Early Medieval Period (1000 – 1301)

The Hungarian Kingdom began with the coronation of the first Hungarian king, (Saint) Stephen I of the Árpád dynasty. (Szent-István was originally called Vajk and the Hungarians celebrate his memories on the 20^th of august, which is also the day of celebration for the new bread.) The coronation took place around 1000 in Esztergom, after he (with help from Bavaria) defeated another claimant to the throne, namely his pagan uncle, Kopány. (There is a famous rock opera / musical of the coronation and the rivalry between István and Koppány, which is called ´István a király´ and it is one of my favorite musicals which I would love to recommend but unfortunately – as long as I know- it is only in Hungarian.)

By 1006 Stephen had defeated all his rivals, both those who supported an alliance with the Byzantine Empire and those who kept pagan traditions. One of the most prominent deeds of Stephen I is the conversion to Christianity and the foundation of the Apostolic Kingdom. He is the founder and consequently, the official land father for the Hungarians. Furthermore, Stephen I also introduced a new administrative system based on counties (megye) and changed the official language of the country to Latin. In addition, he also adopted feudal reforms and ordered the construction of cathedrals, churches, and monasteries.

Béla III (1172–1192) was the most powerful and the wealthiest king of the Árpád dynasty, and he was the first monarch to use the “double-cross” as a symbol of the royal power in the Hungarian Kingdom. Although the origin of the “double-cross” can be traced back to the Byzantine Empire, it was later used by the Anjou and hence, it is also known as the “cross of Anjou”. The breakup of the Byzantine Empire and its diminishing influence in the Balkan was a result of the Hungarian Kingdom´s expansion during the rule of Béla III.  

King Andrew II (II. András, also known as Andrew of Jerusalem 1205–1235) inherited the throne after the death of his nephew, King Ladislaus III. In the following, in 1211, he granted Burzenland, Transylvania, to the Teutonic Knights (a catholic military order founded in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1192) but, in 1225, he expelled the Knights and, as a consequence, they moved to the Baltic Sea. King Andrew II was generally known for his generosity since he often donated property to faithful royal servants. These servants were not only freemen, but they also were subordinate only to the king.

In 1222, after the pressure from the diet of Fehérvár (an assembly of nobles), King Andrew II issued the Golden Bull (Aranybulla; also called edict). The Golden Bull is the first constitution in Europe to limit the power of the monarch while also affirming the rights of the smaller nobles. According to the ´Doctrine of the Holy Crown´ (one of the most important legal principles), sovereignty belonged to the noble nation as it was represented by the crown, in which all citizens enjoyed equal power. However, this wasn´t unrestricted. Nevertheless, Hungary became the first in Europe where the parliament won dominance over the kingship.

In 1224, King Andrew II even promulgated special privileges for the Transylvanian Saxons with the help of the Diploma Andreanum, and, in the history of the Crusades; it was also he who managed to raise the largest royal army.

King Béla IV (1235-1270) regained the royal power. Nevertheless, his kingdom did not stand the Mongol invasion (1241-1242), and the upcoming kings of the Árpádian dynasty constantly struggled with internal conflicts. The male bloodline of the Árpáds ended in 1301 with the death of King Andrew III (1290-1301), and until Matthias Corvinus, the rulers of Hungary were cognate or matrilineal descendants of Árpáds.