The Eighth Tribe, 1978 (5. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1978-02-01 / 2. szám
February, 1978 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 13 PROBLEMS OF SUCCESSION By the 1030’s, the internal and external triumphs of King Stephen should have made him a contented man. But this was not to be. His final years were embittered by the death of his only son and heir St. Emeric (Imre), and by the rivalry for his throne. St. Emeric, who had been reared by the Italian St. Gerard (Gellert), and who, contrary to popular Hungarian traditions, had not taken a vow of chastity, was killed by a wild boar in 1031. (Bogyay, Stephanus, 39.) This tragedy poisoned the old king’s final years, and obliged him to turn to his relative Vászoly (Vazul) as a possible successor, even though the latter appeared to sympathize with the old pagan traditions. An attempt at St. Stephen’s life, in which Vászoly was implicated, however, ended in Vászoly’s blinding (a common practice in medieval Europe) and in his expulsion from the country. This resulted in St. Stephen naming his nephew, Peter Orseolo, the son of his sister and of the Doge of Venice, as his heir. Peter, however, proved to be an unworthy successor. ST. STEPHEN AND HISTORY Although during the past few decades some of the naive exponents of the so-called Turanian and Sumerian orientation in Hungarian historiography have denounced St. Stephen for Christianization and “Europeanization” of his people, Magyar national traditions and acknowledged historians have never doubted his greatness as a ruler. He was a worthy contemporary to such other great rulers as Emperor Henry II the Saint, Kanute the Great of Dänemark, Yaroslaw the Wise of Kiev, and Boleslaw the Brave of Poland. In addition to being a great and noble person, he was also a great realist in politics. Along with his father Géza, he recognized the benefits of Christian Civilization. He also realized that without joining the ranks of the Christian nations, the Magyars would be unable to retain their nationhood in Europe, but would follow the way of the Scythians, Huns, Avars and many others into oblivion. Having recognized this, he carried through the Christianization of his people with an iron will, but also with a human touch. (As compared to the general practices in contemporary society, his alleged overt acts are insignificant.) It was King St. Stephen who finally molded the Magyar tribes into a “Magyar nation,” and made the Kingdom of Hungary into a permanent member of the European community of nations. It is a pity that his immediate successor could not measure up to the standards of this great monarch. (In addition to the St. Stephen biographies already cited, see also Somogyi, Szent István, 33-40; and Erdélyi, Ötven historikus, 188-203.) 88 Now available from Bethlen Press: “A Condensed Geography of Hungary” 80 pages with maps, pictorial illustrations and other valuable information. $5.00 plus 75 cents postage Hungarians in the U. S. An Immigration Study 84 pages with maps showing the Hungarian population in the U.S. Published 1967 by Leslie Könnyű $4.00 plus 50 cents postage - each. Our Youth on Spotlight . . . Debra Nemeth and Victor Nemeth who are the children of Mr. and Mrs. Tibor Nemeth of Somerset, N. J., are in the advertising business for the last three years. Debbie is 9 years old and Victor is 8 years old. So far Debbie has made 24 TV commercials and Victor 4. Debra’s commercials included numerous commercials for various toy companies. Her latest nationwide TV commercial will be for “Swanson Fried Chicken”. Victor also oppeared in toy commercials, including the advertisement of the “Six Million Dollar Man” toy.
