This is a list of Hungarian monarchs; it includes the grand princes (895–1000) and the kings and ruling queens of Hungary (1000–1918).
The Hungarian Grand Principality was established around 895, following the 9th-century Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin. The Kingdom of Hungary existed from 1000–1001 with the coronation of King Saint Stephen. The Árpád dynasty, the male-line descendants of Grand Prince Árpád, ruled Hungary continuously from 895 to 1301. Christianity was adopted as the state religion for the Kingdom of Hungary by King Saint Stephen and the kings of the Árpád dynasty used the title of the apostolic king. The descendants of the dynasty gave the world the highest number of saints and blesseds from one family. Therefore, since the 13th century the dynasty has often been referred to as the "Kindred of the Holy Kings". The Árpád dynasty ruled the Carpathian Basin for four hundred years, influencing almost all of Europe through its extensive dynastic connections. The paternal lineage of the Árpád dynasty came to end in 1301 with the death of King Andrew III of Hungary, and all of the subsequent kings of Hungary (with the exception of King Matthias Corvinus) were cognatic descendants of the Árpád dynasty. In 1918, after World War I, King Charles IV "renounced participation" in state affairs, but did not abdicate. The Kingdom of Hungary existed as a country from 1920 to 1946, and officially represented the Hungarian monarchy, but in reality there was no king.
Chieftains before the Conquest (–895) The kende (sacral leader) and the gyula (military leader) were the titles of the two leaders in the dual leadership system of the early Hungarians. NameReign Portrait Arms BirthParentage Marriage(s)Issue DeathBurial NotesÜgyek / ElődLate 8th century┃Early 9th centurySecond half of the 8th centuryEmese of Dentumoger Álmos, Grand Prince of the Hungarians (c. 820)First half of the 9th centuryUnknownLevediEarly 9th centuryA Khazar princessÁlmosKende or Gyulac. 850┃c. 895c. 820Son of Chieftain Ügyek or Előd "most noble prince of Scythia" and Emese of Dentumoger Árpád, Grand Prince of the Hungarians (c. 845)c. 820TransylvaniaAged c. 75Unknown Grand Prince of the Hungarians Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian BasinKurszánKende or Gyula?┃c. 904c. 904Fischa RiverUnknown Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin
Grand Princes of Hungary (895–1000)
House of Árpád The ruling Árpád dynasty is also referred to as the Turul dynasty. According to medieval Hungarian chronicles, King Attila had the Turul bird on his shield and it was the military badge of the Hungarians until the time of Grand Prince Géza.
The king-list for the first half of the 10th century is often disputed, as the Hungarian nation consisted of several tribes led by various leaders. The most frequently proposed list is:
NameReign Portrait Arms BirthParentage Marriage(s)Issue DeathBurial NotesHouse of ÁrpádÁrpádKende or Gyulac. 895┃c. 907c. 845Son of Álmos, Grand Prince of the Hungarians Liüntika Tarkatzus Jelek Jutocsa Zoltán (c. 880)c. 907Aged c. 62Unknown Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian BasinZoltánc. 907┃c. 947c. 880Son of Árpád, Grand Prince of the HungariansMenumorut's daughter (?) Taksony, Grand Prince of the Hungarians (c. 931)c. 947UnknownFajszc. 947┃955Early 10th centurySon of Jutocsac. 955Unknown Grandson of Árpád, Grand Prince of the HungariansTaksonyc. 955┃c. 972c. 931Son of Zoltán, Grand Prince of the Hungarians and Menumorut's daughter (?)"A Cuman" lady (A Khazar, Pecheneg or Volga Bulgarian woman) Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians (c. 940) Michael (c. 960)c. 972Aged c. 41UnknownGézac. 972┃997c. 940Son of Taksony, Grand Prince of the HungariansSarolt, daughter of Gyula of Transylvania Judith Stephen, Grand Prince of the Hungarians (c. 975) Grimelda, Dogaressa of Venice Sarolta997Aged c. 52UnknownStephen997┃1000c. 975EsztergomSon of Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians and Sarolt, daughter of Gyula of TransylvaniaBlessed Gisela of Bavaria996 Otto (Before 1002) Saint Emeric, Prince of Hungary (c. 1007)15 August 1038Esztergom or SzékesfehérvárAged 62–63Royal Basilica, Székesfehérvár, Kingdom of Hungary Great-great-grandson of Árpád, Grand Prince of the Hungarians Asserted his claim to rule and united the lands dominated by Hungarian lords, defeating rival Hungarian chieftains Became the first King of Hungary
Kings of Hungary (1000–1918)
House of Árpád (1000–1301) Christianity was adopted as the state religion of the Kingdom of Hungary under King Saint Stephen, who became the first King of Hungary and was granted the title of Apostolic King. According to popular tradition, Stephen held up the crown before his death and consecrated himself and his kingdom to the Virgin Mary. Thereafter, Mary was depicted not only as the patron saint of the Kingdom of Hungary, but also as its queen. Stephen was crowned with the Holy Crown of Hungary, which symbolized the King's authority over the Lands of the Hungarian Crown and became a key mark of royal legitimacy. As the kingdom's coronation crown, it was used in the coronation of more than 50 kings throughout the history of Hungary.
