Life of St. István the first king of Hungary

 

(1.) For his lord, the most excellent King Coleman. As I was about to begin this work about the life of the blessed King Stephen-which you, my lord, famous king, forcefully. enjoined me (to do] by your royal command-I steadfastly bore for a long time the rebellious ignorance of my meager wits, especially because Priscian,2 the master of grammatical art, whom once I knew in my very bones, fled long ago and now makes his face very obscure to me in my old age, as if engulfed by clouds. On the other hand, vexed though I was, cons dering through uncertain meditations the reverence due to your dignity, obedience, the light and gem of all virtue, finally defeated the doubt of an anxious mind. Under its strong protection, self-confidence, wanting to forsake me, regained strength to begin the work. But because something accomplished with confidence often generates tinder for envy, I beg the sublimity of your triumphal magnificence on bended knees, that you take this little work under the protection of your royal hands, lest the use of ill-sounding sentences or the irregularities of the confused arrangement offedd your eyes when you read it. Because, if perchance any unworthy blunder occurred [in it). I would rather have the flame of fire destroy the codex, than that it should come before the envious eyes of a third person. Therefore, because all good that exists originates from the mercy of the creator, the discourse raken up here resounds from His gift.

Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights Jas 1:17]. The good endowment and perfect gift of that Father flows abundantly to all, because it does not scorn anyone, but desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth [1 Tim 2:4]; it also poured forth to the Hungarians, who, it is well known, had once been the scourge of Christians. We thought it fitting that the office of this pen entrust to memory how and when this was done.

(2.) That is to say, at the time when the said people were destroying the Church of God, they had a certain ruler, fourth from the one who had been the first chief at the entry of the Hungarians to Pannonia, by the name of Geysa, who was strict and cruel, acting in a domineering way, as it were, with his own people, but compassionate and generous with strangers, espe cially with Christians, although [he was] still entangled in the rite of paganism. Ar the approach of the light of spiritual grace, he began to discuss peace attentively with all the neighboring provinces, so that it could already be seen from this whose son he wished to become, according to the word of our Sav for speaking in the Gospel: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God [Mr 5:9]. Moreover, he laid down a rule that the favor of hospitality and security be shown to all Christians wishing to enter his domain. He gave clerics and monks leave to enter his presence; he offered them a willing hearing, and delighted in the germination of the seed of true faith sown in the garden of his heart.

What more is there to say? The divinely appointed time arrived, Geysa along with his household believed, and he was baptized, promising that he would deliver all those subject to his rule into the service of the Christian name. And, since he was greatly concerned about the subjugation of rebels and destruction of sacrilegious rites and the establishment of bishoprics, according to his judgment, for the success of the holy Church, the Lord contsoled him through a miraculous vision at night. He made a youth of delightful appearance stand before Geysa, who told him: "Peace to you, chosen by Christ. I order you to be free from your cares. What you have in mind has not been granted to you, because your hands are polluted by human blood. A son will be born of you who will go forth, to whom the Lord will entrust all these things to settle, according to the purpose of divine providence. He will be one of the kings chosen by the Lord to exchange the crown of secular life James 1:12] for an everlasting one, So, you should receive the man sent to you on special legation with respect, and one: having received him, keep him with reverence, listen to his exhortations with a faithful heart, and nor with feigned assent."

(3.) On waking, the dazed ruler contemplating the vision, first by himself, then with those faithful to Christ and his family, humbly gave thanks to God, prostrating himself on the pavement, stretching out his hands, and shedding tears. He commended himself, his domain, and his son who was to be born to the protection of Him who neither sleeps nor slumbers. While he thus wondered about the man divinely prophesied, it was announced to him that the blessed Adalbert, prelate of the Bohemian Church, was coming to him for his conversion, and for his profession of an unfeigned faith (2 Tim 1:5, Valgate], in order to offer up a sacrifice of praise (Heb 13:15] to the Lord God. Unspeakable joy arose in Christ's new soldiers, the leader, with all the faithful, went to meet the champion of Christ, received him honorably, and, as he was bidden by the vision, demonstrated in every way that he would be an obedient son to him. Therefore, at the order of the ruler, the unruly people came together everywhere, the holy bishop and his companions made exhortations continuously, the people of the land were converted and baptized, churches were established in many places. For the light that enlightens every man Un 1:9], chasing away darkness, began to shine in Hungary, and in this the words of the prophecy were fulfilled, which say the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light [Is 9:2]. The light of the invisible light is Christ, whom the pagans deserved to see when, recalled from darkness, they truly and wholly believed him to be true God and man. Nor should it be passed over in silence that, to dispel all doubt, lest per chance the above-mentioned vision, having appeared only to the husband, should seem to lack credibility, divine grace wished also to console his wife, who was near giving birth, by a similar vision. For there appeared to her the blessed Stephen, Levite and protomartyr, adorned in the distinctive Levitical habit, who began to talk to her thus: "Woman, trust in the Lord, and be assured, for you will give birth to a son, to whom first from this people a crown and kingdom is due; and give him my name." To whom the astonished woman responded: "Who are you, my lord, and furthermore by what name are you called?" "I am," he said, "Stephen protomartyr, who was the first to saffer martyrdom for the name of Christ." And, having said that, he disappeared.

(4.) In the meantime, as foretold by the Lord, the son of the ruler was born, whom, according to the prophet, the Lord had known before he was conceived in the womb, and to whom, before he was born, He had given the name of His protomartyr, Bishop Adalbert, beloved by God, anointed him with the baptismal chrism according to the truth of his belief. The name Stephen was given him, which we do not believe to have been contrary to the purpose of God. Indeed "Stephanus" in Greek means "crown in Latin. For God wanted to crown him in this world to royal power, and determined to redeem him in the future one by the crown of everlasting beatitude, that he might receive unfailing glory after the yoke of this life.

He was born in the city of Esztergom, and, still a boy, he was fully instructed in knowledge of the grammatical art. The child grew, nourished by diligent education, and with the passage of childhood, as he ascended to the first stage of adolescence, his father convoked the chief lords of Hungary, together with the next order and through the counsel of common deliberation, placed his son Stephen at the head of the people to rule after him; and to confirm this, be exacted an oath from everyone. And reaching the end of his days after this, in the year 997 of the Incarnation of the Lord, he exchanged the worthless afflictions of the world for heavenly joy. In the same year the blessed bishop Adalbert entered Prussia in order to preach the word of God, and there he was crowned with the martyr's palm.

