View source for King of Hungary

{{Short description|Monarch of the Kingdom of Hungary (1000–1918)}}
{{for|list of rulers|List of Hungarian monarchs}}
{{Redirect|Queen of Hungary|queens consort of Hungary|List of Hungarian consorts}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox monarchy
| royal_title        = Apostolic King 
| realm              = Hungary
| native_name        = Magyarország apostoli királya
| coatofarms         = Royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Hungary (1915-1918; angels).svg
| coatofarms_size    = 120px
| coatofarmscaption  =  '''[[Coat of arms of Hungary|Royal coat of arms]]'''
| style              = [[Apostolic Majesty|His Apostolic Majesty]]
| image              = IV. Károly a Szent István-rend ornátusában.png
| image_size         = 220px
| alt                =
| caption            = '''Last to reign<br>[[Charles I of Austria|Charles IV]]'''<br />21 November 1916 – 13 November 1918
| incumbent          = <!-- Required. -->
| incumbentsince     = <!-- Optional. Enthronement date. -->
| other              = <!-- Optional. Other caption below incumbent's name instead of enthronement date. -->
| image2             = <!-- Optional. Just the image name, no File: or Image: coding -->
| image2_size        =
| image2_alt         =
| caption2           = <!-- Optional. -->
| incumbent2         = <!-- Optional. for a co-principality -->
| incumbent2since    = <!-- Optional. Enthronement date. -->
| other2             = <!-- Optional. Other caption below co-incumbent's name instead of enthronement date. -->
| heir_apparent      =  
| heir_presumptive   = <!-- Optional. -->
| first_monarch      = [[Stephen I of Hungary|Stephen I]]
| last_monarch       = [[Charles I of Austria|Charles IV]]
| formation          = 25 December 1000
| abolition          = 16 November 1918
| residences         = [[Buda Castle]]<br>[[Bratislava Castle]]<br>[[Castle of Diósgyőr]]
| appointer          = [[Primogeniture]]<br>[[Diet of Hungary|Royal Diet]]
| pretender          = [[Karl von Habsburg]]
| titlenote          =
| website            = <!-- Optional. -->
}}
[[File:Crown, Sword and Globus Cruciger of Hungary2.jpg|thumb|right|235px|[[Holy Crown of Hungary|Crown Jewels of Hungary]]]]
The '''King of Hungary''' ({{langx|hu|Magyarország királya}}) was the [[Monarchy|ruling]] [[head of state]] of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]] from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "'''Apostolic King of Hungary'''" (''Magyarország apostoli királya'') was endorsed by [[Pope Clement XIII]] in 1758 and used afterwards by all monarchs of Hungary.<ref name="caps">
    The term "King of Hungary" is typically capitalized only
    as a title applied to a specific person; however, within
    this article, the terms "Kings of Hungary" or "Junior
    Kings" (etc.) are also shown in capital letters, as in
    the manner of philosophical writing which capitalizes
    concepts such as [[Truth]], [[Kindness]] and Beauty.
</ref>

==Establishment of the title==
Before 1000 AD, Hungary was not yet  recognized as a kingdom by the Pope and the [[List of rulers of Hungary|ruler of Hungary]] was styled [[Grand Prince of the Hungarians]]. The first King of Hungary, [[Stephen I of Hungary|Stephen I.]] was crowned on 25 December 1000 (or 1 January 1001) with the crown [[Pope Sylvester II]] had sent him and with the consent of [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor]].

Following King [[Stephen I of Hungary|Stephen I]]'s coronation, all the monarchs of [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]] and the [[Árpád dynasty]] used the title "King". However, not all rulers of Hungary were kings—for example, [[Stephen Bocskai]] and [[Francis II Rákóczi]] were proclaimed rulers as "High Princes of Hungary", and there were also three Governors of Hungary who were sometimes styled "regents", [[János Hunyadi]], [[Lajos Kossuth]]<ref>Kossuth's status was ambiguous because the question about the form of government (republic or monarchy) was not yet decided</ref> and [[Miklós Horthy]].