The double cross, a symbol of royal power, appeared during the reign of King Béla III of Hungary (1172–1196). The Árpád dynasty's striped coat of arms, the Árpád stripes appeared for the first time on the ornate seal of the Golden Bull of King Emeric of Hungary (1196–1204), issued in 1202. NameReignCoronation Portrait Arms BirthParentage Marriage(s)Issue DeathBurial NotesHouse of Árpád (1000–1301)Stephen ISaint Stephen25 December 1000┃15 August 1038 25 December 1000Esztergom or Székesfehérvár c. 975EsztergomSon of Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians and Sarolt, daughter of Gyula of Transylvania Blessed Gisela of Bavaria996 Otto (Before 1002) Saint Emeric, Prince of Hungary (c. 1007) 15 August 1038Esztergom or SzékesfehérvárAged 62–63Royal Basilica, Székesfehérvár, Kingdom of Hungary First King of Hungary Christianity was adopted as the state religion for the Kingdom of Hungary Apostolic King Holy Crown of HungaryPeterPeter Orseolo or Peter the VenetianFirst reign15 August 1038┃September 1041 1038Székesfehérvár 1011VeniceSon of Otto Orseolo, Doge of Venice and Grimelda, daughter of Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians Judith of Schweinfurtc. 1055No issue 30 August 1046 or 1059SzékesfehérvárAged 35 or 48Pécs Cathedral, Pécs, Kingdom of Hungary Nephew of Saint Stephen, King of Hungary Grandson of Géza, Grand Prince of the HungariansSamuelSamuel AbaSeptember 1041┃5 July 1044Battle of Ménfő 22 April 1044Csanád or Székesfehérvár c. 990 or c. 1009 Daughter of Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians (Historians suppose that the powerful Aba family descended from him) 5 July 1044 or soon after the Battle of MénfőAged 35 or 54Abasár Monastery, Abasár, Kingdom of Hungary Brother-in-law of Saint Stephen, King of Hungary House of AbaPeterPeter Orseolo or Peter the VenetianSecond reign5 July 1044┃30 August 1046 1011VeniceSon of Otto Orseolo, Doge of Venice and Grimelda, daughter of Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians Judith of Schweinfurtc. 1055No issue 30 August 1046 or 1059SzékesfehérvárAged 35 or 48Pécs Cathedral, Pécs, Kingdom of Hungary Nephew of Saint Stephen, King of Hungary Grandson of Géza, Grand Prince of the HungariansAndrew IEndre or Andrew the White or the CatholicSeptember 1046┃December 1060 September 1046Székesfehérvár c. 1015Son of Vazul and a lady from the Clan Tátony Anastasia of Kievc. 1038 Adelaide, Duchess of Bohemia (c. 1040) Solomon, King of Hungary (1053) David, Prince of Hungary (1053–55) George (illegitimate) Before 5 December 1060ZircAged 44–45Tihany Abbey, Tihany, Kingdom of Hungary Great-grandson of Taksony, Grand Prince of the Hungarians Son of Vazul, the cousin of Saint Stephen, King of HungaryBéla IBéla the Champion6 December 1060┃11 September 1063 6 December 1060Székesfehérvár c. 1016Son of Vazul and a lady from the Clan Tátony Richeza of Polandc. 