First king of Hungary of the dynasty arpadienne, holy Etienne Ier of Hungary or Szent István is the founder of the kingdom of Hungary.

Vajk or " Vaïk" of its true name, wire of Géza, “duke of the Magyars”, converts with the Roman Catholicism with his/her father towards the ten years age (985) and then takes for Christian name the name of Etienne ( István in Hungarian). He is educated by Adalbert of Prague and his disciples who organize the Hungarian Église. He marries the girl of the duke Henri II of Bavaria, Gisele, also regarded as holy, fine 995 or beginning 996, then becomes “duke of the Magyars” with died of his father in 997.

Crowning as king de Hongrie and Affermissement of the capacity

After having subdued a revolt of the pagan aristocracy Magyar led by the chief Koppany (998), Etienne is crowned king de Hongrie the day of Christmas of the year 1000 with a crown sent by the pope Sylvestre II (what makes it qualify apostolic king ) and with the assent of the Germanic emperor Otton III. The crown is brought by the legate Aserik, or Anastase, future archbishop of Esztergom. Another prelate, Domonkos, first Hungarian bishop, take part in the ceremony.

Etienne defends the independence of Hungary against the close Bulgares and the Germanic emperor Conrad II Salic the (he declares vassal the Holy See). His/her sisters marry one, a Bulgarian prince, the other, the son of the doge of Venice Pierre Orseolo.

Christianization

It imposes the Christianity in Hungary: it accommodates missionaries and must frequently fight the pagan Magyars as at the time of the revolt led by the chief Ajtony (v. 1003). It creates évêchés archbishop's palaces (Kalocsa and Esztergóm) and eight. It abolishes the tribal system of its people and transforms the territories of the clans into counties ( megye ), based around a Fortified town and having at their head a ispan . Two thirds of the population and the grounds depend thus directly on the king, who makes great donations with the churches and the monasteries. The king and his court move in the royal residences, in particular the fortresses of Esztergom ( Gran ) and Székesfehérvár (Stuhlweissenburg). Etienne controls with the assistance of the Council, composed inter alia archbishop of Esztergom and the palatine one ( nádor ).

The christianization of the country is slow and hard: the Hungarians must give up to them primitive shamanism, to accept the baptism under the threat of the weapons, and of the royal decrees oblige them to build churches, to go to the offices and to nourish the priests. Etienne makes come from the ecclesiastics such, tutor of the king and bishop of Csanad, writer famous and creative of schools for the Large ones of the kingdom. The Byzantine influence is maintained in Transylvania until the 13th century, when the monks basiliens are Latinized. In addition, at the time of their marriages with Russian princesses where Byzantines, the Hungarian kings do not hesitate to found Byzantine monasteries, which makes Etienne at the time of the weddings between a girl of the Basileus and its son Émeric ( Imre in Hungarian), who dies before him.

Conquests

Etienne joins together Transylvania with the kingdom (1003 - 1006).

Succession

Á the death of his/her son and single heir Émeric (1031), it makes burst the eyes and lead the ears of his/her cousin Vazul, elder prince of the dynasty arpadienne, and exile its sons in Poland for the évincer of the succession. It designates as heir Pierre, the Venetian son of his sister.

He dies the August 15th 1038. Hungary then knows a half-century of disorders caused by the fight for the capacity, the various applicants with the throne calling upon the Byzantine emperors or the Germanic emperors. Pierre Orseolo, wire of the doge de Venise, disputes the throne with his cousin Samuel Aba, wire of a Bulgarian prince.

Holiness

Husband of holy, father of a saint (Émeric), it is him even recognized like saint and honoured the September 2nd. The empress Marie-Therese Ire of Hungary instituted in her honor, in 1764, the Ordre of Saint Etienne.

External bonds