= Saint Stephen I = '''Stephen I''' (''Istvan'') was the founding king of [[Hungary/Monarchs#Kingdom_of_Hungary|Hungary]] and a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. <> ---- == History == Stephen was the only son and preferred heir of '''Geza''', grand prince of the Hungarian tribes. Geza arranged his marriage to the daughter of the duke of Bavaria, '''Henry II'''. At some point he was baptized. Following Geza's death, Stephen was declared grand prince by his supporters in [[Hungary/Esztergom|Esztergom]]. His uncle '''Koppany''' contested the claim as the senior [[Hungary/Monarchs#Arpad|Arpad]] heir, and by levirate marriage. Stephen won through the support of foreign powers, especially [[WorldHistory/HolyRomanEmpire|Swabian]] and/or [[Slovakia|Slovak]] knights. [[WorldHistory/HolyRomanEmpire/OttoIII|Otto III]] and/or [[WorldHistory/CatholicChurch|Sylvester II]] raised Stephen to [[Hungary/Monarchs#Kingdom_of_Hungary|king of Hungary]]. ---- == Reign == Stephen organized the borderlands into a series of castle districts led by appointed ''ispans''. The kingdom was also divided into administrative counties. These titles were often held together, and over time the roles merged under the latter term. Stephen spread Christianity throughout the new kingdom. Bishoprics were established; most importantly an archbishopric was established in [[Hungary/Esztergom|Esztergom]]. Clergy were invited to the kingdom under his protection. Public pagan rituals were forbidden. To the west, Stephen maintained peace for much of his reign. His brother-in-law '''Henry II''' (son of the aforementioned duke with the same name) was elected [[WorldHistory/HolyRomanEmpire|Holy Roman Emperor]] early on. After Henry II died in 1024, '''Conrad II''' took a more bellicose policy. Border skirmishes in Bavaria led to the cession of lands to the kingdom of Hungary. To the south, his policy seems to have centered on maintaining positive relations with the Byzantine Empire at the expense of the Slavs. He joined with '''Basil II''' (''the "Bulgar Slayer"'') in his conquest of [[Bulgaria/Monarchs#First_Bulgarian_Empire|Bulgaria]]. To the north, Stephen unsuccessfully warred with [[Poland/BoleslawI|Bolesław I]]. Towards the end of his reign, Stephen moved the capital to [[Hungary/Szekesfehervar|Szekesfehervar]]. His son, '''St. Emeric''', died unexpectedly in 1031. To avoid a reversion into paganism under his cousins, he designated his nephew '''Peter Orseolo''' as the preferred heir. Stephen died on August 15, 1038. He would be canonized as a saint on August 15, 1083 (simultaneously with Emeric, his son, and '''Gellert''', bishop of Csanad). ---- == Legacy == The [[Hungary/Monarchs#Arpad|Arpad dynasty]] continued to dominate Hungarian politics for centuries. Even after the male line ended, other dynasties asserted claims based on the female line. After a short succession war, '''Peter Orseolo''' did win the throne. He was quickly overthrown in the '''Vata pagan uprising''', which also saw the martyrdom of some of the early clergy that Stephen I brought to Hungary. Notably '''St. Gellert''' (more commonly known as Gerard), the founding bishop of Csanad, was killed in [[Hungary/Budapest|Buda]]. It would remain unclear for centuries whether the new [[Hungary/Monarchs#Kingdom_of_Hungary|kingdom of Hungary]] owed suzerainty to either or both of the [[WorldHistory/HolyRomanEmpire|Holy Roman Empire]] or the [[WorldHistory/CatholicChurch|Catholic Church]]. Over time, Hungarian politics became increasingly tied to Holy Roman Empire politics. Being at the frontier of the [[WorldHistory/OttomanEmpire|Ottoman Empire]], kings of Hungary plead for assistance on the basis of Christendom and answered calls to crusade. ---- CategoryRicottone