The first mention of the Magyar people in writing dates from the
830s AD, but the history of the Magyars is known quite accurately
only from 895, when they arrived in the Carpathian basin. In this
year, the troops of Prince Árpád pushed into areas
currently called the Great Plains and Transylvania, and they had
conquered the entire Carpathian basin by the year 900. The different
peoples that used to live here were all melted into the Magyars
who drew the entire area under their rule. Ever since this original
settlement, the history of the Magyars has been organically connected
to European history. After the conquest of the Carpathian basin,
the most important question for the Magyars was how they would
be able to find their place among the many European states being
formed at the time. Following an era of incursions and raids, it
was Hungary's first king, Stephen - today respected as a saint
-, who provided an answer to this question. He was christened Stephen,
and became a ruler under this name in 997. He took the most important
step of his entire career shortly afterwards, when he established
the Christian kingdom. He asked for a crown from the Pope Sylvester
the 2nd and held the crowning ceremony in Esztergom on New Year's
Day of 1001. The ceremony followed the western traditions, and
Stephen the 1st received similar powers in Hungary as other European
rulers had in their own countries at the time. Similarly to other
kings, he was respected both as a secular person and as an ordained
priest, who possessed the rights to decide in matters of the church.
Due to this fact, King Stephen the 1st is not only considered the
founder of Hungarian state, but also the organiser of church in
the country.
The crown Stephen received from Rome has not survived, the Saint
Crown that is traditionally connected to Stephen - and which is
currently on display in the Houses of Parliament - was assembled
from two parts at the end of the 12th century. The top part, called
the Latin crown, was probably made in that era, while the bottom
part including inscription in Greek originates from the 1070s.
The original insignia bestowed also by the Pope have not survived
either. The cloak originates from the era of Stephen, but it was
made in 1031, the sceptre is probably from the 13th century, and
it is definitely known that the orb is a masterpiece from the 14th
century.
King Stephen has been respected as a saint since 1083, and he is
unquestionably one of the greatest figures of Hungarian history
who determined the future of his country. He established the Christian
kingdom of Hungary, which actually meant Hungary as a country,
and he introduced the first laws. In short, his work resulted in
the fact that Hungary became irrevocably and definitively part
of a Christian Europe. Hence, the Millennium in Hungary is a celebration
of thousand years of Hungarian state in addition to an entry into
the third millennium.
The crown Stephen received from Rome has not survived, the Saint
Crown that is traditionally connected to Stephen - and which is
currently on display in the Houses of Parliament - was assembled
from two parts at the end of the 12th century. The top part, called
the Latin crown, was probably made in that era, while the bottom
part including inscription in Greek originates from the 1070s.
The original insignia bestowed also by the Pope have not survived
either. The cloak originates from the era of Stephen, but it was
made in 1031, the sceptre is probably from the 13th century, and
it is definitely known that the orb is a masterpiece from the 14th
century.