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Grand Prince ( hu, Nagyfejedelem) was the title used by contemporary sources to name the leader of the federation of the Hungarian tribes in the tenth century. Constantine VII mentioned
Árpád Árpád (; 845 – 907) was the head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or '' kende'' of the Hungarians, or their military leader or '' g ...
in his book De Administrando Imperio as ', while
Bruno of Querfurt Bruno of Querfurt ( 974 – 14 February or 9/14 March 1009), also known as ''Brun'' and ''Boniface'', was a Christian missionary bishop and martyr, who was beheaded near the border of Kievan Rus and Lithuania for trying to spread Christianity. H ...
referred to Géza in his ''Sancti Adalberti Pragensis episcopi et martyris vita altera'' as '.
The grand prince (') was probably elected by the leaders of the federation of the seven
Hungarian tribes The Magyar tribes ( , hu, magyar törzsek) or Hungarian clans were the fundamental political units within whose framework the Hungarians (Magyars) lived, before the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin and the subsequent established the Pr ...
and the three
Kabar The Kabars ( el, Κάβαροι), also known as Qavars (Qabars) or Khavars were Khazar rebels who joined the Magyar confederation possibly in the 9th century as well as the Rus' Khaganate. Sources The Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII is the ...
tribes (dissident
Khazar The Khazars ; he, כּוּזָרִים, Kūzārīm; la, Gazari, or ; zh, 突厥曷薩 ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a semi-nomadic Turkic people that in the late 6th-century CE established a major commercial empire coverin ...
tribes) that joined the Hungarians before 830. However, the first grand prince,
Álmos Álmos (), also Almos or Almus (c. 820 – c. 895), was—according to the uniform account of Hungarian chronicles—the first head of the "loose federation" of the Hungarian tribes from around 850. Whether he was the sacred ruler (''kende'') of ...
, father of
Árpád Árpád (; 845 – 907) was the head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or '' kende'' of the Hungarians, or their military leader or '' g ...
, was more likely appointed by the khagan of the
Khazars The Khazars ; he, כּוּזָרִים, Kūzārīm; la, Gazari, or ; zh, 突厥曷薩 ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a semi-nomadic Turkic people that in the late 6th-century CE established a major commercial empire coverin ...
. It is still under discussion whether the grand prince was the spiritual leader of the federation ('), the military commander of the
Hungarian tribes The Magyar tribes ( , hu, magyar törzsek) or Hungarian clans were the fundamental political units within whose framework the Hungarians (Magyars) lived, before the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin and the subsequent established the Pr ...
(') or the title was a new creation. When the
Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and  ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...
were pushed out of ' and moved to the
Carpathian Basin The Pannonian Basin, or Carpathian Basin, is a large Sedimentary basin, basin situated in south-east Central Europe. The Geomorphology, geomorphological term Pannonian Plain is more widely used for roughly the same region though with a somewh ...
('), the grand prince's power seemed to be decreasing. By the time of Géza,
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
had been ruled by a (semi-)independent leader (').
Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
(') had to conquer not only the territories of the ', but also the lands of
Ahtum Ajtony, Ahtum or Achtum ( hu, Ajtony, bg, Охтум, ro, Ahtum, sr, Ахтум) was an early-11th-century ruler in the territory now known as Banat in present Romania and Serbia. His primary source is the ''Long Life of Saint Gerard'', a 1 ...
(') and the Black Magyars. The title disappeared on the coronation of Stephen I (') on 25 December 1000 or 1 January 1001.