===Legal requirements for a coronation to be legitimate===
{{See also|Coronation of the Hungarian monarch}}
From the 13th century on, a process was established to confirm the legitimacy of the King. No person could become the legitimate King of Hungary without fulfilling the following criteria:
* Coronation by the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Esztergom–Budapest|Archbishop of Esztergom]]
* Coronation with the [[Holy Crown of Hungary]]
* Coronation at [[Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary|Székesfehérvár Basilica]]
This meant a certain level of protection to the integrity of the Kingdom. For example, stealing the Holy Crown of Hungary was no longer enough to become legitimate King.

The first requirement (coronation by the Archbishop of Esztergom) was confirmed by [[Béla III of Hungary|Béla III]], who had been crowned by [[Berthold (patriarch of Aquileia)|Archbishop Berthold of Kalocsa]], based on the special authorisation of [[Pope Alexander III]]. After his coronation he declared that this coronation would not affect the customary claim of the Archbishop of Esztergom to crown the king. In 1211, [[Pope Innocent III]] refused to confirm the agreement of [[John, Archbishop of Esztergom|Archbishop John of Esztergom]] and Archbishop Berthold of Kalocsa on the transfer of the claim, and he declared that only the Archbishop of Esztergom was entitled to crown the King of Hungary.

King [[Charles I of Hungary]] was crowned in May 1301 with a provisional crown in Esztergom by the Archbishop of that city; this led to his second coronation in June 1309. At that time the Holy Crown was not used, and he was crowned in Buda by the Archbishop of Esztergom. However, his final third coronation was in 1310, in [[Székesfehérvár]], with the Holy Crown and by the Archbishop of Esztergom. Then the King's coronation was considered absolutely legitimate.

On the other hand, in 1439, the dowager queen [[Elizabeth of Luxemburg]] ordered one of her handmaidens to steal the Holy Crown from the palace of Visegrád, and then promoted the coronation of her newborn son [[Ladislaus the Posthumous|Ladislaus V]], which was carried out legitimately in Székesfehérvár by the Archbishop of Esztergom.

A similar situation occurred with [[Matthias Corvinus]], when he negotiated for return of the Holy Crown, which was in the possession of [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor]]. After it was returned, Matthias was legitimately crowned.

===Inheriting the throne===
[[File:II. Lipót koronázása 1790-ben.jpg|thumb|240px|The coronation of [[Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold II]] at [[St. Martin's Cathedral, Bratislava|St. Martin's Cathedral]] in 1790, in [[Bratislava|Pozsony]], site of Hungarian coronations between 1563 and 1830. Engraving by [[Carl Schütz]].]]
As in all the traditional monarchies, the heir descended through the male line from a previous King of Hungary. In accordance with Hungarian tradition, this right usually passed to younger brothers, before passing to the son of the previous King, which caused family disputes on many occasions. The founder of the first Hungarian royal house was [[Árpád]], who led his people into the [[Carpathian Basin]] in 895. His descendants, who ruled for more than 400 years, included [[Stephen I of Hungary|Saint Stephen I]], [[Ladislaus I of Hungary|Saint Ladislaus I]], [[Andrew II of Hungary|Andrew II]], and [[Béla IV of Hungary|Béla IV]]. In 1301 the last member of the [[House of Árpád]] died, and [[Charles I of Hungary|Charles I]] was crowned, claiming the throne in the name of his paternal grandmother [[Mary of Hungary, Queen of Naples|Mary]], the daughter of [[Stephen V of Hungary|Stephen V]]. With the death of [[Mary, Queen of Hungary|Mary]], the granddaughter of Charles I, in 1395, the direct line was interrupted again, and Mary's husband [[Sigismund of Hungary|Sigismund]] continued reigning, after being elected by the nobility of the Kingdom in the name of the Holy Crown.

Later, [[Matthias Corvinus]] was elected by the nobles of the Kingdom, being the first Hungarian monarch who descended from an aristocratic family, and not from a royal family that inherited the title. The same happened decades later with [[John Zápolya]], who was elected in 1526 after the death of [[Louis II of Hungary|Louis II]] in the [[battle of Mohács]].

After this, the [[House of Habsburg]] inherited the throne, and ruled Hungary from Austria for almost 400 years until 1918. Admiral Horthy was appointed regent in 1920, but [[Charles IV of Hungary's attempts to retake the throne]] were unsuccessful. The monarchy of Hungary was formally abolished on 1 February 1946 on the establishment of the [[Second Hungarian Republic]].

