Magyar (Civ3)/Civilopedia

The Magyars were nomads related to the Huns and Avars and came originally from near Finland and Estonia. They settled north of the Black Sea and entered into service with the Byzantine Empire, making war on the Bulgars at Byzantine request. They then migrated from the Ukraine to escape the Pechenegs, who were attacking them at the behest of the Bulgars, and settled in the Danube River basin in 896 AD, under the rule of their Great Chief, Arpad. They were expert horsemen and terrifying warriors and conducted Viking-like raids on all the lands around them, but on horse, instead of by ship. They soon dominated the entire region, even laying siege to German cities and Constantinople itself.
In 997, Duke Geza, the Magyar leader, died and his son Istvan promptly and forcefully asserted his supremacy over the nation and several discontented elder relatives who disputed his right to the succession. Until this point, Magyar leadership had been elected by seniority in the ruling family, not passed on by primogeniture. In 1000 AD, Istvan asked Pope Sylvester II for a royal crown, which the Pope sent, thus recognizing him as the first Christian king of Hungary, King Stephen. During his 38-year reign, Stephen I consolidated the Magyar state under a group of powerful nobles using modified Carolingian administrative practices, completed conversion of the Magyars to Christianity, and allied the kingdom more closely with the West, most notably by marrying Otto the Great’s niece. Stephen was canonized in 1083, and the Crown of Saint Stephen became a symbol of Hungarian nationhood.
The thrones of Hungary and Croatia were united in 1091, and during the reign of Bela III (1173-1196) Hungary became the strongest state in east central Europe. The power of the monarchy declined under the weak rule of Andrew II, who was forced to grant a charter, called the Golded Bull, to the nobles, allowing them greater privileges. In 1241, the Mongols invaded and devastated the land, further weakening the Magyar monarchy. The last of the Arpad dynasty died in 1301, and most of Hungary’s rulers after that were foreigners.