Stephen (; died after 1169) was a Hungarian prelate in the 12th century, who was elected

Bishop of Csanád A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

from around 1156 to 1169.

Biography

His last known predecessor

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

is referred to as bishop in 1142. Stephen is first appears as bishop-elect of Csanád in that 1156 charter, in which Martyrius, Archbishop of Esztergom donated the

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s of 70 surrounding villages to the cathedral chapter of

Esztergom Esztergom (; ; or ; , known by Names of European cities in different languages: E–H#E, alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the righ ...

. The first known provost of the

Arad Chapter The Arad Chapter was a collegiate chapter, established in the , in the Kingdom of Hungary. It was dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. The chapter was under the direct jurisdiction of the archbishop of Esztergom. It held landed property in at least s ...

, located in the Diocese of Csanád, Primogenitus is mentioned in that document too.

Géza II of Hungary Géza II (; ; ; 113031 May 1162) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1141 to 1162. He was the oldest son of Béla the Blind and his wife, Helena of Serbia. When his father died, Géza was still a child and he started ruling under the guardia ...

confirmed Martyrius' charter in the same year, also mentioning the name of Stephen among the testimonies. Following the death of Géza II in 1162, Stephen became one of the four prelates – including his superior

Mikó, Archbishop of Kalocsa Mikó (died between 1165 and 1169) was a Hungarian prelate in the twelfth century. He was Archbishop of Kalocsa between around 1156 and 1165. He crowned two Hungarian monarchs, Ladislaus II and Stephen IV king, because Lucas, Archbishop of Esz ...

– who assisted Géza II's brother, Stephen IV against the late king's son, Stephen III. Stephen IV's claim to the throne was promoted by the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. His only preserving charter also refers to Stephen as bishop-elect in 1163. Following his downfall in the same year, Stephen and the other prelates switched to the partisans of Stephen III. Stephen appears, among the testimonies, in a charter of Stephen III (a confirmation of a

last will A will and testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its final distribut ...

) in 1164, without the ''electus'' suffix. He is mentioned in the same capacity in 1166. However, in the same year, he is again styled as bishop-elect of "Maros" (i.e. Csanád). Stephen, again as bishop-elect of "Maros", also acted as a witness in 1169, when Stephen III confirmed the privileges of the burghers of

Šibenik Šibenik (), historically known as Sebenico (), is a historic town in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka (Croatia), Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is one of the oldest Croatia, Croatian self-governing cities ...

. The next bishop,

Saul Győr Saul from the kindred Győr (; died early 1202) was a prelate in the Kingdom of Hungary at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. He was Bishop of Csanád (now Cenad in Romania) between 1188 and 1192, then Archbishop of Kalocsa from 1192 until h ...

first appears in this dignity only 1188 (according to non-authentic charters). Therefore, álmán Juhász considered that Stephen's episcopacy lasted long after 1169, when he is last mentioned. Accordingly, the

Egres Abbey Egres Abbey (; ; ; ) was a Cistercian monastery in the Kingdom of Hungary, located in Egres (present-day Igriș, part of the commune of Sânpetru Mare, Timiș County, Romania). The Egres Abbey was founded by Béla III of Hungary in 1179 as a filia ...

was founded under his bishopric in 1179 by

Béla III of Hungary Béla III (, , ; 114823 April 1196) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1172 and 1196. He was the second son of King Géza II of Hungary, Géza II and Géza's wife, Euphrosyne of Kiev. Around 1161, Géza granted Béla a du ...

, around the same time with the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monasteries of Bizere, Gyelid, Eperjes and Hodos along the river Maros (Mureș). Throughout his episcopal reign, Stephen was never confirmed by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

. Kálmán Juhász considered this was due to his defiance against Stephen III and for his support of the Byzantine interests in the early 1160s civil war.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen of Csanad Bishops of Csanád 12th-century Hungarian people 12th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Hungary