The Magyar tribes ( , hu, magyar törzsek) or Hungarian clans were the fundamental political units within whose framework the

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...

(Magyars) lived, before the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin and the subsequent established the Principality of Hungary.George H. Hodos
The East-Central European region: an historical outline
Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999, p. 19

Etymology

The ethnonym of the Hungarian tribal alliance is uncertain. According to one view, following Anonymus's description, the federation was called "Hetumoger" (modern Hungarian: '''hét magyar - Seven Magyars) (''"VII principales persone qui Hetumoger dicuntur"'', "seven princely persons who are called Seven Magyars"), though the word "Magyar" possibly comes from the name of the most prominent Hungarian tribe, called ''Megyer''. The tribal name "Megyer" became "Magyar" referring to the Hungarian people as a whole. Written sources called Magyars "Hungarians" before the conquest of the Carpathian Basin when they still lived on the Steppes of Eastern Europe (in 837 "Ungri" mentioned by Georgius Monachus, in 862 "Ungri" by Annales Bertiniani, in 881 "Ungari" by the ''

Annales ex Annalibus Iuvavensibus The ''Annales iuvavenses'' or Annals of Salzburg were a series of annals written in the 9th and 10th centuries at Salzburg (the former Roman ''Iuvavum'') in the East Frankish stem duchy of Bavaria. They are a useful source for southeastern German ...

''). The English term "Hungarian" is a derivative of the Latin "Ungri" or "Ungari" forms.

History

According to András Róna-Tas the locality in which the Hungarians, the ''Manicha-Er'' group, emerged was between the

Volga The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catch ...

river and the

Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...

.András Róna-Tas
Hungarians and Europe in the early Middle Ages: an introduction to early Hungarian history
Central European University Press, 1999, p. 319 Between the 8th and 5th centuries BC, the Magyars embarked upon their independent existence and the early period of the proto-

Hungarian language Hungarian () is an Uralic language spoken in Hungary and parts of several neighbouring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Outside Hungary, it is also spoken by Hungar ...

began. Around 830 AD,Carl Waldman, Catherine Mason
Encyclopedia of European peoples, Volume 1
Infobase Publishing, 2006, p. 508 when Álmos, the future Grand Prince of the Hungarians, was about 10 years old, the seven related tribes ('' Jenő'', ''Kér'', '' Keszi'', '' Kürt-Gyarmat'', ', '' Nyék'' and '' Tarján'')Kevin Alan Brook
The Jews of Khazaria
Rowman & Littlefield, 2009, pp. 163-164. formed a confederation in Etelköz,Paul Lendvai
The Hungarians: a thousand years of victory in defeat
C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2003, p. 15-29, p. 533 called ''"Hétmagyar"'' ("Seven Magyars"). Their leaders, the Seven chieftains of the Magyars, besides Álmos, included Előd, Ond,

Kond Kond ( hy, Կոնդ, meaning ''long hill'' in Armenian; during the Persian rule, Tepebashi) is one of the oldest quarters of Yerevan. It is situated within the boundaries of the modern-day Kentron District of the capital of Armenia. According to ...

, Tas, Huba and Töhötöm, who took a blood oath, swearing eternal loyalty to Álmos. Presumably, the Magyar tribes consisted of 108 clans. The confederation of the tribes was probably led by two high princes: the '' kende'' (their spiritual ruler) and the '' gyula'' (their military leader). The high princes were either elected by the leaders of the tribes or appointed by the

Khagan Khagan or Qaghan (Mongolian:; or ''Khagan''; otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣 ), or , tr, Kağan or ; ug, قاغان, Qaghan, Mongolian Script: ; or ; fa, خاقان ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan ...

of the

Khazars The Khazars ; he, כּוּזָרִים, Kūzārīm; la, Gazari, or ; zh, 突厥曷薩 ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a semi-nomadic Turkic people that in the late 6th-century CE established a major commercial empire coverin ...

who had been exerting influence over the Magyars. Around 862 AD the seven tribes separated from the Khazars. Before 881 AD three Turkic tribes rebelled against the rule of the Khagan of the Khazars, but they were suppressed. After their defeat they left the Khazar Empire and voluntarily joined the ''Hétmagyar'' confederation. The three tribes were organised into one tribe, called

Kabar The Kabars ( el, Κάβαροι), also known as Qavars (Qabars) or Khavars were Khazar rebels who joined the Magyar confederation possibly in the 9th century as well as the Rus' Khaganate. Sources The Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII is the ...

, and later they played the roles of

vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives f ...

and

rear guard A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...

during the joint military actions of the confederation. The joining of the three tribes to the previous seven created the On-ogur (''Ten Arrows''), one of the possible origins for the name ''Hungarian''.

Social organization

The Hungarian social structure was of Turkic origin.Makkai 2001, pp. 415-416.

Sources

* ''Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9-14. század)'', főszerkesztő: Kristó, Gyula, szerkesztők: Engel, Pál és Makk, Ferenc (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1994) * Kristó, Gyula: ''A Kárpát-medence és a magyarság régmúltja (1301-ig)'' (Szegedi Középkortörténeti Könyvtár, Szeged, 1993) * ''Magyarország Történeti Kronológiája I. – A kezdetektől 1526-ig'', főszerkesztő: Benda Kálmán (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1981) * Makkai, László (2001). ''Transylvania in the medieval Hungarian kingdom (896-1526)'', In: Béla Köpeczi, HISTORY OF TRANSYLVANIA Volume I. From the Beginnings to 1606, Columbia University Press, New York, 2001,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magyar Tribes Hungarian prehistory Hungarian tribes and clans Nomadic groups in Eurasia

Etymology

History

Social organization

See also

Sources

References