozora (Sió) vizek, valamint Fejér vármegye felé Tápé és Zemony (Dunaföldvár) falvak.

King Stephen's victory over Kean,

1015

During his reign, Stephen settled two more tribal states. After the defeat of Prokuj, Stephen waged war against Kean, the voivode of the Bulgars and Slavs, whose land was well protected by the natural environment, according to the Pictish Chronicle. Kean was called voivode by his subjects, and after Stephen had defeated and killed him, he replaced him with an ispan (gyula).

The foundation of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Óbuda.

1015

Stephen and Gizella found the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Óbuda. Miniature of the Pictorial Chronicle

The coin (denarius/obulus) of St Stephen

1025

In the 1020s, Stephen began minting coins and levied the first taxes. Whereas foreign money, but mostly animal money (tin), had been used until the foundation of the state, the main currency in circulation was the silver denarius.

The funeral of Prince Imre, the blinding of Vazul.

1031

Prince Imre, son of Stephen I, would have succeeded his father on the throne, but according to some sources he died young in a hunting accident. Because of his rebellion against Stephen I, Vazul was blinded and had hot lead poured into his ears to make him unfit to rule.

The first reign Peter Orseolo

Period: 1038 to 1041

Venetian or Orseolo Peter His father was Otto Orseolo, Doge of Venice, his mother was Stephen I's sister Ilona of Árpád.

The reign of (Aba) Samuel

Period: 1041 to 1044

(Aba) Samuel. According to tradition, he was the husband of King Stephen I's sister, who was of the Aba clan. Samuel is the first elected king in Hungarian history. In 1041, the Hungarian nobles dethroned Peter and elected Samuel as king.

The second reign of Peter Orseolo

Period: 1044 to 1046

Peter was restored to the throne with the help of Henry III of Germany and Rome.

The battle of Ménfő

Jul 5, 1044

King Samuel was betrayed, defeated and murdered.

King Peter gives the country to Emperor Henry III (Illustrated chronicle)

1045

Peter symbolically gave the country to Henry in the form of a gold-plated spear, making it a vassal of the German-Roman Empire.

Blinding of Peter Orseolo

1046

The king Peter Orseolo was captured by András's men at the village of Zámoly and blinded in October 1046 to make him unfit to rule.

The reign of Andrew I (also known as Endre)

Period: 1046 to 1060

Andrewa's father was Vazul, son of Mihály. Mihály was the brother of Prince Géza. Andrew was the cousin of Stephen I
During the reign of Andrew, he strengthened Christianity in the country and successfully resisted the attacks of the German-Roman Empire.

The coronation of Andrew I

1047

Andrew was crowned in 1047 according to Christian rites (the crown was sent to him by the Byzantine emperor). He contributed to the eradication of paganism. Andrew confirmed Christianity. He ruled his people according to the decrees of St Stephen. By making him king, the ancient order of succession - senioratus or successio gradualis - was also restored.

Kund the Diver at Pozsony

1052

Henry invaded Hungary. The first site of the attack was Pozsony, where the well-prepared castle withstood the German onslaught for eight weeks. The battle was finally decided by a man known as Kund the Diver, who swam under the German ships in the dead of night and drowned them.

Sons of Andrew, Solomon and David

1053

Andrew's first-born son, Prince Solomon, born in 1053, later became King of Hungary as his heir between 1063 and 1074, while his second-born son, Prince David, born around 1053/55, chose the monastic life. Andrew had another daughter, Princess Adelheid, sometime around 1040, who became the wife of the Czech king Vratislav II. Andrew also had an illegitimate son, George, from whom the Scottish family of Drummond descends.

The Abbey of Tihany

1055

The Benedictine Abbey of Tihany was founded by King Andrew I in 1055 in honour of St. Anion and the Virgin Mary. The founding charter of the abbey is one of the first written Hungarian language monuments.

The Tiszavárkony scene

1059

Paralysed Andrew forces his brother Béla to choose between the crown and the sword. The king's advisers suggested that Andrew should kill his brother Béla, but Andrew hoped his brother would abdicate the throne in favour of Solomon.

The tomb of Andrew I in the Abbey of Tihany

1060

"The Hungarians who were with King Andrew, seeing that the victory was Bela's, abandoned King Andrew and went over to Prince Béla. King Andras ran towards Germany, but he could not escape, for he was captured at the gates of Moson. And being kept carelessly in the Bakony forest in his manor house at Zirc, he died. He was buried in the monastery of St. Anion, founded by this king in Tihany, near Lake Balaton. " - Mark Kálti: Pictorial Chronicle, 1360

The reign of Béla I

Period: 1060 to 1063

Béla I, King of Hungary between 1060 and 1063. His father was Prince Vazul. Béla left Hungary in 1031, together with his brothers. He returned home at the invitation of his brother Andrew. With the help of his Polish relatives, Béla rebelled against Andrew and dethroned him in 1060. He introduced monetary reform and suppressed the last revolt, which aimed to restore paganism in Hungary. Among his children, Géza and László were later enthroned.

Feud between Solomon and Prince Géza

1063

A miniature depicting the feud between King Solomon and Prince Géza in the Pictorial Chronicle. Solomon on the throne in the foreground, beside him Prince Vid, holding two swords. In the background is Prince Géza with the conquering Byzantines. "Just as two sharp swords cannot fit into one scabbard, so you two cannot rule in the same country."

The death of Béla I.

1063

"The pious King Béla, then in the third year of his reign, was crushed on his collapsing throne at his royal estate of Dömös; his body fell into an incurable sickness; he was carried half dead to the brook of Kanizva on account of some affairs of the country; there he departed from the world. He was buried in the monastery of the Holy Saviour, which he himself built in the place called Szögszárd.

