Századok – 2009

TANULMÁNYOK - Koszta László: A nyitrai püspökség létrejötte. (Nyitra egyháztörténete a 9-13. században) II/257

esztergomi főegyházmegyébe került, és a vidék egyházi központjának szánt szepesi prépostság felügyeletét is az érsek látta el. Valószínűnek tartom, hogy Nyitra javára azért volt hajlandó az érsekség az északnyugati határrészen lévő vidékről lemondani, mert a király támogatásával a Szepesség fölé kiterjeszthette az érsek hatalmát. így a 12. század végén a nyitrai egyházmegyéért mintegy cserében, kompenzációként a Szepességet kapta meg az érsekség. A 12. század végi egyházreform keretében így egy átfogó szervezeti rendezés is körvonalazódik Esztergomban. THE EMERGENCE OF THE BISHOPRIC OF NYITRA (Ecclesiatical History of Nyitra in the 9th to 13th Centuries) by László Koszta (Summary) Hungarian medievalists maintain that the bishopric of Nyitra was founded by king Kálmán at the end of the first decade of the 12th century as the 12th Hungarian diocese, subjected to the archbishopric of Esztergom. Slovak historians generally share this opinion, but they think that this foundation was but the reorganisation of the Moravian bishopric which had been established in 880. To support this view they generally refer to the continuity of the Saint Emmeram title. From the history of Nyitra in the 9th century it is impossible to prove that the church founded there before 830 or the bishopric established in 880 bore this title. The wife of Pribina and his son, Kocel did maintain relations with the monastery of Saint Emmeram at Regensburg, but these date from the period when their center was already at Mosaburg. At Nyitra the cult of Saint Emmeram can only be shown from the age of Saint Stephen. Anyway, the bishopric founded in 880 functioned for only a short period, its influence could consequently not be considerable. Nor can it be proved that the tradition of the Moravian duchy survived the Hungarian conquest, or that it provided the historical background for the 10-century duchy supposed by György Györffy. In fact, the institution of duchy was established in Hungary only around 1048. Indeed, the importance of Nyitra in the 10th century should not be seen in the institutional continuity of the Moravian duchy or of Moravian Christianity It was rather connected to the fact that after 955, when the end of western raids cut the constant influx of booty, the Arpáds increasingly turned towards long-distance trade as a source of revenue and a means of modernising their weaponry. It was through Nyitra that Prague, one of the centres of contemporary long-distance trade, could be reached from the new ducal court of Esztergom. It was consequently thanks to more intensive economic and commercial relations rather than to the Moravian continuity supposed by the Slovak historians that Nyitra grew in importance in the second half of the 10th century and gradually became one of the centres of the Arpáds. In the beginning of his reign Saint Stephen intended to strengthen his grip of the region, and settled the German followers of his wife as his staunt supporters there, among them Bavarian priests. The emergence of the Saint Emmeram church at Nyitra and of the monastery of Saint Hippolitus at Zobor was due to the support of the Bavarian church. The importance of the Saint Emmeram church in the castle of Nyitra is proved by the fact that the two holy hermits who lived in the region were buried there. Around 1048 Andrew I called back his younger brother, duke Béla from Poland, and divided his power with him. The dukedom thus established had two centres, Biharvár and Nyitra. At first Bihar seems to have been more important, but by the late 1050s Nyitra came to the foreground. The dukes organised their court upon the royal model, and set up a ducal chapel. Its centre became the Saint Emmeram church in the castle of Nyitra, alongside which a residential collegiate chapter was also organised on the model of the royal provostries. The chapter was founded in the middle of the 1060s, during the duchy of prince Géza. Its importance is born out by the fact that the hermits buried there were canonised in 1083 thanks to the support of dukes, later kings, Géza and László. During the reign of Kálmán a serious strife emerged between the king and prince Almos, eager to rule himself. Consequently, Kálmán wanted to suppress the duchy which had lost its