Who was Árpád, the founding father of Hungary?
Árpád was the head of the confederation of the Hungarian tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or kende of the Hungarians, or their military leader or gyula, although most details of his life are debated by historians. Many Hungarians refer to him as the "founder of our country", and Árpád's preeminent role in the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin has been emphasized by some later chronicles. The dynasty descending from Árpád ruled the Kingdom of Hungary until 1301.
The Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus 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, Álmos. In Porphyrogenitus's narration, the Khazar khagan initiated the centralization of the command of the Hungarian tribes in order to strengthen his own suzerainty over them. Árpád was made "prince according to the custom ... of the Chazars, by lifting him upon a shield." Around 894 AD, encouraged by the Byzantines, a Hungarian army crossed the Danube on Byzantine ships to attack Bulgaria. The Hungarian army defeated the Bulgarians, but the latter hired the Pechenegs against them. The Bulgarians and Pechenegs simultaneously invaded the Hungarians' dwelling territories in the western regions of the Pontic steppes.
The destruction of their dwelling places caused the Hungarians to leave for a new homeland across the Carpathian Mountains towards the Pannonian Plain. The Illuminated Chronicle says that Árpád's father Álmos "could not enter Pannonia, for he was killed in Erdelw" or Transylvania. Historians who accept the reliability of this report, write that Álmos's death was a ritual murder, similar to the sacrifice of the Khazar khagans. The last mention of Álmos in the contrasting narration of the Gesta Hungarorum is connected to a siege of Ungvár (now Uzhhorod, Ukraine) by the Hungarians. The latter chronicle says that Álmos appointed Árpád "as leader and master" of the Hungarians on this occasion. Hungarian chronicles written centuries after the events—for instance, the Gesta Hungarorum and the Illuminated Chronicle—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. The date of Árpád's death is debated. The Gesta Hungarorum states that he died in 907. Many historians believe that he died at the Battle of Pressburg, but there is no proof for this. If the Gesta's 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, after the Christianization of Hungary. The village still existed during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus, but disappeared in the following tumultuous period.
The Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus 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, Álmos. In Porphyrogenitus's narration, the Khazar khagan initiated the centralization of the command of the Hungarian tribes in order to strengthen his own suzerainty over them. Árpád was made "prince according to the custom ... of the Chazars, by lifting him upon a shield." Around 894 AD, encouraged by the Byzantines, a Hungarian army crossed the Danube on Byzantine ships to attack Bulgaria. The Hungarian army defeated the Bulgarians, but the latter hired the Pechenegs against them. The Bulgarians and Pechenegs simultaneously invaded the Hungarians' dwelling territories in the western regions of the Pontic steppes.
The destruction of their dwelling places caused the Hungarians to leave for a new homeland across the Carpathian Mountains towards the Pannonian Plain. The Illuminated Chronicle says that Árpád's father Álmos "could not enter Pannonia, for he was killed in Erdelw" or Transylvania. Historians who accept the reliability of this report, write that Álmos's death was a ritual murder, similar to the sacrifice of the Khazar khagans. The last mention of Álmos in the contrasting narration of the Gesta Hungarorum is connected to a siege of Ungvár (now Uzhhorod, Ukraine) by the Hungarians. The latter chronicle says that Álmos appointed Árpád "as leader and master" of the Hungarians on this occasion. Hungarian chronicles written centuries after the events—for instance, the Gesta Hungarorum and the Illuminated Chronicle—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. The date of Árpád's death is debated. The Gesta Hungarorum states that he died in 907. Many historians believe that he died at the Battle of Pressburg, but there is no proof for this. If the Gesta's 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, after the Christianization of Hungary. The village still existed during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus, but disappeared in the following tumultuous period.
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