Black Hungarians ( la, Ungri Nigri) or Black Magyars were a (semi-)independent group of the

Magyars 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 Uralic ...

before and after the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin at the end of the 9th century. The nomadic tribes sign the four cardinal points by colors: the North is "black", West is "white", South is "red", and East is "blue". Black Hungarians are mentioned in just a few contemporary sources (sometimes in opposition to ''White Hungarians''); none of the sources expands upon the exact nature of the relationship between the Black Magyars and the "mainstream" Hungarian population, nor is the origin and meaning of their name clear. It is known that they participated in some military campaign in Kiev; after the conquest, they resisted the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

even after the coronation of King

Stephen I of Hungary Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( hu, Szent István király ; la, Sanctus Stephanus; sk, Štefan I. or Štefan Veľký; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the ...

in 1000 or 1001. In 1003, Bruno of Querfurt tried to convert the Black Hungarians; then Azzo, a

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...

, led the missionary work among them, but they insisted on their faith; therefore some of them were blinded. Around 1008, King Stephen I made a campaign against them and conquered their territories ("Black Hungary"). Adémar de Chabannes: ''

Historia pontificum et comitum Engolismensium The ''Historia pontificum et comitum Engolismensium'' ("History of the Bishops and Counts of Angoulême") is an anonymous genealogical history of the Taillefer dynasty of the Counts and Bishops of Angoulême written around 1160.Georges Duby, Jane D ...

''.

Sources

* ''Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9-14. század)'', főszerkesztő: Kristó, Gyula, szerkesztők: Engel, Pál és Makk, Ferenc (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1994)

References

External links

Hungarian History
History of the Hungarians Baranya (region) History of Baranya (region) Hungarian prehistory {{Hungary-stub