(5.) After the death of his father, Stephen, still an adolescear, by the favor of the princes and common people was laudably raised to the seat of his father and began with an ardent spirit to be the defender of truth, because, although he was in the bloom of his adolescence, he did not have his heart in his mouth, but his mouth in his heart [Sir 21:26]. Not forgetting the Holy Scriptures, for which he was zealous above all, he kept judgment and justice sefore his eyes, according to the words of Solomon: The wise man also may hear discipline and increase in learning, and the man of understanding acquire government Prov 1:51. Thus showing hunself to be God's faithful steward (Lk 12:42) in all his mandates, he began to consider in his own mind how he could deliver the people subject to him to the worship of the one God. But because he con sidered that without the alliance of neighboring peoples he could not do this, he faithfully strengthened the peace established with the peope of surrounding provinces, so that whatever he pondered in his mind, he would be able to complete moce securely in the young implantation of Christianity,

(6.) But the enemy of all good things, the devil, full of envy and malice, stirred up an internal war against him, in order to disturb the holy plan of Christ's champion, for at his instigation the pagan commoners, refusing to submit their necks to the yoke of the Christian faith, tried with their leaders to withdraw themselves from his rule." They began to destroy his cities, lay waste his estates, plunder his lands, chase away the servants of the Church, and taunt-I should be silent about the rest-even [the king] himself. And when they did not want to shun their perverse way, and their fury was not satiated, the leader30 himself, trusting ir eternal virtue, advanced with a multitude of his army under the banner of the prelate Martin," beloved by God, and of the holy martyr George, in order to overcome the madness of the enemy. By chance in those days they besieged the city called Veszprém in the vernacular, turning this into his shame, that is, they established themselves in the place where there used to be access to communication with the leader's court, so that entering the other fortifications they were to occupy would be found easier. But he rose up against them, led by divine mercy, and they fought, he trusting in faith, they only in arms. Finally, defearing the enemy, some of them having been killed and others captured, the victorious leader took home the gifts of victory with his troops. And so he disposed wisely of their possessions, both the fields and the villages, not as Saul had done when, having defeated Amalech, he chose the best of the spoils despite the Lord's prohibition [see 1 Sam 15:1-91.

But because Pannonia gloried in the birth of the blessed prelate Martin, and it was under the protection of his merits that the man faithful to Christ, as I already said, wrought a victory over the enemy, reserving nothing of their things for his own needs, and keeping counsel with those beloved by God, he began to build a monastery dedicated to him (Martin), next to the patrimony of the holy prelate, in the place called the Holy Mountain," which St. Martin, when he still lived in Pannonia, assigned to himself as a place of prayer, he enriched it by lands and revenues and all the necessary things, and made it similar to bishoprics by his own judgment with a tithe from the victors, ordering that tithes be given from all their means in such a strict way that if someone should have happened to have ten children, he was to give the tenth offspring to the monastery of Saint Martin.

(7) Thus the soldier of Christ, having defeated the enenty, filled with spiritual joy, decided by the counsel of his inmost being to be the receptacle of the evangelical seed; occupying himself by almsgiving and prayers, frequently prostrating himself on the pavement of the holy house, shedding tears, he entrusted the completion of his plan to the will of God, so that, unable to do anything without Him, with the help of His dispensation he could with satisfaction bring to its end with virtuous undertakings the good that he had planned. But it was necessary to consult the faithful of Christ in order to begin and consummate this, so he made known his wish by letters and messengers in all parts. Thereupon many priests and clerics, urged by the visitation of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, leaving their own sees, chose to become pilgrims for the Lord's sake. Abbots and monks, not desiring to have anything of their own, decided to live according to their rules under the government of such a religious ruler. 14 Among them came Father Asericus, who was a monk, w th his disciples, one of whom, by the name of Boniface, was afterward made abbot in the place of the father, when he was sent to lower Hungary by the blessed king to preach, he was struck by a sword on the top of his head, and although he survived, he was not deprived of martyrdom.

Two others came as well, from the land of Poland, choosing the eremiti cal life for the sake of contemplation, one of whom, by the name of Andrew was taken up into the choir of angels because of the merit of his confession, which is attested by the signs of miracles made by the Lord through him. The other, Benedict, having shed his blood for Christ, was mercifully crowned (as a martyr].

Abbot Asericus, having been respectfully received with his [people], built a monastery dedicated to the holy father Benedict at the bottom of the Iron Mountain," where to this day a community blooms under monastic disci pline, abounding in temporal riches [necessary) for its sustenance from the donations of the holy leader, not needing anything, except daily to wash the feet of their [people] and of others, amidst prayers and tears according to the Gospel.

(8.) The servant of God, the most Christian ruler, taking counsel with them, sometimes together with all, gometimes alone with one of them, made himself so praiseworthy in the eyes of God that he could convert all the leaders of his army to the worship of the true God. Those whom he noticed to be following another path, he subjugated by threats and terror. Teaching them according to ecclesiastical doctrine, he put the yoke and law of discipline onto their bent necks, and be utterly destroyed all the impurity of evil.

After this, having divided his territories into ten bishoprics, he made the church of Esztergom the metropolitan and master of the others. The prudent leader, recognizing the piety of the said Asericus, elevated him, decorated by the miter of pontifical dignity through canonical election, and bestowed on him the dignity of the bishop of Kalocsa.

(9.) In the fourth year after his father's death, prompted by divine mercy, he sent the same prelate Asericus who by another name is also called Anastasius, to the threshold of the holy apostles, in order to ask from the successor of St. Peter, the prince of the apostles," that he extend his abundant blessing to the young Christianity, rising in the parts of Pannonia, tha: he confirm the church of Esztergom as head by the authority of his signature, and that he for tify the rest of the bishoprics by his blessing. Also that he would deign to strengthen him (Stephen) by a royal diadem, so that, supported by that office, what he had begun by the grace of God he could stabilize more solidly.

As it happened, at this time, Mischa, leader of the Poles, having embraced the Christian faith with his [people], sent envoys to the pontiff of the Roman See, and asked to be strengthened by apostolic beaediction and to be crowned with a royal diadem. The pope, assenting to his petition, already had had a crown made, decorated with extraordinary craftsmanship, which he decided to send to him with a blessing and the glory of sovereignty. But because the Lord knows those who are His, who preferred Matthew out of the two chosen by the apostles to share che apostolic order and complete the apostolic number [see Acts 1:23-26), determined instead to distinguish favorably his chosen, Stephen, by this temporal crown, who afterward was also to be adorned more favorably by the eternal one. Thus during the night preceding the appointed day on which the completed crown would be sent to the above-mentioned leader of the Poles, the emissary of the Lord approached the pope through a vision and said to him: "You should know that tomorrow, in the first hour of the day the envoys of an unknown people will come to you, who will urge you to bestow on their leader a royal crown together with apostulic benediction. Therefore make sure to give the crown that you have had prepared to their leader without hesitation just as they ask. For know that this is due to him together with the glory of sovereignty for the merits of his life."