The reign of Salamon

Period: 1063 to 1074

Solomon was king of Hungary between 1063 and 1074. Salamon was crowned king in his father's lifetime, but was forced to flee Hungary with his family. He returned to the country with German troops and was crowned king in 1063. Initially, he and his cousins joined forces against the Czechs and the Kuns, but by 1070 their relations had soured and Géza rebelled against him.

Géza placed the crown on Solomon's head

Apr 11, 1064

Géza and Solomon concluded a peace treaty in Győr, according to which Géza acknowledged Solomon's rule in exchange for the princedom, which was one third of the country.
After the reconciliation, Solomon and Géza celebrated Easter together in Pécs, and on 11 April 1064 Géza himself placed the crown on Solomon's head.

Solomon's battle with Ladislaus

1074

King Solomon launched a campaign against King Géza, and after its failure, he retreated to the castle of Pressburg. King Géza's younger brother, Prince Ladislaus, laid siege to the castle. Ladislaus and Solomon went to battle in disguise. When Solomon came close to Ladislaus, he noticed two angels hovering over Prince Ladislaus' head, protecting him with swords of fire. Solomon was frightened and ran back to the castle.

The reign of Géza I

Period: 1074 to 1077

Géza I was the eldest son of King Béla I, grandson of Prince Vazul. With German help, Géza's cousin Solomon seized the crown when Béla died in 1063 and forced Géza to leave Hungary. Géza returned with Polish reinforcements and signed a treaty with Salamon in early 1064. In the treaty, Géza and his brother László recognised Solomon's rule.
His sons were minors when he died, and his younger brother László succeeded him on the throne.

Battle of Kemej

Feb 26, 1074

Solomon defeated the army of Prince Géza

Battle of Mogyorod

Mar 14, 1074

The main battle of the war between King Solomon and the sons of Béla (Princes Géza and Ladislaus). At the Battle of Mogyorod, however, the combined armies of Béla's sons defeated the king, and as a result King Solomon lost his power, although he continued to consider himself king, confined to the castle of Bratislava. Prince Géza's path to the throne was opened.

Laws of Ladislaus (III. book)

1077

Immediately after the accession of Ladislaus I to power, he set to work to establish order. He issued codes of law. The laws were draconian in their severity, as public safety had to be restored. More than half of King Lazlo's laws dealt with the protection of property. He also dealt with the royal monopoly on the payment of salt. It is in this code that the term noble (nobilis) first appears. Their privileged status had already become a legal norm by the law of King Ladislaus I.

The coronation of Ladislaus

1077

The coronation of László I is most likely to have been done in 1077 with the Greek diadem of Géza.

The reign of Ladislaus I

Period: 1077 to 1095

László I. son of King Béla I. After Géza's death (1077), his supporters sided with Lazlo and made him king. He was credited with consolidating the protection of private property. After a series of internal conflicts, he had to restore public safety, and punished theft and robbery with mutilation or death. Legends portray him as a pious knight-king, the embodiment of the late chivalric ideal.

The death of Géza

Apr 25, 1077

The young, vigorous and beloved king, while attending a peace conference with Solomon, suddenly fell ill and died.
He was succeeded by his younger brother, Lazarus. Géza I was buried in Vác, in the cathedral where the Castle Church stands today. Géza had this church with three naves built next to his court house.

Laws of Ladislaus (II. book)

1080

Its most famous provision is that anyone who steals more than the value of a hen should be hanged. The sentence was lighter for the murderer because he was only liable to confiscation of property. This shows that the value of property was greater than that of human life. Collective punishment was recognised by law, and the thief's children over 10 years of age were enslaved.

The Abbey of Szentjobb

1083

The Abbey of Szentjobb was founded in 1083 by King Ladislaus to guard the holy right hand of Saint Stephen.

Laws of Ladislaus (I. book)

1092

This code dealt mainly with ecclesiastical matters. Its most famous passage is: 'those who, according to heathen custom, sacrifice by wells, or bring offerings to trees, fountains and stones, shall pay for their sin with an ox'.

The reign of Coloman the book lover

Period: 1095 to 1116

Coloman the booklover was son of King Géza I
He was one of the most educated rulers in Europe. He was originally destined for a career in the church. His politics were considered very enlightened in the Middle Ages. He was an excellent politician and military leader, leading and winning countless campaigns, and also won the Croatian throne for the Hungarian kings, as well as Dalmatia. He was one of the most powerful statesmen in Hungarian history.

The death of Ladislaus

Jul 29, 1095

He launched a campaign against the Czech king. He fell ill and died near the Czech-Hungarian border. According to the Pictorial Chronicle, the king died in Nitra, but the people of Zólyom believe that he died in their castle in Pusztavar.

The coronation of Coloman

1096

Coloman was crowned king at Székesfehérvár in the spring of 1096.

The reconciliation of King Colomon and Almos

1108

In 1106, Álmos (Coloman's brother) sought help in Germany and then in Poland against Coloman. His brother-in-law, Boleslav III, helped him for a time, but then reconciled with the Hungarian king. Álmos asked for and received a pardon at Abaújvár. He built a church and monastery in Dömös, and his royal brother attended its consecration.

Blinding of Almos and Bela

1115

In 1115. the king Solomon had Almos (his brother) and his son Bela blindfolded to make their claim to the throne impossible and to protect his son Stephen from a dispute over the throne.

The death of Coloman the booklover

Feb 3, 1116

He reformed and softened the laws of his predecessor, László, making the death penalty less frequent and abolishing forced confession. He made the ecclesiastical sanction of marriage compulsory and established the Bishopric of Nitra. To prevent the loss of royal property, the synod decreed that, on the extinction of the male line, the noble estates should pass to the king.