Árpád
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Árpád (; 845 – 907) was the head of the confederation of the
Magyar tribes The Magyar or Hungarian tribes ( , ) 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 establishment of the Prin ...
at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or '' kende'' of the
Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
, or their military leader or '' gyula'', although most details of his life are debated by historians, because different sources contain contradictory information. Despite this, many Hungarians refer to him as the "founder of our country", and Árpád's preeminent role in the
Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin The Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, also known as the Hungarian conquest or the Hungarian land-taking (), was a series of historical events ending with the settlement of the Hungarians in Central Europe in the late 9th and early 10t ...
has been emphasized by some later chronicles. The dynasty descending from Árpád ruled the
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
until 1301.


Biography


Early life

Árpád was the son of
Álmos Álmos (), also Almos or Almus ( 820 – 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 king, sacred ruler (''k ...
who is mentioned as the first head of the confederation of the
Magyar tribes The Magyar or Hungarian tribes ( , ) 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 establishment of the Prin ...
by all Hungarian chronicles. His mother's name and family are unknown. According to historian Gyula Kristó, Árpád was born around 845. His name derived from the Hungarian word for
barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...
, ''árpa''. The
Byzantine emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...
Constantine Porphyrogenitus Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Byzantine emperor of the Macedonian dynasty, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, an ...
(r. 913–959) states that the Hungarians "had never at any time had any other prince" before Árpád, which is in sharp contrast to the Hungarian chronicles' report of the position of Árpád's father.''Constantine Porphyrogenitus: De Administrando Imperio'' (ch. 38), p. 173. In Porphyrogenitus's narration, the
Khazar The Khazars ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a nomadic Turkic people who, in the late 6th century CE, established a major commercial empire covering the southeastern section of modern European Russia, southern Ukraine, Crimea, an ...
khagan Khagan or Qaghan (Middle Mongol:; or ''Khagan''; ) or zh, c=大汗, p=Dàhán; ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan, Khaqan, Xagahn, Qaghan, Chagan, Қан, or Kha'an is a title of empire, im ...
initiated the centralization of the command of the Hungarian tribes in order to strengthen his own suzerainty over them. The khagan initially wanted to appoint a chieftain named Levedi to lead the Hungarians. However, Levedi did not accept this offer and suggested that either Álmos or Árpád should be promoted instead of him. The khagan approached the Hungarians with this new proposal. They preferred Árpád to his father, because he was "greatly admired for wisdom and counsel and valour, and capable of this rule". Thereafter, Árpád was made "prince according to the custom ... of the Chazars, by lifting him upon a shield." Constantine Porphyrogenitus erroneously refers to the Magyars as Turks. This was a misnomer, as while the Magyars do have some Turkic genetic and cultural influence, and their historical social structure was of Turkic origin, they are not a
Turkic people Turkic peoples are a collection of diverse ethnic groups of West Asia, West, Central Asia, Central, East Asia, East, and North Asia as well as parts of Europe, who speak Turkic languages.. "Turkic peoples, any of various peoples whose members ...
. The reliability of the Byzantine emperor's report of Árpád's election is debated by modern historians: for instance, Victor Spinei states that it is "rather vague and scarcely credible", but András Róna-Tas writes that its core is reliable. The latter historian adds that Árpád's election was promoted by Álmos, who forced Levedi to renounce his position as ''kende''. Accordingly, in Róna-Tas's view, Árpád succeeded Levedi as sacred ruler, or ''kende'', which enabled his father to preserve his own position as the actual leader of the Hungarians, or ''gyula''.


Towards the Hungarian Conquest

The earliest reliable source of Árpád's life is an early 10th-century document, the '' Continuation of the Chronicle by George the Monk''. It narrates that the Byzantine Emperor
Leo VI the Wise Leo VI, also known as Leo the Wise (; 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well read, leading to his epithet. During ...
(r. 886–912) sent his envoy Nicetas Sclerus to the Hungarians in 894 or 895 "to give presents" and incite them against the
Bulgarian Empire Bulgarian Empire may refer to: * First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led b ...
. Sclerus met with their two leaders, Árpád and
Kurszán Kurszán or Kusál (died 904), was a Hungarian (Magyar) chieftain at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries, who had a crucial role in the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin. He was '' kende'' of the Magyars in the dual leadership with Á ...
, at the
Lower Danube The Danube ( ; see also other names) is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest south into the Black Sea. A large and historically important r ...
. Sclerus's mission succeeded: a Hungarian army soon crossed the Danube on Byzantine ships against Bulgaria. An interpolation in Porphyrogenitus's text suggests that the invading Hungarians were under the command of Árpád's son, Liüntika. The positions held by Árpád and Kurszán at the time of their negotiations with Sclerus are debated by historians. Spinei wrote that Árpád was the ''gyula'', and Kurszán was the ''kende''. In contrast, Kristó said that Kurszán was the ''gyula'' and Árpád represented his father, Álmos ''kende''. The Hungarian army defeated the Bulgarians, but the latter hired the
Pechenegs The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks, , Middle Turkic languages, Middle Turkic: , , , , , , ka, პაჭანიკი, , , ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Pečenezi, separator=/, Печенези, also known as Pecheneg Turks were a semi-nomadic Turkic peopl ...
against them. The Bulgarians and Pechenegs simultaneously invaded the Hungarians' territories in the western regions of the Pontic steppes in 895 or 896. The destruction of their dwelling places by the Pechenegs forced the Hungarians to leave for a new homeland across the
Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...
towards the
Pannonian Plain The Pannonian Basin, with the term Carpathian Basin being sometimes preferred in Hungarian literature, is a large sedimentary basin situated in southeastern Central Europe. After the Treaty of Trianon following World War I, the geomorphologic ...
. The ''
Illuminated Chronicle The ''Chronicon Pictum'' or ''Illuminated Chronicle'' (, , , also referred to as the ''Illustrated Chronicle'', ''Chronica Hungarorum'', ''Chronicon Hungarie Pictum'', ''Chronica Picta'' or ''Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum'') is a medieval illust ...
'' says that Árpád's father Álmos "could not enter
Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, on the west by Noricum and upper Roman Italy, Italy, and on the southward by Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia and upper Moesia. It ...
, for he was killed in Erdelw" or
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
. Engel, Kristó and Molnár, who accept the reliability of this report, wrote that Álmos's death was a ritual murder, similar to the sacrifice of the Khazar khagans in case of a disaster affecting their people. In contrast with them, Róna-Tas states that even if the report on Álmos's murder "reflects true event, the only possible explanation would be that Árpád or someone in his entourage" killed the aged prince. Spinei rejects the ''Illuminated Chronicles report on Álmos's murder in Transylvania, because the last mention of Álmos in the contrasting narration of the ''Gesta Hungarorum'' is connected to a siege of Ungvár (Uzhhorod,
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
) by the Hungarians. The latter chronicle says that Álmos appointed Árpád "as leader and master" of the Hungarians on this occasion.