And in accordance with that vision, at the prescribed hour of the following day, the prelate Asericus reached the pope, prudently executing the office enjoined on him, and expounding the ceeds of the holy leader in order, he requested the token that we mentioned from the apostolic see, showing him [Stephen] to be worthy of such honor and dignity, he who had subjugated sev eral peoples with the help of God and by His power had converted many infidels to the Lord. Upon hearing this, the Roman pontiff, rejoicing, kindly granted all, just as they had been requested. Moreover, he sent the king a cross to be worn as a sign of apostleship, saying "I am apostolic, but he is truly by his own merit Christ's apostle, through whom Christ converted so many people. Therefore we relinquish to his disposition as the divine grace instructs him the churches together with the people, to be governed according to bori laws [utroque iure)," Having obtained everything just as he had requested, the happy prelate Asericus returned to his people, raking with him that for which he had completed the journey he had undertaken.

(10.) Thus having acquired the letters of apostolic benediction together with the crown and the cross, the beloved of God, King Stephen, anointed by unction with chrism, was propitiously crowned with the diadem of royal dignity while the prelates and the clergy, the counts and the commoners acclaimed unanimous praise.15

After the symbol of royal excellence had been accepted, it was made manifest what manner of man he was in conduct of life and judgment in the statutes which he decreed with the bishops and chief lords of Hungary; in which, namely, he formulated the antidote of each sin. And so that he would show himself to be the son of peace by which Christ bound the world together, he left an edict to his successors, by approving an enduring pact, that no one should invade another in a hostile way, nobody should harm a neighbor without the benefit of a trial, no one should oppress widows and orphans.

He joined himself in matrimony to the sister of Henry of Roman imperial dignity-who was called Pious because of the gentleness of his characternamed Gisela, to be his consort in the kingdom, but above all to bear his offspring. He made her, anointed by unction with chrism, his companion in wearing the crown of the kingdom. How she stood out in adorning the wor ship of God, and how fervent and beneficent she showed herself (to be) to the congregations serving God is proved to this day by many churches' crosses, vessels, and ornaments made or woven by marvelous work. And above all the building of the bishopric of Veszprém [proves this] which she adorned nobly, beginning from the foundations, with every necessary thing for the service of God in gold and silver, and a multiplicity of vestments.

And the king himself, having assigned ample dioceses to each of the recently founded bishoprics, that is, as much to the archiepiscopal as all the episcopal churches, and always appointing as head a suitable prelate for each one, royally endowed them, as well as the abbeys, with estates and manor houses, households and revenues. He sufficiently provided them with crosses and vessels and other furnishings pertaining to the service of God, according to their needs. And every year, while he was alive, he added gifts and offerings, so that those filling the office of sacristan would not ask for anything from outside. Investigating, he diligently examined, sometimes through others, sometimes by himself, the life and conduct of monks, rebuking the lazy. ones and taking the vigilant ones into his love. He commended the service of canons to the care of bishops, because of the testimony of Christ and the Church, according to the apostle: I have become all things to all men, that I might save [1 Cor 9:22] all.

(11.) There was a certain monk, by the name of Sebastian, whose life was held to be commendable, and whose piety (was held to be] devoted to the service of God. The venerable king began to esteem him wonderfully with love, because the more pious someone was, the more welcome that person was to him. Judging him to be worthy of episcopal office because of his meritorious life, he appointed him to govern the archbishopric of Esztergom. But, because God scourges every son whom he receives [Heb 12:6, Vulgate], He deprived the said Sebastian of the light of his corporal eyes for a while to test his patience. But, so that the flock, new in the faith, would not deviate from the intended right path without the guidance of the shepherd, through the con sent of the Roman pontiff he substituted in his place the above-mentioned Asericus, bishop of Kalocsa. After the passing of three years, Sebastian recov ered his sight through the mercy of God, and through apostolic counsel his see was restored to him, and Asericus returned with the palliam to his own church, namely that of Kalocsa,

(12.) In the meantime the king was faithful and completely devoted to God in all his acts. He transferred himself together with his kingdom by an oath and offering, with assiduous prayers, to the guardianship of the Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary. Her glory and honor are so famous among Hungarians, that even the feast of the Assumption of this Virgin is called the Day of the Lady in their language, without the addition of her proper name.

And, in order to be able to win the greater mercy of her protection, he began to build a famous and large basilics by wonderful craftsmanship, dedicated to and in praise of that perpetual Virgin, in the city of the royal see itself, which is called Alba," with carvings adorning the walls of the choir, and the floor paved with marble tiles. Whoever saw this can offer a testimony to the truth of our words, that there are innumerable types of palls and vestments and other ornaments; several panels made of the purest gold around the altars, containing rows of the most precious stones, and above Christ's table a canopy of marvelous craftsmanship was erected, and the treasury was crammed full with all sorts of vessels made of crystal, onyx, gold, and silver.

Keeping the above-mentioned church of such beauty as his own chapel, the king endowed it with such independence that none of the bishops could have any rights whatever over it. Nonetheless, so that the brothers of that place be no strangers to monastic discipline, they had to gather at the communal synod of the archbishop, in order to be trained by the education of ecclesiastical teachings. And, on the day of absolution and the consecration of chrism, the king, if present, would enjoin any bishop, or, if absent, would send him, and he would absolve the penitents there and consecrate the chrism. And that bishop would celebrate the divine solemn Mass if the king happened to be present there, whom the king-with the consent of the brothers and provost-would order to celebrate it. And in the absence of the king no bishop would usurp the license to celebrate Mass or exercise any episcopal office without the consent of the provost and the brothers. Moreover he ordered the people of that church to be so free that they would not have to give any tithe to any bishop, but only to serve the provost and the brothers in the way he had ordered.

Afterward the servant of God strove to confer all that he already had and what he could acquire to Christ, from whose gift those things had flowed, so that He who made him worthy of the glory and honor of this world, would mercifully consider him deserving of association among the inhabitants of the celestial city.

(13.) We read in the prophecy, written about the apostles that their voice has gone out to all the earth and their words to the ends of the world [Rom 10:5). This was proved to be said not only about the twelve, but also about all those sent by God to evangelize, by whose faith, words, and conduct the Church grows. Among those, that most Christian king [Stephen] is acknowledged as not the most insignificant, he who spread the fame of his good will and works that he exercised in building churches to the extent of his own authority to far distant lands and very famous cities.

