William Penn Life, 2000 (35. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2000-11-01 / 11. szám
by Barbara Kerékgyártó St. Stephen was the founder and organizer of the Hungarian state and the man who brought Christianity to his new state. But, these accomplishments were bom from much blood and sacrifice. Following the death of his father Geza, young Stephen became the prince of the Hungarians in 997, when he was in his late teens. The transfer of power was not easy. Koppány, the eldest in the princely family, deemed himself to be the rightful heir. Moreoever, he wanted to follow pagan tradition and marry Geza's widow. To get his authority recognized, Stephen had to take up arms. His army, led by German knights, won a bloody battle near the town of Veszprém. Koppány was killed and his bodied quartered. As a deterrent and warning, one piece each was sent to the towns of Esztergom, Veszprém and Győr and to Transylvania. Whether it was Stephen or his mother who ordered this act is still debated. The turn of the millennium was a turning point for Hungarians, as their land became an equal member of the European Christian community of states. Thanks to a joint decision by Otto II, the young Holy Roman emperor, and Pope Sylvester II, Stephen received a royal crown which he donned on Christmas of the year 1000 without becoming the vassal of either the emperor or the pope. This marked the beginning of the Christian Hungarian state. A new form of life emerged, casting aside the nomadic traditions. Laying down the law Stephen's coronation did not make him the de facto ruler of the entire country. This was attained only when his troops defeated Ajtony, whereupon the lord of Transylvania had to acknowledge the king. In his "Admonitions," written to his son Prince Imre, Stephen described what a king should be like. He tried to implement his principles in full. His greatest problem was finding a worthy successor, one who would continue his life's work. His son, Imre, died suddenly. He did not consider Vazul, his other son, to be a true Christian. Finally, he chose his nephew Peter as his successor. He took him to his court to acquaint him with the task waiting for him. It was not Stephen's fault that his good intentions were thwarted. Stephen regulated the state's order in laws which have survived in the form of two books. The laws, just like the Admonitions, drew on the experiences of Western Christian statehood while respecting local Hungarian conditions. Stephen enacted into law a number of religious convictions: a minimum of one church for every 10 towns; the obligation of keeping Sunday as a holy day; the obligation to attend church on that day; the observation of fasting periods; the strictures against eating meat on Fridays; and the obligation to confess one's sins before death. Building the Church The nomadic Hungarians knew something of wooden house building, but had no understanding of how to build large, stone churches. Many French, Italian and German masters arrived to aid in this task. Though King Stephen chose the Bavarian princess Gizella as his wife, and his royal crown originated from the Pope, his ties with the East remained very strong. Artistic evidence of this can be found not only in the various churches and Greek monasteries, but also in one of the greatest Hungarian relics, the bottom of the royal crown—the Corona Graeca-which was a gift from the Byzantine court in 1075. In 1038, after ruling for four decades, King Stephen died and was buried in the Basilica of Szekesfehervar, the town which became the royal ceremonial capital late in Stephen's life. Continued on Page 20 16 William Penn Lift, November 2000