Reign

Árpád's name "is completely unknown" to all sources written in
East Francia East Francia (Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the East Franks () was a successor state of Charlemagne's empire created in 843 and ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was established through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided the for ...
, which was one of the main powers of the Carpathian Basin at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. These sources, including the ''
Annales Alamannici The ''Annales Alamannici'' provide one of the earliest records of Medieval Europe available. The core text of the ''Annales Alamannici'' covers the years 709 through to 799. Spread over several Swabian monasteries, the annals were continued indep ...
'' and the ''Annales Eisnidlenses'', only mention another Hungarian leader, Kurszán. According to Kristó and other historians, these sources suggest that Kurszán must have been the ''gyula'' commanding the Hungarian forces, while Árpád succeeded his murdered father as the sacred ''kende''. Proposing a contrasting theory, the Romanian historian Curta wrote that Kurszán was the ''kende'' and Árpád ''gyula'' only succeeded him when Kurszán was murdered by
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
ns in 902 or 904. In contrast to nearly contemporaneous sources, Hungarian chronicles written centuries after the eventsfor instance, the ''
Gesta Hungarorum ''Gesta Hungarorum'', or ''The Deeds of the Hungarians'', is the earliest book about Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian history which has survived for posterity. Its genre is not chronicle, but ''gesta'', meaning "deeds" or "acts", which is a medie ...
'' and the ''
Illuminated Chronicle The ''Chronicon Pictum'' or ''Illuminated Chronicle'' (, , , also referred to as the ''Illustrated Chronicle'', ''Chronica Hungarorum'', ''Chronicon Hungarie Pictum'', ''Chronica Picta'' or ''Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum'') is a medieval illust ...
''emphasize Árpád's pre-eminent role in the conquest of the Carpathian Basin. The ''Gesta Hungarorum'' also highlights Árpád's military skills and his generosity. This chronicle also emphasizes that Tétény, one of the heads of the seven Hungarian tribes, acquired "the land of Transylvania for himself and his posterity" only after Árpád had authorized him to conquer it. The ''Gesta Hungarorum'' says that Árpád took "an oath of the leading men and warriors of Hungary," and "had his son, Prince Zoltán elevated" to prince in his life.''Anonymus, Notary of King Béla: The Deeds of the Hungarians'' (ch. 52), p. 115. However, the reliability of this report and the list of the grand princes in the ''Gesta Hungarorum'' is dubious. For instance, it ignores
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 conte ...
, who ruled when Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus was completing his ''De Administrando Imperio'' around 950.


Death

The date of Árpád's death is debated. The ''Gesta Hungarorum'' states that he died in 907. However, Kristó wrote that he actually died in 900 or later because the ''Gesta'' says 903 is the starting date of the Hungarian "land-taking" instead of its actual date around 895. If the ''Gestas report on his funeral is reliable, Árpád was buried "at the head of a small river that flows through a stone culvert to the city of King Attila" where a village, Fehéregyháza, developed near
Buda Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...
a century later.


Legacy

The Hungarians arrived in their new homeland within the Carpathians under Árpád. Árpád is the principal actor in the ''Gesta Hungarorum'', which attributes "almost all memorable events" of the "Hungarian land-taking" to him. Furthermore, until the extinction of the male line of his dynasty in 1301, Hungary was ruled by "a single line of princes", all descending from Árpád. Árpád is known among Hungarians as ''honalapító'' or the "founder of our homeland".


Family

Porphyrogenitus says Árpád "had four sons: first, ''Tarkatzous''; second, ''Ielech''; third, ''Ioutotzas''; fourth, ''Zaltas''". However, he also refers to one "''Liuntikas'', son of" Árpád; Kristó wrote that Liuntikas (Liüntika) was an alternative name of Tarkatzous (Tarhos).''Constantine Porphyrogenitus: De Administrando Imperio'' (ch. 40), p. 177. The name and family of the mother of Árpád's sons are unknown. The following is a family tree presenting Árpád's ancestors and his descendants to the end of the 10th century: ''*Liüntika and Tarkatzus are supposed to have been identical.''
''**The father of Tas was one of Árpád's four or five sons, but his name is unknown.''
''***All later grand princes and
kings of Hungary The King of Hungary () was the Monarchy, ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Magyarország apostoli királya'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...
descended from Taksony.''


