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One year ago, I uploaded the first episode of History of the Hungarians. This year, to celebrate one year of this podcast, we’ll discuss something a bit more out there: the Sacra Corona, and its role in Hungarian constitutional development. The crown has a storied past, and its historical significance comes much from the role it took up in the political theater of the nation. I will also talk a little about the show at the end. I thank you all for joining me on this journey. While this season comes to an end, the History of the Hungarians marches ever onward! Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

Today, we travel to Byzantium to see how two princesses of the House of Árpád – and Empresses of Byzantium – fared. Their lives could not have been more different. One played a supportive wife to his husband, whose became one of the great rulers of Constantinople – and in turn left her mark on the city that stands to this day. The other had to navigate the tumultuous times of the Fourth Crusade and the ensuing period of Latin Rule. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

This week, we continue discovering the tales of the daughters of Árpád’s House, focusing on those who lived their lives in Western Europe. We shall talk about three women, one uncertain relative, a forgotten story, and one of the more beloved saints of Medieval Europe. Their origins may have been similar, but their stories are spread across the three centuries of the last 10 months’ narrative, intersecting often. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians  The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

Today, we begin approaching the end of our season, with a mini-series I dubbed “The Daughters of Árpád’s House”. And who else better to usher in these stories than arguably the most well-known one of them – in Hungary, at the least. Saint Margit’s story inspired people in her own time, up until to our present day. The princess, who lived on an island became venerated even in her own life, then continued to excite the national consciousness for centuries. Come, join us as we discuss what might be the reason for the longevity of her story, and how she came to influence not just the city that grew up around her island, but Hungary’s own, national memory. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

Last week, the story of the Árpádian dynasty came to an end. For 300 years, we followed the first dynasty of the Kingdom of Hungary, even longer, if we add the years spent with them in Season One. Today’s episode is not just a focused look back over the 13th century, but also an examination of the Árpádians: their history, their legacy, and whether or notthere is a place for us to reinterpret their actions in the light of modern historiography. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

In the last few years of András III’s reign, the king has to face enemies new and old, young and generational as he attempts one more time to stop Hungary’s disintegration. Today marks the end of the story we began back in November, 2025 – the Árpádian dynasty is coming to the end as the Last Little Golden Branch falls. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged bMartin Schmeling.

With András III, a new – and hotly disputed – branch of the Árpádian family rises to the crown. The new king is faced with two crises that shall define his reign: the overmighty barons and pretenders from the major European powers. Join me as we dwell into how the king attempted to tackle both, as we get a fairly dismal picture of the late-13th century state of Hungary, where might made right. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

Today marks the release of the first Tales of the Hungariansepisode. We are delving into where the Legend of the Stag comes from, how it harkens back to ancient Steppe-roots, and discuss how one man created a myth that influenced the thinking of people centuries later. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling. The story heard in this episode is my own translation of Ferenc Móra’s The Tale of the Stag.

László IV – the Cuman – comes of age and is immediately surrounded by strife. His kingdom is still disintegrating, and a Papal legate is attempting to take away the one group he can rely on to arrest the collapse. Join us today as we discuss the tale of arguably the last Árpádian ruler, his strange lifestyle and his life filled with conflict until he burns every bridge that was available to him – and meets his end from those he least expected to cause him harm. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

As István V dies, the Barons rise – with the king a ten year old boy, they correctly assume that there is little to no check on them. Baronial groups form to fight one another for power and influence in court, old scores are settled on battlefields everywhere in the kingdom. And at the very heart of it, a young king is growing up who knows no stability, only a realm that disintegrates under his very feet. Join us today as we discuss those five crucial years between 1272 and 1277, in which the barons grew more and more ambitions and independent. And the war beyond the border approaches its final conclusion too – and Hungary will have a role to play in bringing the Habsburgs to power. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

István V – the last Hungarian king to be named István – ascends to the throne after his father’s death. Conflict is pre-determined as his rule begins, with his sister leading a powerful faction of nobles to the court of Ottokar, the Iron and Golden King of Bohemia. But the famed Premyzlid, as well as his own barons shall soon learn that István is not his father, and has the power to stand up for himself, and for his crown. Alongside his tragic story today’s episode also features a longer discussion on what to expect from the podcast in the coming weeks and months. I rarely take such a chunk out to talk about this stuff, but…well, there is a lot to talk about. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

After the Mongol invasion, Béla IV ruled for another twenty-eight years. While the most memorable reforms of that time we discussed last time, there are a few things that happen apart – like Hungary’s return to regional power-plays, or Béla’s conflicts within the family. Despite all the kingdom just survived, the Árpádians won’t be any less of a quarrelsome bunch. But there is a new element in these conflicts that was not really there before: the over-mighty barons, flexing their muscles. We also begin the discussion on the War of the Babenberg Succession – which would bring a family into our narrative whose role will grow and grow over time. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

The medieval Kingdom of Hungary survived the Mongol invasion – but not intact. Vast swathes of the kingdom lay in ruin and depopulated. Yet, Hungary bounces back quickly. How is that possible? Join us today as we take a look at the massive societal and economic reforms, and the changes that accompany them that collectively would be called the Second Founding, and earn for Béla IV the name: the Second Founder. These reforms would reach and affect every part of Hungarian society in the middle ages, laying down the groundwork of what the state would become – reforms that would echo well past the 13th century. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

“The Kingdom of Hungary, that stood for 350 years, was utterly destroyed by the Mongols.” This is how the annals of a Bavarian monastery refer to the year 1241 – and while they were not exactly correct, they were not far off the mark. Following the Battle of Muhi and its disastrous end, the invading Mongol forces moved swiftly to take control of their prize. What this meant for the population already living there was widespread slavery and death. For one year, the Mongol forces would hold absolute, uncontestable dominion over the eastern half of the Kingdom of Hungary. Come, join us today as we take stock of this horrific year, the lengths the population went to just to survive, and see what the king was willing to do to get help from the west. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged by Martin Schmeling.

We put it off long enough, and cannot anymore – the Mongols are here! In 1241, the armies of Hungary massed against this threat, one that they seemingly did not even fully understand. The resulting battle shaped the future of the medieval Hungarian Kingdom, as Saint István’s system is put to the ultimate test. Come, find out if the time allotted to Béla for preparations thanks to Friar Julianus amounted to much, and if his policy of keeping the Cumans close gave him the edge he needed to safeguard the kingdom. Website: historyofthehungarians.com Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579815072390 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofthehungarians Support us at: https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthehungarians   The song heard in the intro and outro are parts of Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances no. 5, performed in G minor, arranged byMartin Schmeling.