Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians

Géza (c. 940 – 997), also Gejza, was Grand Prince of the Hungarians from the early 970s. He was the son of Grand Prince Taksony and his Oriental—Khazar, Pecheneg or Volga Bulgarian—wife. He married Sarolt, a daughter of an Eastern Orthodox Hungarian chieftain. After ascending the throne, Géza made peace with the Holy Roman Empire. Within Hungary, he consolidated his authority with extreme cruelty, according to the unanimous narration of nearly contemporaneous sources. He was the first Hungarian monarch to support Christian missionaries from Western Europe. Although he was baptised (his baptismal name was Stephen), his Christian faith remained shallow and he continued to perform acts of pagan worship. He was succeeded by his son Stephen, who was crowned the first King of Hungary in 1000 or 1001.

Early life

Géza was the elder son of

Geyza, who was strict and cruel, acting in a domineering way, as it were, with his own people, but compassionate and generous with strangers, especially with Christians, although [he was] still entangled in the rite of paganism. At the approach of the light of spiritual grace, he began to discuss peace attentively with all the neighboring provinces ... Moreover, he laid down a rule that the favor of hospitality and security be shown to all Christians wishing to enter his domains. He gave clerics and monks leave to enter his presence; he offered them a willing hearing, and delighted them in the germination of the seed of true faith sown in the garden of his heart.

— Hartvic: Life of King Stephen of Hungary^[13]

A record on one Bishop Prunwart in the Abbey of Saint Gall mentions his success in baptising many Hungarians, including their "king".^[11] The nearly contemporaneous Thietmar of Merseburg confirms that the conversion to Christianity of the pagan Hungarians started under Géza,^[14] who became the first Christian ruler of Hungary.^[10] His baptismal name was Stephen.^[4] However, Géza continued to observe pagan cults, which proves that his conversion to Christianity was never complete.^[15] Kristó and other historians have said that the first Roman Catholic diocese in Hungary, with its seat in Veszprém, was set up in Géza's reign,^[4] but their view has not been unanimously accepted.^[16][17] A charter issued during his son's reign states that Géza was the founder of the Benedictine Pannonhalma Archabbey.^[18][19]

[Géza] was very cruel and killed many people because of his quick temper. When he became a Christian, however, he turned his rage against his reluctant subjects, in order to strengthen this faith. Thus, glowing with zeal for God, he washed away his old crimes. He sacrificed both to the omnipotent God and to various false gods. When reproached by his priest for doing so, however, he maintained that the practice had brought him both wealth and great power.

— Thietmar of Merseburg: Chronicum^[20]

Taking advantage of

The following family tree presents Géza's ancestry and his offspring.[27]

*Whether Menumorut is an actual or an invented person is debated by modern scholars.
**A Khazar or Pecheneg lady.
***Samuel Aba might have been Géza's grandson instead of his son-in-law.
****The Aba family descending from them still flourished in the 14th century.

References

Sources

Primary sources

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