Depictions of Árpád

File:HetVezer-ChroniconPictum.jpg, Árpád with Turul shield and princely hat in the center among the seven chieftains of the Hungarians (
Chronicon Pictum The ''Chronicon Pictum'' or ''Illuminated Chronicle'' (, , , also referred to as the ''Illustrated Chronicle'', ''Chronica Hungarorum'', ''Chronicon Hungarie Pictum'', ''Chronica Picta'' or ''Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum'') is a medieval illust ...
, 1358) File:Arpad Kepes Kronika.jpg, Árpád, the First Captain (
Chronicon Pictum The ''Chronicon Pictum'' or ''Illuminated Chronicle'' (, , , also referred to as the ''Illustrated Chronicle'', ''Chronica Hungarorum'', ''Chronicon Hungarie Pictum'', ''Chronica Picta'' or ''Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum'') is a medieval illust ...
, 1358) File:László Gyula - Árpád népe-page-031.jpg, Árpád tastes the water of the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
, the
Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
are shouting the name of God three times (
Chronicon Pictum The ''Chronicon Pictum'' or ''Illuminated Chronicle'' (, , , also referred to as the ''Illustrated Chronicle'', ''Chronica Hungarorum'', ''Chronicon Hungarie Pictum'', ''Chronica Picta'' or ''Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum'') is a medieval illust ...
, 1358) File:Thuróczy krónika - Árpád.jpg, Árpád, the First Captain (
Chronica Hungarorum ''Chronica Hungarorum'' (Latin for "Chronicle of the Hungarians") (), also known as the Thuróczy Chronicle, is the title of a 15th-century Latin-language Hungarian chronicle written by Johannes de Thurocz, Johannes Thuróczy by compiling seve ...
, 1488) File:Nádasdy Mausoleum - Árpád.jpg, Árpád ( Nádasdy Mausoleum, 1664) File:Feszty Árpád Árpád vezér.jpg, Prince Árpád (painting by
Árpád Feszty Árpád Feszty (; 21 December 1856 – 1 June 1914) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian Painting, painter. He was born in the town of Ógyalla (then Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867), Hungary, now Hurbanovo, Slovakia). His ancestors were Ger ...
in 1900) File:Árpád on Feszty's Panorama.jpg, Árpád on Feszty's Panorama (painting by
Árpád Feszty Árpád Feszty (; 21 December 1856 – 1 June 1914) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian Painting, painter. He was born in the town of Ógyalla (then Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867), Hungary, now Hurbanovo, Slovakia). His ancestors were Ger ...
in 1892–1894) File:Budapest Hősök tere.png, Árpád's statue at the Heroes' Square (
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
) File:Árpád fejedelem mellszobra, Nyíradony.jpg, Árpád, Grand Prince of the Hungarians (Richárd Juha, Nyíradony, 2014)


See also

* Árpáds * Hungarian prehistory *
History of Hungary Hungary in its modern (post-1946) borders roughly corresponds to the Great Hungarian Plain (the Carpathian Basin) in Central Europe. During the Iron Age, it was located at the crossroads between the cultural spheres of Scythian tribes (such a ...


Footnotes


References


Primary sources

*''Anonymus, Notary of King Béla: The Deeds of the Hungarians'' (Edited, Translated and Annotated by Martyn Rady and László Veszprémy) (2010). In: Rady, Martyn; Veszprémy, László; Bak, János M. (2010); ''Anonymus and Master Roger''; CEU Press; . *''Constantine Porphyrogenitus: De Administrando Imperio'' (Greek text edited by Gyula Moravcsik, English translation by Romillyi J. H. Jenkins) (1967). Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies. . *''The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle:'' Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum (Edited by Dezső Dercsényi) (1970). Corvina, Taplinger Publishing. . *''The Taktika of Leo VI'' (Text, translation, and commentary by George T. Dennis) (2010). Dumbarton Oaks. .


Secondary sources

* * * * * * * * *


External links

*
Árpád, painting from the 19th century
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Arpad 9th-century Hungarian monarchs 10th-century Hungarian monarchs Magyar tribal chieftains House of Árpád Medieval Hungarian nobility 840s births 900s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain Hungarian prehistory Founding monarchs in Europe