| Álmos | |
|---|---|
| Grand Prince of the Magyars | |
| Reign | after 854 – c. 895 |
| Successor | Árpád |
| Issue | |
| Árpád | |
| Father | Ügyek |
| Mother | Emese |
| Born | c. 820 |
| Died | c. 895 |
Álmos (Hungarian pronunciation: [aːlmoʃ]) (c. 820 – c. 895), the first Grand Prince of the Magyars (after 854 – c. 895). The Gesta Hungarorum ("The Deeds of the Hungarians") records that his father was Ügyek, while the Chronicon Pictum (the "Vienna Illuminated Chronicle") mentions his father as Előd (the son of Ügyek); his mother was Emese.[1]
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The medieval chronicle recounts the story of his birth as follows: "his pregnant mother had seen a divine vision in her dream of a Turul bird, as it were flying over her and getting her with child; and a spring seemed to rise from her womb and many great kings originated from her loins, although they would multiply not in their own lands".[2] The legend is often given as an explanation for the name Álmos, which is derived from the Hungarian word for "dream."
According to the medieval chronicles, Álmos was proclaimed Grand Prince of the Magyars by the leaders of the Hétmagyar, the confederation of the seven Magyar tribes,[2] but the De Administrando Imperio states that the office was created by the Khagan of the Khazars, and that it was not Álmos, but his son Árpád, who became the first Grand Prince.[2] Modern historians usually follow the tradition that Álmos was the first Grand Prince in the second half of the 850s.[1][2] It is unclear whether Álmos became the kende (spiritual leader) of the confederation or its gyula (military leader.)[1]
At that time, the Magyar tribes were living under Khazar supremacy.[1][3]
Before 862, the seven Magyar tribes, living in the area they called Etelköz, seceded from the Khazars; afterwards, they were exacting tribute from the neighbouring Slavic tribes and they fought occasionally as mercenaries on behalf of King Carloman of Bavaria, King Arnulf I of Germany and King Svatopluk I of Great Moravia.[3] The Hétmagyar confederation was strengthened when three tribes of the Kabars, who had rebelled against the Khazars, joined them before 881.[1]
In the spring of 895, the Magyar tribes attacked the Bulgarian Empire allied with the Byzantine emperor, Leo VI the Wise and defeated Emperor Simeon I of Bulgaria obliging him to conclude peace with the Byzantine Empire.[3] The Emperor Simeon entered into an alliance with the Pechenegs, who were the eastern neighbours of the Hétmagyar, and he made an attack against the Magyar troops.[3] At the Battle of Southern Buh, the Emperor Simeon defeated the Magyar army; and shortly afterwards, the Pechenegs attacked and pillaged their territories.[3] The Magyar tribes were obliged to leave Etelköz and invade the Carpathian Basin where they settled down (Honfoglalás).[3]
Álmos' death was probably caused by either assassination or human sacrifice because of the catastrophic defeats during the wars with the Bulgarian Empire and the Pechenegs.[2]
According to Ibn Fadlan, the two names Álmos and Almysh are the same. It refers to the same person: Almysh, the Baltavar (ruler) of the Volga-Bulgars, member of the Dulo Dynasty ( IYI ), descendant of Attila and his son Irnik, through Kubrat and his son Bat-Bayan Bezmer, great-grandson of Tat-Ugek, senior son of Gabdullah Shilki, he was raised to the Baltavar throne in 895 and died in 925. Almysh officially converted the Volga Bulgars to a Muslim state. Almysh's senior son Arbat, as a leader of the Kara-Bulgars, seceded and led a confederation of tribes (Magyar, Bashkort, Onogur, Sabir, Khazar) to the Carpathian Basin.
This theory fails to explain, however, how the Magyars came to dominate, and how were they able to impose their language.
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Álmos, Grand Prince of the Magyars
Born: c. 820 Died: c. 895 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by He was the first known |
Grand Prince of the Magyars after 854 - c. 895 |
Succeeded by Árpád |