For he constructed a monastery of monks in that city of Jerusalem where Christ lived according to His humanity, and he enriched it with estates and vineyards, to provide abundant daily food. And he founded a congregation of twelve canons in Rome, the head of the world, dedicated in honor of the protomartyr Stephen, abounding in all belongings, and he erected a wall all around it, made of stone, with houses and hospices for the Hungarians seeking the threshold of the blessed Peter, prace of the apostles, in order to pray. He did not deprive even the royal city, Constantinople, of endowing it with benefactions; be donated a church of wonderful craftsmanship with everything that was necessary.

Therefore he deservedly gained the name of apostle within the boundaries of his dominion, because although he himself did not assume the office of evangelization, nonetheless, leader and master of preachers, he established the comfort of protection and support for them.

(14.) Among all the favors of heavenly compassion divinely granted to the blessed king, those that obtain the first place in earning the joy of eternal life, that is, mercy and truth are above all to be listed and committed to writing, For in all his auspicious deeds he strove particularly to be what was understood by the true insight of his heart in the Gospel, through the testimony of Truth [Christ] Himself, saying: blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy [Mt 5:71, and in another place gave and it will be given to you [Lk 6:38). Therefore he embraced the poor of Christ, or rather Christ in them (the poor), with such merciful and pious arms, that no guest or pilgrim left him sadly without some kindness or solace. He arranged for daily payments to be made without fail for the refreshment of the needy; he used to spend the nocturnal Vigils busily and joyously washing the feet of Christ's faithful and in concealing alms in the bosom of the poor, deciding to console the needy Christ through his members in the world, so that he would deserve to rejoice eternally, finding the treasury of celestial life filled with all delights.

And indeed one night, touched by spiritual admonition, be proceeded to visit Christ's little flock along, without anyone's knowledge, as was his habit, carrying a purse filled with the gift of God; and immediately the poor disrupting the distribution of the money of the celestial storehouse, offered testimony to the merits of the man of God by pulling out his beard. Upon which, the soldier of Christ, infused with great joy, turned to the most blessed Mother of everyone's Creator, and prostrate on the ground, giving thanks, exclaimed: "Celestial queen, my queen, your soldiers thus honor him whom you made king. If this had been done by an enemy of mine, I would avenge the wrong [done to me] through your support. But knowing, my Lady, that I am repaid by eternal joy for this, I rejoice exceedingly, giving thanks for the consoling words of our Savior, by which he consoled his disciples, saying: not a hair of your head will perish" (Lk 21:18], Having said these things, the man of God, understanding that he was visited by celestial grace and imbued with spiritual chrisma, decided never to close the doors of his heart to those seeking help. Instead, in turn by himself and others, but especially by the servants and serving-people of Christ (that is, clerics and monks), he had the resources given to him by heaven laid into the eternal treasury through the hands of the poor.

Many offer testimony to this, but one of these, participating with him eternally in celestial life, [is] a monk and hermit, converted from the secular nobility, the blessed Gunter, who, drawn by the generosity of the charitable prince, used to visit him often from the land of the Czechs. For whenever he illuminated Stephen's court by the brightness of his arrival, the treasury of the king, placed at his disposal, was emptied in a short time of the things that it contained through their distribution to pilgrims, the poor, the needy, widows and orphans, monasteries and churches. And at the command of the same servant of God, the king, devoted to God, founded a monastery that is called Bel, endowed it with all goods, where the monk Gerard, coming from Venice, began to lead a contemplative life. Elected as bishop by celestial order, he was stoned in the turmoil threatening Christianity after the death of the holy king. He was made worthy of the community of martyrs through the gift of spiritual grace.

(15.) Nor do I intend to omit that divine power wished to show in his life how many merits the man of God would have after death; indeed whenever the infirmity of some man was made known to his ears, he sent him as medicine that which he had at hand then, a piece of bread or fruit, or fragrant berbs, and sent over his command that he rise healthy. The reconciliation of God having accompanied his words [the sick] immediately recovered. Our Savior, after gloriously ascending to Heaven and sitting marvelously with the Father is held to have appeared to few people physically, but many were com soled by a vision, and he taught them to have foreknowledge of the future, as it also happened to this blessed king.

For one night suddenly awakened by some revelation, he ordered a courier to hasten in one day and night to Alba in Transylvania, and gather all those living in the country within the fortifications of the city as fast as he could. For he foretold that the enemies of Christians would come upon them, that is, the Pechenegs, who then threatened the Hungarians, in order to plunder their estate. 25 Scarcely had the messenger completed the orders of the king, when behold the unexpected onslaught of the Pechenegs devastated everything by burning and plundering. Through the revelation of God, which was granted because of the merits of the blessed man, the souls of everyone were saved by the shelter of the fortifications.

(16.) After this, it happened that the pious Henry, of Ruman imperial dignity, friend of the blessed king, died, and Conrad assumed the crown of imperial power through the election of the Germans. After he destroyed the tranquillity of peace, Conrad joined hands with all Teutonia, and tried to invade the borders of Pannonia like an enemy,27 Against him Stephen consulted bishops and chief lords, and drew together the armed men of the whole of Hungary for the protection of the country. First, however, recalling that he could do nothing without Christ's assent, lifting his hand and heart to heaven and commending his wrongs to his Lady, Mary the ever Virgin Mother of God, he burst out in such a cry: "If it pleases you, Lady of the world, to have a part of your inheritance devastated by enemies, and to have the young implantation of Christianity destroyed, I beseech you, let it not be ascribed to my idleness, but rather to the purpose of your will. If the sin of the shepherd would merit anything, let him atone for it. I beg you, spare the innocent sheep" [see 2 Sam 24:17]. Having said these things, as if consoled by her, he set out trustingly on the road against the enemy. Immediately the next day, a messenger came to each one of the German leaders in the camp, as if sent by the emperor, who gave them the order to go back. With the withdrawal of the enemy, the holy man, knowing himself to be visited by God's mercy, [lay] prostrate on the ground and gave thanks to Christ and His mother, to whose protection he entrusted himself and the rule of the kingdom through persistent prayers. Indeed, terrified by the sudden desertion of his soldiers, and inquiring how this had happened, the emperor, when he understood that the messenger of their return was indeed not his [follower), did not doubt that it was done through divine mandate, in order to strengthen the hope of the most faithful king; and from then on, Conrad abstained from attacking the king. dom [of Hungary), kept back by his fear of the eternal judge.