==Other titles used by the King of Hungary==
{{See also|Lands of the Hungarian Crown}}
Over the centuries, the Kings of Hungary acquired or claimed the crowns of several neighboring countries, and they began to use the royal titles connected to those countries. By the time of the last kings, their precise style was: ''"By the Grace of God, Apostolic King of Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Rama, Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Cumania and Bulgaria, Grand Prince of Transylvania, Count of the Székelys"''.

The title ''"[[Apostolic King]]"'' was confirmed by [[Pope Clement XIII]] in 1758 and used thereafter by all the Kings of Hungary.

The title of ''"[[Slavonia|King of Slavonia]]"'' referred to the territories between the [[Drava]] and the [[Sava]] Rivers. That title was first used by [[Ladislaus I of Hungary|Ladislaus I]]. It was also Ladislaus I who adopted the title ''"[[King of Croatia]]"'' in 1091. [[Coloman of Hungary|Coloman]] added the phrase ''"[[Dalmatia|King of Dalmatia]]"'' to the royal style in 1105.

The title ''"[[King of Rama]]"'', referring to the claim to [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnia]], was first used by [[Béla II of Hungary|Béla II]] in 1136. It was [[Emeric of Hungary|Emeric]] who adopted the title ''"[[Serbia|King of Serbia]]"''. The phrase ''"King of Galicia"'' was used to indicate the supremacy over [[Halych]], while the title  ''"King of Lodomeria"'' referred to [[Volhynia]]; both titles were adopted by [[Andrew II of Hungary|Andrew II]] in 1205. In 1233, [[Béla IV of Hungary|Béla IV]] began to use the title ''"King of Cumania"'' which expressed the rule over the territories settled by the [[Cumans]] (i.e., [[Wallachia]] and [[Moldavia]]) at that time. The phrase ''"[[Bulgaria|King of Bulgaria]]"'' was added to the royal style by [[Stephen V of Hungary|Stephen V]].

[[Transylvania]] was originally a part of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]] ruled by a [[voivode]], but after 1526 became a semi-independent [[Principality of Transylvania (1571–1711)|principality]] vassal to the [[Ottoman Empire]], and later to the [[Habsburg monarchy]]. In 1696, after dethroning Prince [[Michael II Apafi]], [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]] took the title ''"[[Prince of Transylvania]]"''. In 1765, [[Maria Theresa]] elevated Transylvania to the status of [[Grand Principality]].

The ''"[[Count of the Székelys]]"'' was originally a dignitary of the Kingdom of Hungary, but the title was later used by the Princes of Transylvania. The title was revived during the reign of Maria Theresa who adopted it at the request of the Székelys.

==Length of reign==
{| width=100% |
| width=55% valign=top |

=== Longest-reigning Hungarian monarchs ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|- align="center"
! rowspan=2 | # || rowspan=2 | Name !! colspan=2 | Reign !! colspan=2 | Duration
|-
! from !! to !! days !! years/days
|-
| 1 || align="left" | [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Francis Joseph I]] || 2 December 1848 || 21 November 1916 || align="right" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1848|12|2|1916|11|21}}}} || align="left" | {{age in years and days|1848|12|2|1916|11|21}}
|-
| 2 || align="left" | [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]] || 31 March 1387 || 9 December 1437 || align="right" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1387|3|31|1437|12|9}}}} || align="left" | {{age in years and days|1387|3|31|1437|12|9}}
|-
| 3 || align="left" | [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]] || 2 April 1657 || 5 May 1705 || align="right" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1657|4|2|1705|5|5}}}} || align="left" | {{age in years and days|1657|4|2|1705|5|5}}
|-
| 4 || align="left" | [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis]] || 1 March 1792 || 2 March 1835 || align="right" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1792|3|1|1835|3|2}}}} || align="left" | {{age in years and days|1792|3|1|1835|3|2}}
|-
| 5 || align="left" | [[Louis I of Hungary|Louis I]] || 21 July 1342 || 10 September 1382 || align="right" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1342|7|21|1382|9|10}}}} || align="left" | {{age in years and days|1342|7|21|1382|9|10}}
|-
| 6 || align="left" | [[Maria Theresa]] || 20 October 1740 || 29 November 1780 || align="right" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1740|10|20|1780|11|29}}}} || align="left" | {{age in years and days|1740|10|20|1780|11|29}}
|-
| 7 || align="left" | [[Stephen I of Hungary|Stephen I]] || 25 December 1000 || 15 August 1038 || align="right" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1000|12|25|1038|8|15}}}} || align="left" | {{age in years and days|1000|12|25|1038|8|15}}
|-
| 8 || align="left" | [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I]] || 17 December 1526 || 25 July 1564 || align="right" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1526|12|17|1564|7|25}}}} || align="left" | {{age in years and days|1526|12|17|1564|7|25}}
|-
| 9 || align="left" | [[Béla IV of Hungary|Béla IV]] || 14 October 1235 || 3 May 1270 || align="right" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1235|10|14|1270|5|3}}}} || align="left" | {{age in years and days|1235|10|14|1270|5|3}}
|-
| 10 || align="left" | [[Charles I of Hungary|Charles I]] || 17 November 1308 || 16 July 1342 || align="right" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1308|11|17|1342|7|16}}}} || align="left" | {{age in years and days|1308|11|17|1342|7|16}}
|}
| width=50% valign=top |

