Timeline of Hungarian history


The timeline of Hungarian history lists the important historical events that took place in the territory of the Carpathian Basin, in the territory of the historical Hungarian lands, i.e belonging to the former Kingdom of Hungary, history of Hungarians and events closely connected to the history of Hungary.

Before 9th century BC

DateEvent
Before 30,000 BCAnatomically modern humans arrived at the Carpathian Basin and belonged to the Aurignacian group.
5400–4500 BCTisza culture
4500–4000 BCTiszapolgár culture
4000–3600 BCBodrogkeresztúr culture
3600–2690 BCBaden culture
3500–2500 BCCoțofeni culture
3000–2200 BCVučedol culture
2200–1500 BCWietenberg culture

4th century BC

1st century

5th century

9th century

10th century

DateEvent
902The Hungarians invade Moravia.
902–907The Hungarians destroy Moravia.
904The Bavarians murder Kurszán at a banquet.
907, July, 4–6Battle of Pressburg: Three East Francian armies led by Luitpold, Margrave of Bavaria, which entered the Hungarian territory in order to expel the Hungarians from the Carpathian Basin, is annihilated by the Hungarian army. Luitpold, Margrave of Bavaria, Dietmar I, Archbishop of Salzburg, Prince Sieghard, 19 counts, 2 bishops, and 3 abbots are killed in the battle, together with the majority of the soldiers. The Hungarian army immediately attacked Bavaria, and the Bavarian army led by King Louis the Child was defeated at Ennsburg. The Hungarians defeated other Bavarian armies at Regensburg, Lengenfeld. The Hungarian victory forced the new Bavarian prince, Luitpold's son, Arnulf to conclude a peace treaty, the prince recognized the loss of Pannonia and Ostmark, pushing Hungary's borders deep in the Bavarian territory, the river Enns became borderline, paid tribute, and agreed to let the Hungarian armies, which went to war against Germany or other countries in Western Europe, to pass through the duchies lands.
908, August, 3Battle of Eisenach: A crushing victory by a Hungarian army over an East Frankish army composed of troops from Franconia, Saxony, and Thuringia.
910, June, 12Battle of Augsburg: An important victory by a Hungarian army over the combined forces of East Francia and Swabia under the nominal command of Louis the Child.
910, June, 22Battle of Rednitz: The Hungarian army entered Franconia, and defeated a united army of the duchies of Franconia, Lotharingia and Bavaria.
919, SummerBattle of Püchen: Hungarian victory over Henry the Fowler, the East Francian king.
926Henry I, King of East Francia, agrees to pay an annual tribute to the Hungarians to prevent their raids.
932Henry I denies to pay further tributes.
933, March, 15Battle of Riade: Henry I defeats the Hungarians who has invaded the Duchy of Saxony.
934The Hungarians and Pechenegs make a joint plundering raid against the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines agrees to pay a yearly tribute.
c. 948A high-ranking Magyar chieftain, the horka Bulcsú visited the court of Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII, where he was received with a great pomp. Bulcsú adopted Christianity, the emperor became his godfather. He was a "guest friend of the Byzantine emperor" and was awarded the title of "Roman patrician".
c. 949The second-ranking Magyar chieftain, Gylas, is baptised in Constantinople. The Ecumenical Patriarch consecrates a Greek monk, Hierotheos, bishop of Tourkia and Hierotheos accompanies Gylas back to Hungary.
c. 950Árpád's grandson, Fajsz, is the paramount leader of the confederation of the seven Magyar tribes and the Kabars.
955, August, 10Second Battle of Lechfeld: a battle between the Hungarian warriors led by chieftains Lehel, Vérbulcsú, Súr against Otto I, King of Germany and his generals. The Hungarians were supporting a nationwide German uprising against Otto. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, with the Germans losing several generals and high priests, and the Hungarian chieftains mentioned being captured and executed. Lehel, according to the medieval chronicles, slew Conrad with his great horn.
958Chieftain Apor and Botond the Brave raid Constantinople.
960s–990sHungary and Bavaria make several agreements in which the lands between the Enns and the Leitha go to the Bavarians.
970, MarchBattle of Arcadiopolis: the Byzantines defeat the united Rus', Bulgarian and Hungarian armies.
970s, EarlyGerman and Italian missionaries came to Hungary. Géza, Grand Prince of the HungariansÁrpád's great-grandsonis baptised, but he does not fully abandon the veneration of pagan deities.
973, EasterHungarian delegates are present at Otto I's court in Quedlinburg.
984The Hungarians raid Austria.
996Géza, Grand Prince of Hungary renounced the lands west of the river Leitha in his peace treaty of 996 with Henry IV of Bavaria. The river Leitha became the historic border between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Holy Roman Empire.
c. 997Géza's son, Stephen, marries Gisela, a relative of Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor who is accompanied by German knights to Hungary.
997Géza dies and his kinsman, Koppány, contests Stephen's right to succeed his father. German knights assist Stephen to defeat Koppány.
c. 1000The establishment of the earliest Benedictine abbey, Pannonhalma and of the first Roman Catholic dioceses.
1000, December, 25Stephen is crowned the first king of Hungary in Esztergom.

11th century

DateEvent
1000sStephen I issues his earliest decrees, ordering the building of churches and prohibiting pagan practices.
1002–1009The first countiesterritorial units of royal administrationare mentioned in royal charters. Each county was headed by an appointed royal official, styled ispán.
c. 1003Ajtony a chieftain ruling Banat is baptised in Vidin. He establishes a Greek monastery in his seat at Morisena.
1003Stephen I invades Transylvania, forcing his maternal uncle, Gyula, into submission.
1018Stephen I opens Hungary to pilgrims coming from Western Europe to Jerusalem.
c. 1020Bishop Fulbert of Chartres sends a copy of Priscian's Grammar to Bonipert, Bishop of Pécs, implying the existence of a cathedral school at Pécs.
1020sA king's mirror entitled Admonitions is completed in Hungary.
c. 1028Stephen I's military commander, Csanád, defeats Ajtony. Ajtony's realm is transformed into a county. The Greek monks are transferred from Morisena to a nearby monastery and a Roman Catholic diocese is set up in Ajtony's former seat.
1030Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, invades Hungary, but the Hungarians repel his attack.
1031Stephen I's son and heir, Emeric, dies unexpectedly.
1030sStephen I appoints his sister's son, the Venetian Peter Orseolo, to be his heir. Stephen I's cousin, Vazul, is executed and Vazul's sonsAndrew, Béla and Leventeare forced into exile.
1046András the White, his brother Levente and chief Vata succeeded in overthrowing Peter Orseolo. However, Vata's uprising was suppressed by András after it had served his purpose and he had become king.
1070sThe power conflict in the royal family caused a civil war. It lasted up to Solomon's abdication in favor of one of his cousins, Ladislaus, in the early 1080s.