The Kingdom of Hungary came into existence in Central Europe when Stephen I, Grand Prince of the Hungarians, was crowned king in 1000 or 1001. He reinforced central authority and forced his subjects to accept Christianity. Although all written sources emphasize only the role played by German and Italian knights and clerics in the process, a significant part of the Hungarian vocabulary for agriculture, religion, and state matters was taken from Slavic languages. Civil wars and pagan uprisings, along with attempts by the Holy Roman emperors to expand their authority over Hungary, jeopardized the new monarchy. The monarchy stabilized during the reigns of Ladislaus I (1077–1095) and Coloman (1095–1116). These rulers occupied Croatia and Dalmatia with the support of a part of the local population. Both realms retained their autonomous position. The successors of Ladislaus and Coloman—especially Béla II (1131–1141), Béla III (1176–1196), Andrew II (1205–1235), and Béla IV (1235–1270)—continued this policy of expansion towards the Balkan Peninsula and the lands east of the Carpathian Mountains, transforming their kingdom into one of the major powers of medieval Europe.
Rich in uncultivated lands, silver, gold, and salt deposits, Hungary became the preferred destination of mainly German, Italian, and French colonists. These immigrants were mostly peasants who settled in villages, but some were craftsmen and merchants, who established most of the cities of the Kingdom. Their arrival played a key role in the shaping of an urban lifestyle, habits, and culture in medieval Hungary. The location of the kingdom at the crossroads of international trade routes favored the coexistence of several cultures. Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance buildings and literary works written in Latin prove the predominantly Roman Catholic character of the culture; but Orthodox, and even non-Christian ethnic minority communities also existed. Latin was the language of legislation, administration and the judiciary, but 'linguistic pluralism' contributed to the survival of many tongues, including a great variety of Slavic dialects.
History of Hungary
References
- Barta, István; Berend, Iván T.; Hanák, Péter; Lackó, Miklós; Makkai, László; Nagy, Zsuzsa L.; Ránki, György (1975). Pamlényi, Ervin (ed.). A history of Hungary. Translated by Boros, László; Farkas, István; Gulyás, Gyula; Róna, Éva. London: Collet's. ISBN 9780569077002.
- Engel, Pál; Ayton, Andrew (2001). The Realm of St Stephen: A History of Medieval Hungary, 895-1526. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-0-85773-173-9.
- Engel, Pál (1990). Glatz, Ferenc; Burucs, Kornélia (eds.). Beilleszkedés Európába a kezdetektől 1440-ig. Vol. Magyarok Európában I. Budapest: Háttér Lapkiadó és Könykiadó. p. 97. ISBN 963-7403-892.
- Benda, Kálmán (1988). Hanák, Péter (ed.). One Thousand Years: A Concise History of Hungary. Budapest: Corvina. ISBN 978-9-63132-520-1.
- Cartledge, Bryan (2012). The Will to Survive: A History of Hungary. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-23170-225-6.
- Curta, Florin (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-52181-539-0.
- Evans, R.J.W. (2008). Austria, Hungary, and the Habsburgs: Central Europe c.1683-1867. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199541621.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19954-162-1.
- Frucht, Richard (2000). Encyclopedia of Eastern Europe: From the Congress of Vienna to the Fall of Communism. New York City: Garland Publishing. ISBN 978-0-81530-092-2.
- Hanák, Peter & Held, Joseph (1992). 'Hungary on a fixed course: An outline of Hungarian history'. In Held, Joseph (ed.). The Columbia history of Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century. New York City: Columbia University Press. pp. 164–228. ISBN 978-0-23107-696-8. Covers 1918 to 1991.
- Hoensch, Jörg K. (1996). A History of Modern Hungary, 1867–1994. Translated by Kim Traynor (2nd ed.). London, UK: Longman. ISBN 978-0-58225-649-1.
- Janos, Andrew (1982). The Politics of backwardness in Hungary: 1825-1945. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-69107-633-1.
- Knatchbull-Hugessen, C.M. (1908). The Political Evolution of the Hungarian Nation. London, UK: The National Review Office. (Vol.1 & Vol.2)
- Kontler, László (2002). A History of Hungary: Millennium in Central Europe. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-40390-317-4.
- Macartney, C. A. (1962). Hungary, A Short History. Edinburgh University Press.
- Molnár, Miklós (2001). A Concise History of Hungary. Translated by Anna Magyar. Cambridge Concise Histories. ISBN 978-0521667364.
- Sinor, Denis (1976) [1959]. History of Hungary. New York City: Frederick A. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 978-0-83719-024-2.
- Stavrianos, L. S. (2000) [1958]. Balkans Since 1453 (4th ed.). New York University Press. ISBN 0-8147-9766-0.
- Sugar, Peter F.; Hanák, Péter; Frank, Tibor, eds. (1994). A History of Hungary. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-20867-X.
- Várdy, Steven Béla (1997). Historical Dictionary of Hungary. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-81083-254-1.
- Elekes, Lajos; Lederer, Emma; Székely, György (1961). Magyarország története az őskortól 1526-ig (PDF). Vol. Magyarország története I. Budapest: Tankönyvkiadó.
- Kristó, Gyula (1998). Magyarország története, 895-1301. Budapest: Osiris.
- Vékony, Gábor (2000). Dacians, Romans, Romanians. Matthias Corvinus Publishing. ISBN 1-882785-13-4.