The Seven chieftains of the Magyar tribes (Chronicon Pictum)

The Seven chieftains of the Magyars or Hungarians were the leaders of the seven tribes of the Hungarians, at the time of their arrival to the Carpathian Basin in 895 AD. Constantine VII, emperor of the Byzantine Empire names the seven tribes in his De Administrando Imperio, a list that can be verified with Hungarian settlement names. The names of the chieftains, however, is not precisely known, as the chronicles include contradictory lists, some of which had been found false.

[edit] Chieftains

Constantine VII does not give the names of the chieftains of the Hungarian tribes, but describes some aspects of the leadership. A chronicler known as Anonymus, author of Gesta Hungarorum, names the seven chieftains as:

• Álmos, father of Árpád
• Előd, father of Szabolcs
• Kend (Kond, Kund), father of Korcán (Kurszán)
• Ond, father of Ete
• Tas, father of Lél (Lehel)
• Huba
• Tétény (Töhötöm), father of Horka

Most probably all persons on this list were real and significant personalities, but the list, as that of the seven chieftains who started the conquering of the Carpathian Basin, is certainly false. ^[1]. Constantine VII names Tas as a grandson of Árpád. The relations of the early Hungarian leaders are subject of debate between historians.

[edit] Simon of Kéza

Hungarian chronicler Simon of Kéza names seven captains who led seven tribes:

• Ügek's son Előd's son Álmos' son Árpád
• Szabolcs
• Gyula
• Örs
• Künd, father of Kusid and Kupian”
• Lél
• Vérbulcsú ("Blood-Bulcsú"), whose name's origin is that "his father was killed by Germans in the battle of Krimhild", and for revenge, "he drank the blood of some, like wine".

This list, having more legendary elements, is even less credible than that of Anonymus, only Árpád and Szabolcs match according to the time of the conquest.

[edit] References

1. ^ Györffy György. István király és műve. Gondolat Budapest 1983. ISBN 963 281 221 2.