Émeric of Hungary

the Prince Émeric , in Hungarian Imre , German Emmerich , also called Henricus (Székesfehérvár, 1007 (1000?) - Veszprém, September 2nd 1031) was the son of holy Etienne, first Christian king of Hungary and Gisele of Bavaria. He had as a tutor the monk Benedictine Gerard (Gellert), future bishop of Csanád, that Etienne would have retained of a Holy Land pilgrimage so that he ensures the education of his son.

The image of a prince-monk

We have a anonymous Vita of Émeric, written about the year 1100, with the contents to tell the truth disappointing. By taking model on the emperor Henri II, the hagiographal one paints us a prince-monk who saw in a rigorous continence at the sides of his young wife and attends assiduously the Benedictines of Pannonhalma that it affectionate for their chastity; it would have had particularly in friendship the monk Maur, future bishop of Pécs. This text inspired later the traditional iconography of Émeric, often represented on tables baroques, a lily with the hand.

To prepare it with the royalty, his/her father would have composed for him a collection of Instructions - extremely pious - whose Church of Hungary makes great case, but whose authenticity is very doubtful with the eyes of the historians. This Libellum of institutione morum AD Emericum ducem is a “Mirror of the traditional prince” where the councils of good government are lavished: above all to preserve its faith, not to sink in tyranny by arrogance, to choose intelligent and experienced advisers, to remain patient, modest, miséricordieux, just…

Preparation with the royalty

The marriage

If the faith and the ascetic tendencies of Émeric are out of doubt, it prepared nevertheless with its royal functions. Towards 1023, it was married (or at least been engaged) with a badly identified young woman (the sources do not agree). It was perhaps a relationship of the emperor Basile II, a Polish princess or even a Croat, girl of Kresimir III. It would be for it that would have been founded the female abbey of Veszprémvölgy in Transdanubie, where the Byzantine rite was practiced. The first charter of the monastery, written in Greek, mentions Etienne like founder, but it is not dated and its authenticity is doubtful.

The Germanic crisis

After the death of the emperor Henri II, in 1024, the relationships of Hungary with Germany were envenimèrent. A solid theory not very explains the situation by a possible attempt at Etienne to propose the candidature of Émeric like Duc of Bavaria: after all, he was more close relative of the last emperor than was to it Conrad II. This one, in any case, attacked Hungary in 1030 and was demolishes. Émeric, placed at the head of the foreign mercenaries of the army, especially of the Varègues, took part in the engagements.

Died and sanctification

Émeric died prematurely in 1031, killed, says one, by a wild boar during a shooting party.
It was buried in the church of Székesfehérvár (Alba Regalis) rested by his/her father, where this one joined it later seven years.

In 1083, under the reign of holy Ladislas and the pontificate of Gregoire VII, the relics of the father and the son was jointly high, which was equivalent to a canonization. Fifty years after the death of the king, this ceremony definitively installed it in its image of founder and affirmed with glare that the difficult christianization of the Hungarians from now on was acquired.

The public worship of Émeric was organized at once by Ladislas and the monks clunisiens. In 1093 an abbey was founded under its patronage in forest of Igfon, close to the supposed place of the accident. It was accommodated in the Roman Martyrologe at dated November 4th.

At the time modern, the Hungarian authorities on several occasions sought to make of Émeric a kind of owner of the Americans, because the first name of Vespucci, Amerigo, is an Italian form of its name.

A “portrait” of Émeric

The Hungarian National museum has a contemporary portrait of Émeric on a Byzantine silk crimson gibe which was embroidered of gold by his/her mother: a chasuble which was given in 1031 to the basilica of Székesfehérvàr. Perhaps it had been initially intended to be used as Manteau of crowning for the heir. It is of course difficult to say if this capped glabrous face of a hat, this broad nose, these eyebrows rounded are well those of the prince.

References

(lat) Acta Sanctorum… Novembris, II/1 - Brussels, 1894. - The complete records of Emeric saint, published by the care of the father Poncelet, occupy pages 477 to 491.
Vie of the Saints and Happy… by the RR. PP. Benedictines of Paris, volume 11 - Paris, 1954 - Note with some additional references, page 127.
Cevins, Marie-madeleine of. - Holy Etienne of Hungary - Paris, Beech, 2004.

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