(17.) And that blessed king occupied by the cares of royal administration, passing the time by day with discussions and counsels, exerted himself in the silence of the night to be zealous in vigils and prayers, to have time for contemplation, to pour our tears, to address God by supplications, asking that the restraint of the just judge mercifully descend upon the daily scrutiny of his judgments. He frequently did this duty with diligent spiritual longing; a cer tain night, being very far away from a church of God, he in fact stayed with his great and noble retinue, setting up tents in large fields. The others having been weighed down by deep sleep, Stephen, getting up from his bed and entering the bedchamber of his heart, genuflecting, battered the door of eternal mercy amidst sighs and tears, with only the movement of his lips. And after his long persisting in supplications, when the servants of his Lord, the eternal king, had assembled to take up his prayers, the tent spread out over him was lifted up from the earth and was suspended in the air until the man of God, coming back to himself from contemplation, released his soul from prayer This, although invisibly, was known only to those who know about things before they occur, and to the angels privy to His secrets. It was, however, visi bly manifested to a certain man of great simplicity and innocence, who was perhaps zealous in similar duty at the same time. The holy king, informed by the Holy Spirit that he was privy to his secret, called the man to himself and first inquired by coaxing speech about what he had seen, then enriching him by royal gifts, forbade him to disclose it to anyone while he was alive.

(18.) The fame of his name reached the ears of many secular people, and the judgments from his mouth having become known everywhere by famous praise, sixty men from the Pechenegs, whom I mentioned above, with all their pomp, that is with chariots loaded with an abundance of silver and gold, and many types of ornaments, went out from the territories of the Bulgars, wanting to come to the king, and approached the boundaries of the Pannons, But many of the servants whose mind is wax, bending to sin, kindled by the torch of malice, went out to meet them, killed some of them by sword, carried off everything they had, and left them half-dead and possessionless. They, keeping back for the judgment of the king what happened and what they endured, Completed the journey they had started, and hastening to him, threw them selves at his feet. Upon seeing them, he said: "what is the cause of your adversity?" They replied: "My lord, we, your servants, with no evil intent, came to hear the teaching of your judgments, and by the hands of certain people the property that we brought with us was carried off, without any offense on our part. Moreover, they killed those they took hold of, and scarcely alive we come to report this to you." The king, because he was of a very prudent spirit, threatened them neither by expression, nor by words, but holding back-as it is written, a wise man holds is back (Prov 29:11)-very swiftly sent to that commander under whom they served as soldiers, and establishing the day, he ordered all the men [responsible for] their ruin to be brought before him. It was done as he had commanded, and they were brought into his presence, in order to be examined. Addressing them, he said: "Why, transgressing the law of the precepts of God, did you not choose mercy, and condemn innocent men? Just as you had done, let the lord so do to you today in front of me. For the transgressors of the law must be killed." Having received their sentence, they were led away, and throughout every region, at the beginning of roads, hanged two by two, they perished. It is to be believed that Stephen did this from the zeal of justice to inspire fear in the others, because he wanted his kingdom to be a refuge open to all foreigners, entry unrestricted for all, so that no one would dare harm or trouble in anything anyone who entered. And this was done. For as long as he lived, nobody dared cause any foreigner any harm.

(19.) And that apostolic prediction befitted the blessed king, that is through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God [Acts 14:22], and in the book of Wisdom: God chastises whom he loves [see Prov 3:12), and the father scourges every son whom he receives (Heb 12:6, Vulgate, For he fell under many kinds of divine correction, being afflicted by continuous infirmity for three years. After he had recovered from that by the medicine of God's grace, again he felt the scourge to be near him through some test of the eternal judge's secret deliberation, in the death of his sons, whom He who gave them, took away innocent in their infancy. The father restrained the grief arising over their death by the solace on account of the love of his surviving son, the child Henry of good natural disposition. As already the only one, lov ing him dearly, he commended him daily in his prayers to Christ and his ever Virgin Mother, He desired with all his wishes that the child outlive him and be the heir to the kingdom. And, so that he would be more capable of holding the helm of such government, he made him listen with both [corporal and spiritual] cars to the daily exercise of reading about the examples of faithful men. And Stephen himself, prompted by the flame of paternal love, composed for him a little book on the principles of conduct, in which he faithfully and conscientiously addressed him in words of spiritual admonition. He instructed [him] how above all he should observe the Universial faith, strengthen the condition of the Church, show honor to the dignity of bishops, love the chief lords and soldiers, respect judgment, have patience in all his acts, receive guests liberally, and nourish them even more liberally, do nothing without counsel, always keep his ancestors before his eyes as an example, resort to the office of prayer often, possess piery and mercy together with the other virtues. The noble young man, instructed with this and similar learning, obeying the command of eternal providence, to whom all are subordinate, exchanged this mortal life for an everlasting one, in the year 1031 of the Incarnation of the Lord, and joined the communion of heaverly citizens. His soul was shown being carried by angels to the palace of heaven in the very hour of his passing to a certain bishop of the Greeks, a man of holy conduct. And truly, because he was loved with the greatest feeling by everyone for the merits of his holiness, all began to mourn greatly, but especially the chief lords, among whom the desolate father heaved deep sighs. For seeing himself alone, left without hope of offspring, he grieved with pious feeling, indeed knowing the Scripture, There is no wisdom, there is no understanding, there is no counsel against the Lord (Prov 21:30, Vulgate), and that in the canons: nobody should be exceedingly saddened by the death of their loved ones:29 casting off his grief, he gave himself wholly to seeking the abundance of divine mercy. Consoling the servants of monasteries and churches, that is, monks and clerics, by various gifts of almos, he distributed all the already collected revenues which he had at hand at the moment to pilgrims, widows and orphans. And through his messengers he often visited the mor asteries of foreign provinces with innumerable gifts of royal generosity

(20.) He retained to the end of his life the gravity of manner that he adopted in his youth. His lips hardly ever moved to laughter, recalling Scripture: laughter shall be mingled with sorrow, and mourning takes hold of the end of joy [Prov 14:13, Vulgate]; always appearing thus as if he stood before the tribunal of Christ, in his mind's eye keeping His visage before him, he showed that he carried Christ in his mouth, Christ in his heart, Christ in all of his acts. Always keeping the last day before the eyes of his heart, with all the desire of his mind he wished to live among the inhabitants of the celestial city, as if in the garb of angelic conversation. Adorned with every type of virtue pleasing to God, he decided to live in holiness and justice before him in all the days [Lk 1:75] of his life, so that the splendor-as though of some future glory--would already appear to shine in him.

