The longer version of the ''Life of Saint Stephen, King of Hungary'' ( la, Legenda maior S. Stephani regis) is one of the three
hagiographies
A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...
of
Saint Stephen
Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...
, who was crowned the first
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 1758 ...
in 1000 or 1001. It was written between 1077 and 1083, before King Stephen I's
canonization
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...
.
King Saint Stephen
Stephen was born in the late 960s or in the 970s. He was the only son of
Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians
Géza ( 940 – 997), also Gejza, was Grand Prince of the Hungarians from the early 970s. He was the son of Grand Prince Taksony and his OrientalKhazar, Pecheneg or Volga Bulgarianwife. He married Sarolt, a daughter of an Eastern Orthodox Hun ...
, and his wife,
Sarolt
Sarolt ( 950 – c. 1008) was the wife of Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians.
She was born a daughter of Zombor (or Gyula II), ''gyula'' of Transylvania, second in rank among the leaders of the Hungarian tribal federation.
Sarolt exerted a ...
. His original (pagan) name was Vajk, but he was still a child when he was baptized.
He was canonized in Székesfehérvár on 20 August 1083.
Manuscripts and editions
Four manuscripts preserved the text. However, the text of the legend is unfinished because its four original copies break off at the same point. The same manuscripts also contain the
shorter version of King Saint Stephen's ''Life''.
Sources
The legend explicitly refers to King Stephen's laws in the ninth chapter, proving that its author knew the king's decrees. In chapter 15, the author of the legend also mentioned and quoted the ''Admonitions'' that he attributed to the saintly king. The writer also knew the ''Lives of the Holy Hermits Zoerard the Confessor and Benedict the Martyr'' which was written around 1064 by
Maurus,
Bishop of Pécs
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...
.
Text
The legend was written before King Saint Stephen's canonization.
See also
Footnotes
Sources
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{{Authority control
Stephen I of Hungary
Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( hu, Szent István király ; la, Sanctus Stephanus; sk, Štefan I. or Štefan Veľký; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the f ...
Medieval documents of Hungary
Hungarian legends