Grand princes of the Hungarians

*
Álmos Álmos (), also Almos or Almus (c. 820 – c. 895), was—according to the uniform account of Hungarian chronicles—the first head of the "loose federation" of the Hungarian tribes from around 850. Whether he was the sacred ruler (''kende'') of ...
(c. 850 – c. 895) *
Árpád Árpád (; 845 – 907) was the head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or '' kende'' of the Hungarians, or their military leader or '' g ...
(c. 895 – c. 907) * Zolta (c. 907 – c. 950) *
Fajsz Fajsz (), also Falicsi (), was Grand Prince of the Hungarians from about 950 to around 955. All information on him comes from ''De administrando imperio'', a book written by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. No other contem ...
(c. 950 – c. 955) * Taksony (c. 955 – c. 970) * Géza (c. 970 – 997) *
Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
/ Vajk (997 – 1000, became the first king of the Hungarians) It is not known exactly how many grand princes of Hungary ruled between the supposed date of
Árpád Árpád (; 845 – 907) was the head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or '' kende'' of the Hungarians, or their military leader or '' g ...
‘s death (c. 907) and when
Fajsz Fajsz (), also Falicsi (), was Grand Prince of the Hungarians from about 950 to around 955. All information on him comes from ''De administrando imperio'', a book written by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. No other contem ...
ascended to the throne (c. 948), because it seems that the chroniclers of the Hungarian kings, who came from the branch of
Solt Solt (Croatian: ''Šolta'')Hrvatski glasnik br.35/2007.
Prvo mjesto na međunarodnome ...
after 1000, wanted to make the people of the kingdom, to forget the rule between 907 and 950, of the other branches of the
Árpád dynasty The Árpád dynasty, consisted of the members of the royal House of Árpád (), also known as Árpáds ( hu, Árpádok, hr, Arpadovići). They were the ruling dynasty of the Principality of Hungary in the 9th and 10th centuries and of the King ...
, coming from the other 3 sons of
Árpád Árpád (; 845 – 907) was the head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or '' kende'' of the Hungarians, or their military leader or '' g ...
: Tarkacsu/
Liüntika Liüntika or Levente (? - before 907) was a Hungarian tribal chieftain, the eldest son of Grand Prince Árpád. As a military leader he participated in the Hungarian Conquest (''Honfoglalás'', "Landtaking"). Positions According to the state s ...
, Jelek, Jutocsa, who, or their offspring probably ruled Hungary during this period, according to the nomadic custom of
agnatic seniority Agnatic seniority is a patrilineal principle of inheritance where the order of succession to the throne prefers the monarch's younger brother over the monarch's own sons. A monarch's children (the next generation) succeed only after the males ...
, used by the Hungarian rulers before 1000.Szabados György: Magyar államalapítások a IX-XI. században; Szegedi Középkori Könyvtár, Szeged, 2011, p. 244 The quietness of the chronicles is the reason why today's historians cannot establish precisely the whole list of the Hungarian grand princes between 907 and 955, and the only known rulers are
Solt Solt (Croatian: ''Šolta'')Hrvatski glasnik br.35/2007.
Prvo mjesto na međunarodnome ...
(from the Hungarian chronicles) and Fajsz from the book of the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII, De Administrando Imperio, which preserved a longer list of names from the
Árpád Árpád (; 845 – 907) was the head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or '' kende'' of the Hungarians, or their military leader or '' g ...
-family, than the Hungarian chronicles, preoccupied only with the ruling branch of
Solt Solt (Croatian: ''Šolta'')Hrvatski glasnik br.35/2007.
Prvo mjesto na međunarodnome ...
. The reason of forgetting Fajsz from the Hungarian chronicles was the fact that he was not son of
Solt Solt (Croatian: ''Šolta'')Hrvatski glasnik br.35/2007.
Prvo mjesto na međunarodnome ...
, but of Jutocsa. Without the existence of De Administrando Imperio, very little would be known about him. The De Administrando Imperio preserved the name of Fajsz as the Grand Prince of the Hungarians, because it was written during his reign. But the names of the other grand princes, who were not from the branch of
Solt Solt (Croatian: ''Šolta'')Hrvatski glasnik br.35/2007.
Prvo mjesto na međunarodnome ...
, who probably ruled before and after him, are unknown.


See also

*
Principality of Hungary The (Grand) Principality of HungaryS. Wise BauerThe history of the medieval world: from the conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade W. W. Norton & Company, 2010, p. 586George H. HodosThe East-Central European region: an historical outline ...
*
List of Hungarian rulers This is a list of Hungarian monarchs, that includes the grand princes (895–1000) and the kings and ruling queens of Hungary (1000–1918). The Principality of Hungary established 895 or 896, following the 9th-century Hungarian conquest of the ...
*
King of Hungary The King of Hungary ( hu, magyar király) was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Apostoli Magyar Király'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 175 ...


References


Sources

* ''Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9-14. század)'', főszerkesztő: Kristó, Gyula, szerkesztők: Engel, Pál és Makk, Ferenc (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1994) * Kristó, Gyula: ''A Kárpát-medence és a magyarság régmúltja (1301-ig)'' (Szegedi Középkortörténeti Könyvtár, Szeged, 1993) {{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Prince Of The Hungarians Hungarian royalty 820s establishments 9th-century establishments in Hungary 1000 disestablishments in Europe