The Hungarian Civil War between Stephen I and Throne Pretender Koppany in ca. 998 A. D., and the Development of the Hungarian Frontier
(64th Meeting Budapest, 2022)
My paper will look at written sources about the civil war between St. Stephen I of Hungary and the throne contender Koppany, who may have been leading a pagan rebellion. I will look at the role of Stephen‘s mother Queen Sarolta, and attempt to reconstruct the possible routes of military forces based on Roman roads still in use in the 10ᵗʰ century. I will also look at archaeological material and folklore traditions of the events, to examine how the adversaries were positioned and if the tradition could have preserved some authentic memory from the 10th century. I will also look at Koppany’s family, which is documented in the area until ca. the 16ᵗʰ century (Ottoman conquest) and see if any traditions can be tied to them. I hope my conclusions can flesh out what we know about the birth of the Christian Hungarian Kingdom, with additional information not found in the chronicles.