page_title: Robert, Archbishop of Esztergom
section_title: Persecution of non-Christians
hierarchical_section_title: Robert, Archbishop of Esztergom / Archbishop of Esztergom / Persecution of non-Christians
context_page_description: Robert was a French-born prelate in the Kingdom of Hungary in the first decades of the 13th century. He was Archbishop of Esztergom between 1226 and 1239 and Bishop of Veszprém from 1209 till 1226. He played a decisive role in the establishment of the short-lived Diocese of Cumania. He was sharply opposed to the employment of Jews and Muslims in the administration of the royal revenues. He even put Hungary under interdict to force Andrew II of Hungary to dismiss his non-Christian officials.
context_section_description: Robert pledged to participate in Emperor Frederick II's crusade in 1227. But, instead, he had to postpone his intention of travel to the Holy Land; the nearly contemporaneous Alberic of Trois-Fontaines recorded that a Cuman chieftain's son visited Robert in 1227, asking the archbishop to baptize him together with his 12 retainers. The Cuman nobleman also announced that his father was willing to come to Transylvania to be baptized along with his 2,000 subjects. Archbishop Robert accepted the offer and went to Transylvania, together with three Hungarian prelates, Bartholomew of Pécs, Bartholomew of Veszprém and Raynald of Belleville, Bishop of Transylvania. They met the Cuman chieftain, who was one "Boricius, fourth in rank among the major Cuman leaders", according to the chronicle of the Frisian Emo. At the meeting, the Hungarian prelates baptized Boricius and his retainers in the presence of Duke Béla.
  Pope Gregory IX expressed his joy over the missionaries' success in "Cumania" and in the neighboring "land of the Brodniks" in a letter to Robert on 31 July 1227. Upon his request, the pope officially appointed Robert as papal legate (legatus a latere) to Cumania (i.e. the southwest of Moldavia). With the consent of the Roman Curia, Robert was mandated to baptize local Cumans and raise churches (also ordain priests for those). The conversion of thousands of Cumans was followed by the creation of the Diocese of Cumania. According to Alberic of Trois-Fontaines, Archbishop Robert consecrated Dominican friar Theodoric as bishop of the new diocese in 1228. Pope Gregory confirmed the consecration and urged the head of the Hungarian Dominicans to send new missionaries to the Cumans, and praised Duke Béla who had decided to visit Cumania in the company of Archbishop Robert. In Cumania, Robert carried out his mandate of papal legate in the interest of the Holy See (as he contributed to the political, territorial and spiritual expansion of the Christian faith), neglecting the Hungarian monarch's need for take an active role. The Hungarian royal court were limited to grant military support to Robert. The Christianization of the Cumans was an important political gain for Pope Gregory. Initially the Diocese of Cumania was subordinated to the archbishopric of Esztergom, but on 13 September 1229 the pope exempted the Diocese of Cumania of the authority of the Archbishops of Esztergom, subjecting its bishop directly to the Holy See, as the relationship between the Cumans and their priests was often tense during Robert's supervision. Four years after his first mission, Robert was again mandated to Cumania with the same goal in 1231. However, the result of his second mandate is unknown.
  The employment of Jews and Muslims to administer the royal revenues led Robert and the other subordinated prelates into conflict with King Andrew II. According to Pope Gregory's letter ("the news reached us from the report made by you"), Robert made a complaint about Andrew to the Roman Curia, because the king continued to employ Jews and Muslims despite his former conflict with the Holy See over the issue. On 3 March 1231, Gregory authorized the archbishop (legate natus) to perform acts of religious censure to persuade Andrew to dismiss his non-Christian officials. Robert could there-fore excommunicate anyone who proceeded against the hierocratic (pro-papal) policy. The primatial privilege of the Archbishop of Esztergom was also reaffirmed by the pope, entitling his right to celebrate the coronation of the Hungarian monarch. Under duress, Andrew issued a Golden Bull in 1231, which confirmed that Muslims were banned from employment, and empowered the Archbishop of Esztergom to excommunicate the king if he failed to honor the provisions of the new Golden Bull. The document emphasizes specifically coinage among the public offices forbidden to non-Christians (Jews and Muslims), as the royal mint was located in Esztergom and was part of the privileges of its archbishop.
  Although Andrew pledged to respect the privileges of the clergymen and to dismiss his non-Chr
caption: Pope Gregory IX, who confirmed the establishment of the Diocese of Cumania
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