Seven chieftains of the Magyars
The Seven chieftains of the Magyars (or Hungarians) were the leaders of the seven tribes of the Hungarians at the time of their arrival to the Carpathian Basin in 895 AD. Constantine VII, emperor of the Byzantine Empire names the seven tribes in his De Administrando Imperio, a list that can be verified with names of Hungarian settlements. The names of the chieftains, however, is not precisely known, as the chronicles include contradictory lists, some of which had been found to be false.
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[edit] Chieftains
Constantine VII does not give the names of the chieftains of the Hungarian tribes, but describes some aspects of the leadership.
[edit] According to Anonymus
A Hungarian chronicler known as Anonymus, author of Gesta Hungarorum, names the seven chieftains as:
- Álmos, father of Árpád
- Előd, father of Szabolcs
- Kend (Kond, Kund), father of Korcán (Kurszán)
- Ond, father of Ete
- Tas, father of Lél (Lehel)
- Huba
- Tétény (Töhötöm), father of Horka[disambiguation needed
]
Most probably all persons on this list were real and significant personalities, but the list, as that of the seven chieftains who started the conquest of the Carpathian Basin, is certainly false. [1]. Constantine VII names Tas as a grandson of Árpád. The relations of the early Hungarian leaders are subject of debate between historians.
[edit] According to Simon of Kéza
Hungarian chronicler Simon of Kéza names seven captains who led seven tribes:
- Árpád, son of Álmos, who was the son of Előd, who was the son of Ügyek
- Szabolcs
- Gyula
- Örs
- Künd, father of Kusid and Kupian
- Lél
- Vérbulcsú ("Blood-Bulcsú"), whose name's origin is that "his father was killed by Germans in the battle of Krimhild", and for revenge, "he drank the blood of some, like wine".
This list, having more legendary elements, is even less credible than that of Anonymus, only Árpád and Szabolcs match the time of the conquest.
[edit] References
- ^ Györffy György. István király és műve. Gondolat Budapest 1983. ISBN 963 281 221 2.
