Description

In Hungarian history, the "Conquest" refers to the period when Hungarians seized control of the Carpathian Basin. Due to limited written records spanning a vast historical period, reconstructing the Conquest's precise events is challenging. Research suggests that Hungarians settled in the basin in a single wave, primarily targeting the lowlands around 895. The declining realm of Moravian Prince Svatopluk likely facilitated their conquest. By 902, they had subdued the entire basin, focusing settlement in regions like the Alföld (Great Hungarian Plain) and Kisalföld (Little Hungarian Plain), where ample pastures supported their livestock. Avar and Slavic populations in these areas assimilated into the newcomers' tribes over generations.

Since the 5th century, east-to-west migration across the Eurasian steppe has been common, bringing various groups like the Huns, Avars, Onogurs, and ultimately the Hungarians into Europe, with many settling in the Carpathian Basin. Economic factors, such as dwindling pastures or demographic pressures from successful animal husbandry, likely spurred this migration, as seen with preceding tribes like the Besenyő and Uz.

Historians estimate the Hungarian tribes' population differently, but figures commonly range from 200,000 to 500,000 individuals, with a military force of 40,000 to 70,000. Bulgarian campaigns, conducted within Byzantine alliances, engaged around 20,000 to 25,000 warriors from two tribes, aiming to secure the Carpathian Basin and conquer northwestern Bulgarian provinces. Initially, they occupied the east, later expanding to the west in the early 10th century.

Engraver: András Kis Nagy