The Arpad Dynasty of Hungary (997 - 1301)

Stephen I (997 - 1038):  Assumed the throne as a Christian King, causing a revolt of pagans who supported Kopanny, his older cousin.  Defeated pagans and excuted Koppany.  Received the crown of Hungary from Pope Sylvester II in 1000.  Captured the gyula (Iulo?) in 1003, adding Transylvania to Hungary.  Placed gyula and harka, traditional magyar officials at court, eliminating their independence from the king.  Allied with Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, against Boleslas the Brave of Poland.  Lost Slovakia to Boleslas 1003 (Treaty of Posen 1005), and regained it in 1018 (Treaty of Budysin).  Forced conversions of Hungarians to Christianity, causing pagan revolt lead by his nephew, Vaszoly.  Stephen suppressed the rebellion and executed Vasoly.  Vasoly's sons, Andrew, Bela, and Levante flee to Poland and Russia.  Established county government in Hungary, dies in 1038.

Peter Orseolo (1038 - 1041, 1044 - 1046):  Continued Stephen's chrisitanizing policy, provoking a pagan revolt.  Peter flees to Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor, who invades Hungary and restores Peter to the throne as his vassal.  After Peter's death, the Hungarian nobility asks Vasoly's sons to return and accept the crown.

Samuel Aba (1041 - 1044):  Elected king by Hungarian nobility during pagan revolt, deposed by Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor.

Andrew I (1046 - 1060):  Vasoly's eldest son.  Under his reign, order is restored.  Bela, his brother, suppresses the pagan revolt, and defeats Henry III to regain Hungarian independence.  Bela challenges his brother to the throne, and Andrew is killed in the ensuing battle.

Bela I (1060 - 1063):  Vasoly's second son.  Short reign in which he tries, but fails to get his sons, Gejza, Ladislas and Lambert to suceed him as king.

Solomon (1063 - 1074):  Son of Andrew I.  His reign was caught up in dynastic struggles with the sons of Bela I.  He is finally defeated in 1074 by Gejza and Ladislaus, and flees to the protection of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.

Gejza I (1074 - 1077):  Oldest son of Bela I. 

Ladislas I (1077 - 1096):  Second son of Bela I.  Expanded Hungarian Empire, first by expelling the Poles from Slovakia (1077), and then by accepting the Croatian crown from the croatian nobility (I have not yet found the date for this yet).  Defeats Byzantines and Venetians who oppose the incorporation of Croatia and Dalmatia into Hungary.

Coloman (1096 - 1116):  Is crowned King of Croatia, Slovenia, and Dalmatia by Pope Urban II.  Appoints viceroys or ispans to govern these kingdoms.

During the reigns of these four kings, there is consistent fighting with an alliance of the Republic of Venice and the Byzantine Empire.  During the latter part of this time, Manuel I, the Byzantine Emperor succeeds in conquering most of Hungary south of the Drava River.  In 1171, Manuel breaks the Venetio-Byzantine alliance.  In 1185, Bulgaria revolts from Byzantium and regains its independence.   

Bela III (1173 - 1196)  Spend two years at the Byzantine court under Manuel I.  In 1181, requires Hungarian government and courts to maintain written records.  Catholic clergy become the scribes and secretaries of Hungary.  After Bulgarian revolt of 1185, reconquers the provinces south of the Drava River.  Seizes Galicia and other lands from Russian Princes.  Expands Hungary to its largest extent.  Expands royal income to about $8 million a year, equal to the that of the French King.  Increases western immigration to Hungary, and western influence at court.

Emerich (1196 - 1204)  Married a spanish woman.  Spent his reign unsuccessfully defending his kingdom from his brother, Andrew II.

Andrew II (1198 - 1235)  Secured autonomy for southern provinces of Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slovenia.  Took control of these provinces as King, and contested the rule of his brother, Emerich.  Suceeded in deposing his brother.  Lavishly spent the treasury of Hungary.  Sold royal domain to finance wars in Galicia (1208 - 1216), and a crusade to the Holy Land (1217), both unsuccessful.  Awared southeastern Transylvania to a group of German knights in 1211, as a protection against the Cumans, then expelled them in 1223.  Invoked nobility into rebellion, who forced him to grant principalities to his son, Bela, in Slovenia (1220) and Transylvania (1226), and to issue the Golden Bull (1222) establishing the rights of the nobles, including the right to revolt against the King.

Bela IV (1235 - 1270)  Revoked the land grants of his father, recovering most of the royal domain of Bela III.  Was king during the Tatar invasion of 1241 - 1242, in which Hungary lost 50 - 60% of its population.  After Tatar invasion, instituted massive reforms in Hungarian state:  (1) expanded military service to allow the middle class to serve in the armies of the nobility, and nobles to serve in the bishops' armies; recalled the Cumans and settled them in the unoccupied regions of the Great Hungarian Plain, and elevated royal soldiers to the nobility, and (2) encouraged the construction of castles and other fortifications, (3) encouraged the growth of western-style cities and mining towns, mostly supported by foreign investment, and (4) established county courts and regulated the activities of the ispans and county sheriffs.  Acquired the Austrian province of Styria through an agreement with Czech king, Ottokar II, which he gave to his son, Stephen.  After Ottokar II deposes Stephen (1260) at the request of the Styrian nobles, Bela is forced to grant eastern Hungary to Stephen.  The last years of Bela's reign is spent in conflict with his son over control of Hungary.

Stephen V (1270 - 1272)  Spend his reign fighting against the barons who had become powerful during the reign of his father, Bela IV.  These barons basically divided the kingdom among themselves.

Ladislav IV Kumansky (1272 - 1290)  Tried to use the pagan Tatars and Cumans to fight against the nobles.  Married a Cuman woman and lived among the Cumans.  Was excommunicated by Lodomer, the papal primate in Hungary, for not forcibly converting the Cumans and Tatars to Christianity.  Was murdered by some Cumans under hire from the barons before Lodomer could organize a crusade against him.  After his death, since he died a pagan, the pope declared the Hungarian crown vacant, and nominated Karol Robert of the French House of Anjou and brother to the King of Naples to the Hungarian throne.  However, at the time, Karol Robert was a child, and could not assume the throne.

Andrew III (1290 - 1301)  Elected by the Hungarian nobles despite papal actions to the contrary.  Spent his reign in conflict with his nobles, and attempting to legitimize his rule.  At his death, the Arpad dynasty ended.