The realm of St. Stephen

by Pál Engel

"The Realm of St. Stephen is a comprehensive survey of and a major contribution to the historiography of medieval Eastern and Central Europe. Pal Engel traces the establishment of the medieval kingdom of Hungary from its conquest by the Magyar tribes in 895 until its defeat by the Ottomans at the battle of Mohacs in 1526." "Engel divides the history of medieval Hungary into two broad periods. The originally nomadic Magyar tribes inherited an almost empty land from its former inhabitants - Romans, Huns, Germans and Avars - and absorbed the remaining Slavic peoples into the dominant Magyar culture. The 'national' Magyar kings of this era, the Arpadian dynasty, were replaced at the start of the fourteenth century by rulers from a number of European dynasties - Angevin, Luxemburgian, Hunyadi, and Jagellian. This latter period saw radical changes in political and social structures and in institutions which had previously remained unchanged. These reforms are reflected in the abundant variet