Magyar törzsszövetségi méltóságok 870-950 között

Abstract

The study deals with the political leadership of the Hungarian tribal federation and with the possible changes during this period. According to the testimony of Muslim sources (Ibn Rusta, Gardézi) two princes headed the tribal federation around 870-880: the first in rank was called kiindli, the second was called gyula. Both leaders had mainly military functions: the kiindii may have been a sacral prince with symbolic power, while the gyula had the real command in military and other matters. Not much after the conquest of the mid-Danubian basin the political structure changed a bit. Possibly around 910-920 a third prince appeared, the karkhas. According to Constantine VII. (DAI, chapter 40.) there were three leaders: the prince from the clan of Árpád, the gyula and the karkhas, who had judiciary functions. Although these functions were attributed just to the gyula and the karkhas, the author of the study supposes, that maybe the first prince („great prince") from the clan of Árpád had judiciary functions as well. These three princes can be considered the military leaders of the Hungarian tribes, who obeyed them just in military matters, otherwise they were quite independent having their own tribal chiefs.