(21.) Not long afterward a disease set in, which later consumed his body, and growing worse by the long affliction of weakness, he was unable to stand on his feet. Four of the very noble palace officials, seeing him suffering severely for a long time, held iniquitous council, and tried to plot his downfall and his death, for they still strayed in the faithlessness of their teart. When the day was already fading, before the lamp would be lit in the house, one of them entered audaciously under cover of darkness, hiding a naked sword under his cloak in order to cut the king's throat. When he set foot where the king was resting, the sword fell, undoubtedly on an impulse from heaven, and made a clattering sound as it hit the ground. The king, hearing it at once, asked about its cause, although he already knew what had happened. That troubled man fell down, reconsidered the decision of his madness, was sorry, approached, lay down, embraced the feet of the king, confessed that he had committed a sin, and begged to be forgiven. The king did not spurn the requested pardon, and readily dismissed the villainy; at the same time by the order of the king those murderers were found and brought forth, and he pronounced judgment on them and punished them by a worthy sentence. 

(22) Finally by the mercy of God, the one worthy of the prize of a hundredfold reward, struck by fever, not doubting that the day of his death was approaching, summoned the bishops and the chief lords of his palace who gloried in the name of Christ, and discussed first with them who was to suc ceed him as king. Afterward in a fatherly way he admonished them to keep the orthodox faith which they had accepted, to love justice, to cherish the chains of heavenly affection and render what was done for that affection, to be vigilant and zealous in humility, anc indeed above all to guard the young implantation of Christianity. After having said this, lifting his hands and eyes to the stars, he exclaimed thus: "Queen of heaven, renowned restorer of the world, I commit the holy Church with its bishops and clergy, the kingdom. with its chief lords and people to your protection in my last prayers, and saying my final farewell to them, into your hands I commend my spirit."

(23.) The solemn feast was then approaching, famous to angels and men, the day of the Assumption of the same perpetually Virgin Mary, and, hoping to have a hope of greater mercy were the dissolution of his body to take place during that rejoicing, he asked this by special prayers and by sighs and tears obtained it. Thus that auspicious day arrived, very soon made more auspicious through his death, and the congregation of bishops and clergy, the foremost troop of stewards and important attendants stood encircling the place where the king, beloved by God, lying in their midst, having accepted the sacrament of spiritual unction, restored his holy soul by the viaticum of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the year 1033 of the Incarnation of the Lord, and gave it into the hand of the perpetual Virgin and holy angels, to be brought to the peace of eternal celestial beatitude. There was great lamentation among his people, and joy among the angels, but this lamenta tion later turned into everlasting gladness both for those to be born, and those already alive. People assembled for his funeral procession from every region of Pannonia, the body was taken to the royal seat, that is Alba," and because the church, built by him to the honor of the blessed Virgin was not yet conse crated, the prelates, having deliberated, decided first to consecrate the basilica, and then to commit the body [of Stephen] to the earth. Having accomplished the ceremony of consecration, the holy body was placed in a sarcophagus of white marble in the middle of the building, where for several years the Lord exhibited countless favors for his merits to many who suffered troubles, had fever, proclaimed their affliction and misery, and endured judg ment. Often at night the melody of the song of angels was heard by many, and even more often the sweetness of the most pleasant scent spread to all corners of the church. 

(24.) And thus the blessed body rested in the same place for forty-five years, by the wondrous secret of His will, who is praised in His saints and is wonderful [Ps 67:36, Vulgate), so that, pressed by the weight of the ground and reduced to dust, he would both be more worthy to be revealed here in the preordained time, and would merit to be recalled more gloriously on the day of resurrection. It is pleasing to spiritual eyes to seek out what the purpose of this might be, and what it raight mean, since we do not think that it could have happened without the workings of divine preordination. Perhaps a sprinkling of earthly dust had remained in him, without which rulers, as if by some powerful law, are hardly or not at all able to lead this present life, [that had] to be purified by the fire of divine testing. And thus forty-five years having passed, when God already wished to reveal the merits of his saint in order to show the mortals the favors of his mercy through him, it was decreed by apostolic letter, by order of the Roman see, that they should have elevated the bodies of those who sowed the seeds of the Christian faith it Pannonia and. had been converting to God by preaching or education. When the time came for his revelation and for the spreading of the praiseworthy grace, which the Hungarian people had earned in the world through Stephen, King Ladislas, who then governed the realm-la man] whose character was distinguished by the complete respectability of morals and remarkable for the splendor of his virtues, and who was completely dedicated to the praise and service of God-was imbued with the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and, after having consulted with the bishops, chief lords and wise men of all Pannonia, declared for all a fast of three days, for the benefit of the community of the Universal Church through the gifts of the Holy Spirit working for the salvation of souls and bodies; for it seemed to be beneficial that [Stephen's revelation as a saint] be sought from Christ through a manifestation of signs by common prayer, secured by the alms and fasting of all. But the Lord, in order to show how merciful the holy king had been while living in a mortal body, demonstrated his approval of it before all other works when (the king] was already reigning with Christ to the point that though for three days they struggled with all their might to raise his holy body, it was not by any means to be moved from its place. For in that time, because of the sins, a grave discord arose between the sad king Ladislas and his cousin" Solomon, because of which Solomon, captured, was held in prison." Therefore when they tried in vain to raise the body, a certain recluse at the church of the Holy Savior in Bökénysomlyó, by the name of Karitas, whose famous life at the time was held in esteem, confided to the king by a revelation made to her from heaven that they exerted themselves in vain; ir would be impossible to transfer the relics of the holy king until unconditional pardon was offered to Solomon, setting him free from the confinement of prison. And thus, bringing him forth from the prison, and repeating the three day fast, when the third day arrived for the transferal of the holy remains, the stone lying over the grave was lifted up with such ease as if it had been of no weight before. Thus having completed the office of Vespers the third day, everyone expected the favors of divine mercy through the merit of the blessed man; suddenly with Christ visiting his masses, the signs of miracles poured forth from heaven throughout the whole of the holy house. Their multitude, which that night were too many to count, brings to mind the answer from the Gospel which the Savior of the world confided to John, who asked through messengers whether he was the one who was to come: the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf bear, the lepers are cleansed [Mt 11:5, Vulgate], the crippled are set straight, the paralyzed are cured; of which however we endeavor to make known some, because we cannot [make] all [known]