1033 Géza I, King of Hungary (c. 1040) Saint Ladislaus, King of Hungary (c. 1040) Lampert, Duke of Hungary (After 1050) Sophia, Duchess of Saxony (After 1050) Euphemia, Duchess of Olomouc (After 1050) Helena, Queen of Croatia (After 1050) One or two further daughters 11 September 1063Kanizsa CreekAged 44–45Szekszárd Abbey, Szekszárd, Kingdom of Hungary Great-grandson of Taksony, Grand Prince of the Hungarians Son of Vazul, the cousin of Saint Stephen, King of Hungary Younger brother of Andrew I, King of HungarySolomon11 September 1063┃14 March 1074Battle of Mogyoród 1057 or 1058 (junior king)September 1063Székesfehérvár 1053Son of Andrew I, King of Hungary and Anastasia of Kiev Judith of Swabia1063No issue 1087 (?)Aged 34 (?)Pula, Kingdom of CroatiaGéza IMagnus14 March 1074┃25 April 1077 1075Székesfehérvár c. 1040PolandSon of Béla I, King of Hungary and Richeza of Poland Sophia1060s Coloman, King of Hungary (c. 1070) Álmos, Duke of Hungary (c. 1070)Synadene1075 Katalin 25 April 1077VácAged 36–37Vác Cathedral, Vác, Kingdom of HungaryLadislaus ISaint Ladislaus25 April 1077┃29 July 1095 1081Székesfehérvár c. 1040KrakówSon of Béla I, King of Hungary and Richeza of Poland Adelaide of Rheinfeldenc. 1078 Saint Irene, Empress of the Byzantine Empire (1088) Two daughters 29 July 1095NyitraAged 54–55Nagyvárad Monastery, Nagyvárad, Kingdom of Hungary King of Croatia (1091–1095)ColomanColoman the Learned or the Bookish29 July 1095┃3 February 1116 1095Székesfehérvár c. 1070SzékesfehérvárSon of Géza I, King of Hungary and Sophia Felicia of Sicily1097 Sophia, Princess of Hungary (1097) Stephen II, King of Hungary (c. 1101) Ladislaus (c. 1101)Eufemia of Kiev1112No issue 3 February 1116SzékesfehérvárAged 45–46Royal Basilica, Székesfehérvár, Kingdom of Hungary King of Croatia (1097–1116) Croatia entered in personal union with Hungary (1102–1918)Stephen II3 February 1116┃1 March 1131 1105 (junior king)1116Székesfehérvár c. 1101SzékesfehérvárSon of Coloman, King of Hungary and Felicia of Sicily A daughter of Robert I of CapuaEarly 1120sNo issueAdelheid of RiedenburgNo issue 1 March 1131SzékesfehérvárAged 30Váradhegyfok, Kingdom of HungaryBéla IIBéla the Blind1 March 1131┃13 February 1141 28 April 1131Székesfehérvár c. 1108Tolna countySon of Álmos, Duke of Hungary and Predslava of Kiev Helena of Serbia1129 Elizabeth, Duchess of Greater Poland (c. 1128) Géza II, King of Hungary (1130) Ladislaus II, King of Hungary (1131) Stephen IV, King of Hungary (c. 1133) Álmos (c. 1134) Sophia, Princess of Hungary (c. 1136) 13 February 1141SzékesfehérvárAged 31–32Royal Basilica, Székesfehérvár, Kingdom of Hungary Grandson of Géza I, King of Hungary Cousin of Stephen II, King of HungaryGéza II13 February 1141┃31 May 1162 16 February 1141Székesfehérvár 1130Tolna countySon of Béla II, King of Hungary and Helena of Serbia Euphrosyne of Kiev1146 Stephen III, King of Hungary (1147) Béla III, King of Hungary (c. 1148) Elisabeth, Duchess of Bohemia (c. 1149) Géza, Prince of Hungary (c. 1151) Árpád Odola (c. 1156) Helena, Duchess of Austria (c. 1155) Margaret (1162) 31 May 1162SzékesfehérvárAged 31–32Royal Basilica, Székesfehérvár, Kingdom of HungaryStephen III31 May 1162┃4 March 1172 June 1162Székesfehérvár Summer 1147SzékesfehérvárSon of Géza II, King of Hungary and Euphrosyne of Kiev Agnes of Austria1166 Béla (1167) Unnamed son 4 March 1172EsztergomAged 24–25Esztergom Basilica, Esztergom, Kingdom of HungaryLadislaus II31 July 1162┃14 January 1163 July 1162Székesfehérvár 1131SzékesfehérvárSon of Béla II, King of Hungary and Helena of Serbia Judith of Poland1140s