See Also: Stephen I(encyclopedia)
Stephen(encyclopedia)
St. Stephen' s Day pie(recipes)
Stephen II(encyclopedia)
Wozniak, Stephen G(ary)(encyclopedia)
Girard, Stephen(encyclopedia)
Gould, Stephen Jay(encyclopedia)
Babcock, Stephen(medicine)
Stephen Bathory(encyclopedia)
Stephen (as used in expressions)(encyclopedia)

Stephen I (sh)




or Saint Stephen orig. Vajk

born 970/975, Esztergom, Hung.
died Aug. 15, 1038, Esztergom; canonized 1083; feast day August 16

First king of Hungary (1000-38) and founder of the Hungarian state.

The son of a Magyar chieftain, he was born a pagan but was later baptized as a Christian. After defeating his cousin to claim the throne, Stephen was crowned; his royal crown was a gift of Pope Sylvester II. His rule was peaceful except for an invasion by Conrad II (1030) and minor disputes with Poland and Bulgaria, and he organized Hungarian government and church administration on German models. He is the patron saint of Hungary.