(25.) A certain youth, all his limbs weakened, suffering paralysis for twelve years who was without the use of his hands and feet, who was carried there with the aid of his parents, having received the cure of all his body, was the first of the signs. Running to the altar far from sluggishly, he increased the joy of all those shouting praises to Christ. And another seven-year-old boy, who had crawled on his hands and knees from birth, because of contracted sinews, was brought by his parents, full of faith, to be helped by the blessed man; they prostrated themselves next to the tomb and laid him down with them, to ask for grace. They immediately obtained it, they marveled that the contraction of the sinews stretched in their son, and everyone seeing him walking with his knees and soles having become firm, glorified the name of Christ in the merits of the blessed man by praiseworthy acclamation. The king, devoted to God, crying in his great joy, lifted him with his fown) hands from the ground and carried him to the altar, where, uttering hymns of praise, he gave thanks with applause, together with everyone present for the favors shown in the curing of the boy. Thus God wondrously illuminated the whole night through the veneration of his servant by the splendor of many signs, and indeed the people, earnest in vigils and prayers, did not cease to make each miracle clear by shouts of praise. It should be added that not only those present, but even those situated far away were affected by the well-known conse quences of a cure through the intercession of his merits. For when the report of his elevation began to spread everywhere, those afflicted by various illnesses immediately began to hasten to his holy tomb from the very borders of Hungary, each as best he could. But while some preceded and others, handicapped by more serious disease were unable to arrive at the same time, through the same mercy many were nevertheless cured on the way. Hence, in order to preserve the memory of the favors given by the holy king, very many whose health was restored by him gathered large mounds of stones in the same place on the road where they were cured, which were there for a long time afterward. And even a certain woman at this time, when her son, her only one, gave up the ghost, placed the lifeless body of her offspring on the holy king's tomb, in order to implore the solace of God and His saint for him. A wonderful and in our times astounding thing occurred, the woman had not even stopped praying when she received back alive her son whom she had laid out dead.

(26.) The morning of the fifth day after the Assumption of the most holy Mother of God, Mary, having come, when the chief lords, with the clergy and prelates, gathered in the church with the king, first the Mass for the dead was celebrated, then the marble slab that projected above the pavement was lifted, and they came to the sepulcher; and at its opening such a powerful, sweetsmelling fragrance enveloped everyone who was there, that they imagined themselves to be carried away into the midst of the delights of the Lord's par adise. And the sepulchre itself was full of water, a little crimson as if mixed with oil, in which rested, as in liquefied balm, the precious bones; having collected them in the finest linen cloth, they searched for a long time in that liquid for the ring that had been put on the right hand of the blessed man. Not having found it, some people began to pour the water into silver cauldrons and large jars at the order of the king, so that having emptied the sarcophagus, the discovery of the ring would be made more certain. But, miraculously, the greater the quantity of liquid that was poured out, that much more of it welling up filled up the sepulcher again. Seeing this miracle they restored the water they had drawn off to its place, but by pouring it back the grave did not overflow. Then covering the sepulcher, proclaiming praises and thanks to the divine kindness, they returned to the altar of the most blessed Mother of God Mary with the treasure they had found.

In the meantime God, who is wonderful in his saints [Ps 67:36, Vulgate) pouring forth the favors of his bounty, made his presence known to those asking for health both outside and inside the basilica by the signs of his miracles to such an extent that the time of the Lord's presence among men seemed to have returned, of which we read that all those subo had any that were sick with various diseases brought them Lk 4:40] to Jesus and were cured. The divine power graciously worked all this not only that day, but for a long time afterward because of the merits of his servant. So hearing the fame of God's favors, those suffering from the affliction of various infirmities flocked with great longing from other regions for the intercession of the blessed man in order to regain their health. Indeed, the wife of a certain steward, a matron of exceptional renown, by the name of Mathilda, burdened for three continuous years by a pain of the intestines was already close to death. Carried by her own people on a bier, immediately that same day when she touched the tomb of the blessed man, she gradually felt herself to be better, and shortly having regained the health of her previous life revealed the majestic power of God 12 Mac 3:34] that recompensed her for the merits of his servant. Now I do not leave in writing the other wonderful signs of God's miracles that were revealed by heaven for the sake of his servant, not because I scorn them, but because the Lord rains not only on me, He who makes his sun shine over the good and the bad, [see Mt 5:45] the multiplicity of his kindness working for the benefit of all, I have entrusted to the innumerable wise man whom Hungary fosters and embraces to declare (the other miracles] by [their] pen. I have decided only to add at the end of the codex how, by a wonderful gift of the kindness of God, the ring they searched for so long, but did not find, was revealed together with the right hand of the blessed man, three years after his translation. 

(27.) A certain monk, by the name of Mercurius, who, in the clerical order was the guardian of the treasury of the perpetual Virgin, and for the love of the heavenly home renounced the world, was sent away far from there by royal rebuke in that hout when the tomb was opened, lest he carry off something from the holy relics. As he was sitting in the choir with a sad face, a certain young man dressed in white clothes gave him a rolled up piece of cloth, saying: "I entrust this to you to preserve, and when the time comes to reveal. After the completion of the sacred office, the monk unfolded the cloth in the corner of the building, and seeing the intact hand of the man of God with the ring of marvelous craftsmanship, he got frightened; and without anyone's knowledge, he brought it with him to the monastery which had been commended to his governing, awaiting the time foretold to him from Christ by the youth. Here for a long time he alone undertook the guarding and watching of the treasure buried in the field, afterward he made the founders of that monastery aware of it, finally at the approach of the time when it had to be declared, he brought it to the notice of the king. The king immediately, joined by bishops and the chief lords of Hungary, obtaining there many favors of miracles from Christ, appointed the day of celebration for elevating the right hand of God's man.

Why is it, brothers, that his other limbs having become disjointed and, his flesh having been reduced to dust, wholly separated, only the right hand, its skin and sinews adhering to the bones, preserved the beauty of wholeness? I surmise that the inscrutability of divine judgment sought to proclaim by the extraordinary nature of this fact nothing less than that the work of love and alms surpasses the measure of all other virtues. Whence the Truth [Christ] says in the Gospel: blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy [Mt 5:7). And also give and it will be given to you [Lk 6:38]. Also in another place: as the water extinguishes fire, so alms extinguish sin (see Sir 3:33, Vulgate). The right hand of the blessed man was deservedly exempt from putrefaction, because always reflourishing from the flower of kindness it was never empty from giving gifts to nourish the poor. Because he helped those who found themselves in need, freed those burdened by the yoke of captivity, offered dothes and hospitality to pilgrims, reckoned the misery and need of widows and orphans to be his own, daily repeated the Lord's supper and order in washing the feet of the poor, made the alms flow not from plunder or the damage of others, but at the cost of his own purses; renounced, in order to make the houses of God rich, the will to possess, and thus advancing in everything the will of the divinity, he crucified his flesh together with his vices and desires. Hence the delightful and wonderful reverence to his body and right hand, hence the sweet and happy reward of eternal life, hence the desirable cohabitation with the citizens on high, where the shining and unfailing splendor of the one and most high deity, Father and Son and the Holy Spirit, always shines on him forever and ever. Amen. It ends. Here ends the Life of St. Stephen the king.

NOTES

1.1 dank Robert E. Bjork and Marjorie Chibnall for their help and kindness 2. Priscian was a Latin grammarian of the late fifth century, his Institutiones grammat icae was widely used during the Middle Ages.

3. Pannonia was a Roman province, covering the territory that later became western Hungary (up to the Danube). After the establishment of the kingdom of Hungary, the name Pannonia was applied to the whole of the kingdom.

4. That is, Gea who was chieftain of the Hungarians from ca. 970 antil 997 5. Adalbert (Vojtech) was a member of the Slavnik family of Behemia. Bishop of Prague, he spent time as a missionary in Poland. Aldough he visited the Hungarian court, his missionary activities there were not at all on the scale depicted in the Life. Many of his disciples, however, eventually moved to Hungary and filled importan; positions during Stephen's reign. Adalbert was killed in 997 when he was trying to convert the pagan Prassians. His body was buried in Gniezno. Quickly regarded as a saint, his cult flourished in Bohemia, Poland, and Hungary

6. Levices (from Levi, sin of Jacob) were members of the tribe of priests in ancient Irael. In the New Testament, the word acquired the meaning of deacon. Information concerning St. Stephen survived in the Acts of the Apostles (Chapte's 6-7, he was a deacon and the first martyr of the Christian Church. His cult was widespread all over Christendom.

7. Greek or avos (stephanos) and Latin coruna both mean crow. 8. The "next order" would mean those of lesser social rank

5. The pagan revolt led by Koppány in 997. Koppány, the eldest male of the Arpád line at the time of Géza's death, did not acknowledge Stephen, but wanted to rule in his stead, according to the traditional inheritance pattern.

10. Barevic used a terminology to separate rulers who received unction and those who did not. He reserved rex only for the former, while using princeps or diex for the latter. Hartvic referred to Géza first as princeps then as duer, while to Stephen as dux prior to his receiving unction, and rex afterward. The Polish ruler also appeared as dut in the text. Due was used in the sense of war leader prior to the development of its meaning as "duke."

11. St. Martin of Tours (gs. 316-397). Born in Pannonia (which became part of medieval Hungary), he was a soldier prior to his conversion. He became bishop of Tours (later part of medieval France) in 372.

12. St. George of Lydda, a Martyr of the third or fourth century, was often represented on the mythical story of St. George and the dragon. He was patron saint of soldiers both in the Byzantine Empire and in medieval Europe.

13. That is, the monastery of Pannonhalma

14. He was a member of St. Adalbert's circle and moved to Hungary after Adalbert's death. The correct form of his name is not known, Asric or Aseric (due to an erronevas reading often referred to as Astric). 15. That is, the Benedictine abbey of Pécsvárad.

16. That is, to the papal court in Rome.

17. That is, from the pope. 18. Mieszko I ruled froen before 963 until 992; at this time the Polish ruler was Boleslaw I Chrobry, who ruled from 992 until 1025.

19. The phrase utroque iure implies both temporal and spiritual (or ecclesiastical) law. The idea of two types of power became important during the late eleventh-century ecclesiastical reform (*Gregorian reform") and Investiture Contest. Pope Gelasius I (492-96) stated that the sacred authority of popes and secalar imperial power, dependent on each other, governed Christians. From the 1070s, contrary views developed concerning papal and imperial rights and power and their relationship to each other Hartvic affirmed Stephen's sovereignty in the context of this debate, attributing to him the legitimate use of both powers. This assertion reflected the controversies at the time Hartvic was writing, and not those of the epoch of King Stephen. Pope Innocent III, while approving the Life. objected to the use of this phrase, which was omitted from subsequent manuscripts: Augustinus Theiner, Vetera Monumenta Slavorum Meridionaliam Hisoriam bestrantia, 2 vols. (Rome, 1863-75), 1:37, no. 77, Scriptores Rerum Hungaricarum, ed. Imre Szentpeters. 2 vols. (Budapest, 1937-38), 2:369.

20. Hartvic described here the ecclesiastical rite of anointing kings at the time of their coronation. The model for this unction was provided by the Hebrew Bible (Samuel anointed Saul and David) and represented a consecration to God and an endowment with God's gifts. From this point in the text Hartvic starts to call Stephen king (rex). 21. Gisela was the sister of Emperor Henry 11, who ruled from 1002 until 1024.

22. Physical disabilities such as blindness disqualified a man from the priesthood. The story is an attempt to explain the creation of a second archbishopric, that of Kaloca, in Hungary

23. This medieval town named Alba in the region of Pannonia is Fehérvár in modern Hungary. 24. This medieval town named Alba in the region of Transylvania in Alba Iulia in modern Romania,

25. The Pechenegs were a Turkic nomad tribal confederation, migrating in the steppe area across the Volga River In the late ninth century a Pecheneg attack forced the Hungarian tribes into the Carpathian Basin. After the formation of the Hungarian kingdom Pecheneg raids recurred, while some of the Pechenegs settled in Hungary. From the mideleventh century large groups also sended in the Byzantine Empire. In the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries the Pechenegs were decisively defeated by a Byzantine-Cuman alliance.

26. That is, the German Empire. 27. Emperor Conrad II attacked Hungary in 1030.

28. That is, the inhabitants of Pannonia, used here as a synonym for Hungary. 29. This is a reference to canon law, probably to an alleged letter of Pope Anastasius I included among the Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals. A similar scriptural passage (Thess 4:13) was also incorporrted into canon law. Eventually both texts were included in the Decretum of Gratian (C. 13, q. 2. c. 27 and c. 28).

30. This phrase recalls the Inst words of Jesus; see Lk 23:46. 31. This Alba is the one located in Pannonia, that is Fehérvár sa modern Hungary. See notes 23 and 24 above.

32. The text has frater which could be brother or cousing in fact, Solomon was Ladislaus’ cousin. 33. Salomon, son of King Andrew 1 (who reigned from 1046 until 1060), attacked King Béla I (who reigned from 1060 until 1063) with the help of Emperor Henry IV. Béla died before the battle and Solomon became king in 1063. In 1074 war broke out between Salomon and Béla I's two sons. Solomon was defeated and King Géza 1 ruled from 1074 until 1077. After his death his younger brother Ladislas (László) I became king and reigned until 1095. Solomon, who had fled after his defeat, tried to regain the throne. Ladislas recalled him to Hungary, and then imprisoned him. After being released, Solomon left the kingdom and joined the Pechenegs after an unsuccessful attempt to regain his crown, he died in a war against Byzantium.

34. That is, miracles. Hartvic uses both sign and miracle to describe the miracles.