=== Shortest-reigning Hungarian monarchs ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|- align="center"
! rowspan=2 | # || rowspan=2 | Name !! colspan=2 | Reign !! colspan=2 | Duration
|-
! from !! to !! colspan=2 | days
|-
| 1 || align="left" | [[Charles III of Naples|Charles II]] || 31 December 1385 || 24 February 1386 || align="left" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1385|12|31|1386|2|24}}}}
|-
| 2 || align="left" | [[Ladislaus III of Hungary|Ladislaus III]] || 30 November 1204 || 7 May 1205 || align="left" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1204|11|30|1205|5|7}}}}
|-
| 3 || align="left" | [[Otto III, Duke of Bavaria|Otto]] || 9 October 1305 || May 1307 || align="left" | {{circa}} ''{{formatnum:{{age in days|1305|10|9|1307|5|31}}}}''
|-
| 4 || align="left" | [[Albert II of Germany|Albert]] || 18 December 1437 || 27 October 1439 || align="left" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1437|12|18|1439|10|27}}}}
|-
| 5 || align="left" | [[Charles I of Austria|Charles IV]] || 21 November 1916 || 16 November 1918 || align="left" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1916|11|21|1918|11|16}}}}
|-
| 6 || align="left" | [[Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold II]] || 20 February 1790 || 1 March 1792 || align="left" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1790|2|20|1792|3|1}}}}
|-
| 7 || align="left" | [[Stephen V of Hungary|Stephen V]] || May 1270 || 6 August 1272 || align="left" | {{circa}} ''{{formatnum:{{age in days|1270|5|15|1272|8|6}}}}''
|-
| 8 || align="left" | [[Béla I of Hungary|Béla I]] || 6 December 1060 || 11 September 1063 || align="left" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1060|12|6|1063|9|11}}}}
|-
| 9 || align="left" | [[Samuel Aba, King of Hungary|Samuel Aba]] || September 1041 || 5 July 1044 || align="left" | {{circa}} ''{{formatnum:{{age in days|1041|9|10|1044|7|5}}}}''
|-
| 10 || align="left" | [[Géza I of Hungary|Géza I]] || 14 March 1074 || 25 April 1077 || align="left" | {{formatnum:{{age in days|1074|3|14|1077|4|25}}}}
|}
|}

==See also==
* [[Apostolic King]]
* [[Grand Prince of the Hungarians]]
* [[Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen]]
* [[Regent of Hungary]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* ''Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9–14. század)'', főszerkesztő: Kristó, Gyula, szerkesztők: Engel, Pál és Makk, Ferenc (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1994).
* ''Magyarország Történeti Kronológiája I-III. – A kezdetektől 1526-ig; 1526–1848, 1848–1944'', főszerkesztő: Benda, Kálmán (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1981, 1982, 1993).
* ''Magyar Történelmi Fogalomtár I-II. – A-K; L-ZS'', főszerkesztő: Bán, Péter (Gondolat, Budapest, 1989).
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [http://nobhist.narod.ru/hungary.html Titles of European hereditary rulers – Hungary: Bibliography.]

{{Hungary topics}}

[[Category:Kingdom of Hungary]]
[[Category:Hungarian royalty]]
[[Category:Lists of monarchs|Hungary]]
[[Category:1000 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:10th-century establishments in Hungary]]
[[Category:1918 disestablishments in Austria-Hungary]]