Foundation of the State II

Foundation of the State II

Stephen I

997-1038

(the only contemporary image about Stephen I)

Birthplace:

              Esztergom (Fehérvár?)

Open Ended

Education: “már gyermekkorában teljességgel átitatta a grammatika tudománya.” (Szent István király legendája Hartvik püspöktől)

What knowledge / education does this description suggest?

Succession to the throne:

In this scene, you will see Sarolt, Stephen and a group of Hungarians with a political agenda. What do they want?

Who was Stephen’s foremost antagonist?

What was the cause of the conflict?

Who could Stephen rely on?

              in this interpretation:

              in reality:

How did the conflict end?

Look at the map (15a).

Who else could threaten Stephen’s rule?

How could Stephen strengthen his position?

 

What force could he rely on?

Founding of the feudal kingdom of Hungary

Kingship - coronation:

       

What does Hartvic’s legend say about Stephen’s crown? Who sent it? Why?

In reality, who sent a symbol of power to Stephen? What was it?

Who supported Stephen’s coronation?

When was Stephen crowned?

The crown:

How many parts does the crown have?

Which part might originate from the 11^th century?

What is the significance of Stephen’s coronation?

Foreign Policy: (map 15a)

Mostly peaceful, some victorious campaigns

Conrad II Holy Roman Emperor’s attack on Hungary in 1030

            “scorched earth tactic”

Government

Stephen organized royal counties.

Watch the extract from the documentary. What was his goal with changing the earlier governmental structure?

Look at the chart (TK.p.127) and answer the questions about the royal counties.

How much of the land belonged to the king?

Who owned the remaining parts?

 

Who was the official in charge of the counties?

 

Counties were divided into three parts:

1. udvarbirtokok – royal estates

Who lived there? What was its purpose?

2. várbirtokok – royal estates

Who lived there? What was its purpose?

3. vitézek földjei – estates of knights

Who lived there? What was its purpose?

 

Look at the chart of the government. (TK.p.128)

What revenues did Stephen have?

What expenses did Stephen have?

Who held power and what power did they have?

1)

2)

The palatine was the king’s right-hand man, the second most powerful official in the country. Find what was the Hungarian name of this position. Palatine =

 

Open Ended

What similarities did Stehen's government had to Charlemagne's governement?

Which city became Stephen’s centre?

What other significance does this place obtain?

 

What coins were minted? How did they define its value?

 

What economic effect did Stephen’s monetary policy have? 

 

Read the source. What economic policy is described? 

“A vendégek s a jövevények akkora hasznot hajtanak, hogy méltán állhatnak a királyi méltóság hatodik helyén. Hiszen kezdetben úgy növekedett a római birodalom, úgy magasztaltattak fel és lettek dicsőségessé a római királyok, hogy sok nemes és bölcs áradt hozzájuk különb-különb tájakról. Róma bizony még ma is szolga volna, ha Aeneas sarjai nem teszik szabaddá. Mert amiként különb-különb tájakról és tartományokból jönnek a vendégek, úgy különb-különb nyelvet és szokást, különb-különb példát és fegyvert hoznak magukkal, s mindez az országot díszíti, az udvar fényét emeli, s a külföldieket a pöffeszkedéstől elrettenti. Mert az egy nyelvű és egy szokású ország gyenge és esendő. Ennélfogva megparancsolom neked, fiam, hogy a jövevényeket jóakaratúan gyámolítsad és becsben tartsad, hogy nálad szívesebben tartózkodjanak, mintsem másutt lakjanak.” (Szent István király intelmei Imre herceghez – Admonitions)

Legislation

Two Law books + Admonitions

Significance: