In the latter half of the ninth century AD, a tribal confederation from the Asian steppes began a migration into eastern and central Europe. Initially staying on the fringes of Christendom, these peoples soon came head-to-head with the established power of central Europe, the kingdom of the Eastern Franks. In the opening years of the conflict, the Magyars, as they were known (later known as the Hungarians) created a crisis which threatened the survival of the Eastern Frankish kingdom. The magnitude of the Magyar threat the kingdom and Europe as a whole has largely been neglected by modern scholarship. The struggle between the Eastern Franks and the Hungarians can be compared to the Moorish invasion of Iberia in terms of what was at stake; the dismantlement of European civilization. This paper will demonstrate the ways in which the Magyars were a threat to the kingdom of the Eastern Franks and establish the gravity of what was at stake.
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In order to provide a comprehensive analysis, it is imperative to investigate the crisis not solely through a military lens, which is what has generally prevailed in modern scholarship. An examination of the Magyar peoples and their social structures will allow us to draw a stark contrast between them and the civilization of the Eastern Franks. A comprehension of the Hungarians’ military tactics will be used to illustrate their capacity for war. Finally, the policies which the Ottonian dynasty enacted under the reign of Henry I and Otto I will exhibit the monumental effort which Frankish society had to collectively implement in order to survive. Collectively, these factors will demonstrate that the Magyars were the most destructive force to European civilization since the Huns and until the Mongols. At some point in the middle of the ninth century, the Magyars descended from the Asian Steppes and came to settle within the Carpathian basin. The indigenous inhabitants of the Carpathian basin did not possess a unified or organized political structure in the region. Thus the Magyars were able to easily establish themselves with little resistance. The Hungarian social and political structures were nearly congruent with the contemporary nomadic peoples of the East. Regino, the abbot of Prum, when describing the Magyars states that “they spend all their time on horseback; they travel, rest, think and talk on their horses; they are extremely careful in teaching their children and servants the art of riding and using the bow”. They followed a religion which was shamanistic and centered on a number of pagan deities typical of nomads from the Steppes. Through their nomadic culture, the Hungarians formed politically along tribal lines, with no one central authority. Consequently, the Magyars were in essence a confederation, made up of several tribal groups, each under the authority of an autonomous chieftain, normally titled ‘king’ in western sources. Although they reflected a political conglomeration of various clans, the Magyars were united by their nearly homogenous socio-ethnic identity (which was a rarity in this period of history) in respect to language, religion, heritage, and legal custom. It appears that tribal unity was maintained through warfare against ethnic and cultural “others”. The Magyars had developed a sophisticated military organization which was both hierarchical and aggressive. The authority of the chieftains (princes and heads of clans) relied on their ability to provide both material resources and cultural honor onto their clan members. Clan leaders used warfare as a mechanism to obtain these social and material needs for two reasons. Firstly, it legitimated and sustained their political rule. Secondly, largescale raiding expeditions provided the confederation with material resources through the collection of tributes, and via the spoils of war. Hence, the Magyars possessed a social, economic, and political structure which was not only antithetical to European civilization but also augmented towards aggression and violence. Shortly, following the conquest of the Carpathian Basin, the Magyars raided deep into the kingdom of the Eastern Franks almost every year. The armies of the Eastern Franks were scarcely able to stand against their new enemy. At the battle of Pressburg in 907, the Germanic army was decimated and witnessed the loss of much of the aristocracy and most of the realm’s fighting men. The defeat opened up not
In order to provide a comprehensive analysis, it is imperative to investigate the crisis not solely through a military lens, which is what has generally prevailed in modern scholarship. An examination of the Magyar peoples and their social structures will allow us to draw a stark contrast between them and the civilization of the Eastern Franks. A comprehension of the Hungarians’ military tactics will be used to illustrate their capacity for war. Finally, the policies which the Ottonian dynasty enacted under the reign of Henry I and Otto I will exhibit the monumental effort which Frankish society had to collectively implement in order to survive. Collectively, these factors will demonstrate that the Magyars were the most destructive force to European civilization since the Huns and until the Mongols. At some point in the middle of the ninth century, the Magyars descended from the Asian Steppes and came to settle within the Carpathian basin. The indigenous inhabitants of the Carpathian basin did not possess a unified or organized political structure in the region. Thus the Magyars were able to easily establish themselves with little resistance. The Hungarian social and political structures were nearly congruent with the contemporary nomadic peoples of the East. Regino, the abbot of Prum, when describing the Magyars states that “they spend all their time on horseback; they travel, rest, think and talk on their horses; they are extremely careful in teaching their children and servants the art of riding and using the bow”. They followed a religion which was shamanistic and centered on a number of pagan deities typical of nomads from the Steppes. Through their nomadic culture, the Hungarians formed politically along tribal lines, with no one central authority. Consequently, the Magyars were in essence a confederation, made up of several tribal groups, each under the authority of an autonomous chieftain, normally titled ‘king’ in western sources. Although they reflected a political conglomeration of various clans, the Magyars were united by their nearly homogenous socio-ethnic identity (which was a rarity in this period of history) in respect to language, religion, heritage, and legal custom. It appears that tribal unity was maintained through warfare against ethnic and cultural “others”. The Magyars had developed a sophisticated military organization which was both hierarchical and aggressive. The authority of the chieftains (princes and heads of clans) relied on their ability to provide both material resources and cultural honor onto their clan members. Clan leaders used warfare as a mechanism to obtain these social and material needs for two reasons. Firstly, it legitimated and sustained their political rule. Secondly, largescale raiding expeditions provided the confederation with material resources through the collection of tributes, and via the spoils of war. Hence, the Magyars possessed a social, economic, and political structure which was not only antithetical to European civilization but also augmented towards aggression and violence. Shortly, following the conquest of the Carpathian Basin, the Magyars raided deep into the kingdom of the Eastern Franks almost every year. The armies of the Eastern Franks were scarcely able to stand against their new enemy. At the battle of Pressburg in 907, the Germanic army was decimated and witnessed the loss of much of the aristocracy and most of the realm’s fighting men. The defeat opened up not