Menumorut
Encyclopedia
For the residential district named after him, see Menumorut, Satu Mare
Menumorut or Menumorout ruled, according to the 13th century Gesta Ungarorum
(“The Deeds of the Hungarians”), the land between the rivers Tisa
, Mureş
and Someş
when the Magyars invaded the Carpathian Basin around 895. The author of the Gesta refers to him as the grandson of Morout who is said to have occupied the territories which his grandson would rule over. Menumorut's name is composed of two parts: its first part (menu) may have originated either from the Hungarian
word for stallion
(as the anonymous writer
of the Gesta suggests) or from the Bulgar-Turkic word meaning “great” (men); his name’s second part (morut) is the ancient Hungarian name of the Moravians. According to the author of the Gesta, his land was inhabited by a nation called Cozar, but the Gesta also implies the presence of Székely
s.
of the emperor of Byzantium.
The Gesta narrates that Menumorut yielded to Árpád after the Magyars had expelled him from Bihor
fortress. Árpád’s son Zoltán
married Menumorout’s daughter, and thus he inherited his father-in-law’s land after the latter’s death.
ist). Some historians assume that he revived the enemies of the conquerors on the basis of place-names in the Carpathian Basin: thus Menumorut's name could come from the ancient village Marót or Marótlaka in Bihar County.
On the other hand, the Gesta Ungarorum is the earliest surviving chronicle
of Hungary, which was written at some point after 1196. Although the version given by the unknown author of this chronicle is in sharp contrast with that of Simon of Kéza
and other chronicles, it would be a mistake to treat the Gesta as a forgery, for nothing indicates that its author had any reason to forge anything. Therefore, Romanian historians tend to accept that Menumorot was the "voivode" of Crişana
, one of the Romanian
incipient states on the territory of present-day Romania
. According to others he was a Khazar-Kabar ruler in Eastern Hungary.
Menumorut or Menumorout ruled, according to the 13th century Gesta Ungarorum
Gesta Hungarorum
Gesta Hungarorum is a record of early Hungarian history by an unknown author who describes himself as Anonymi Bele Regis Notarii , but is generally cited as Anonymus...
(“The Deeds of the Hungarians”), the land between the rivers Tisa
Tisá
Tisá is a village and municipality in Ústí nad Labem District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 786 ....
, Mureş
Mures River
The Mureș is an approximately 761 km long river in Eastern Europe. It originates in the Hășmașu Mare Range in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, Romania, and joins the Tisza river at Szeged in southeastern Hungary....
and Someş
Someş River
The river Someş flows through Romania and Hungary.It rises from two headstreams, the Someşul Mare, in the Rodna Mountains in Bistriţa-Năsăud County and the Someşul Mic in the Apuseni Mountains of Cluj County...
when the Magyars invaded the Carpathian Basin around 895. The author of the Gesta refers to him as the grandson of Morout who is said to have occupied the territories which his grandson would rule over. Menumorut's name is composed of two parts: its first part (menu) may have originated either from the Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
word for stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
(as the anonymous writer
Gesta Hungarorum
Gesta Hungarorum is a record of early Hungarian history by an unknown author who describes himself as Anonymi Bele Regis Notarii , but is generally cited as Anonymus...
of the Gesta suggests) or from the Bulgar-Turkic word meaning “great” (men); his name’s second part (morut) is the ancient Hungarian name of the Moravians. According to the author of the Gesta, his land was inhabited by a nation called Cozar, but the Gesta also implies the presence of Székely
Székely
The Székelys or Székely , sometimes also referred to as Szeklers , are a subgroup of the Hungarian people living mostly in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, Romania...
s.
Menumorut in the Gesta Ungarorum
The author of the Gesta mentions that he was the vassalVassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
of the emperor of Byzantium.
The Gesta narrates that Menumorut yielded to Árpád after the Magyars had expelled him from Bihor
Biharia
Biharia is a commune in Bihor County, northwestern Romania. It is composed of two villages, Biharia and Cauaceu . In 2002 it had 5,870 inhabitants, of whom 85.87% were Hungarians, 12.12% Romanians and 1.73% Roma.-History:...
fortress. Árpád’s son Zoltán
Zoltán of Hungary
Zoltán , also known as Zaltas and Solt, according to the mediaeval chronicles, was the third Grand Prince of the Magyars from 907 to 947.He was the youngest son of Árpád...
married Menumorout’s daughter, and thus he inherited his father-in-law’s land after the latter’s death.
Controversy around his story
As nothing proves that the anonymous writer of the Gesta had factual knowledge of the real conditions of the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries, he could have turned only to his own imagination when he outlined the history of the Magyar Conquest (his methods are those of a historical novelHistorical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
ist). Some historians assume that he revived the enemies of the conquerors on the basis of place-names in the Carpathian Basin: thus Menumorut's name could come from the ancient village Marót or Marótlaka in Bihar County.
On the other hand, the Gesta Ungarorum is the earliest surviving chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
of Hungary, which was written at some point after 1196. Although the version given by the unknown author of this chronicle is in sharp contrast with that of Simon of Kéza
Simon of Kéza
Simon of Kéza was the most famous Hungarian chronicler in the 13th century. He was a priest in the royal court of king Ladislaus IV of Hungary....
and other chronicles, it would be a mistake to treat the Gesta as a forgery, for nothing indicates that its author had any reason to forge anything. Therefore, Romanian historians tend to accept that Menumorot was the "voivode" of Crişana
Crisana
Crișana is a geographical and historical region divided today between Romania and Hungary, named after the Criș River and its three tributaries: the Crișul Alb, Crișul Negru and Crișul Repede....
, one of the Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
incipient states on the territory of present-day Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. According to others he was a Khazar-Kabar ruler in Eastern Hungary.
See also
- Romania in the Early Middle AgesRomania in the Early Middle AgesThe Early Middle Ages in Romania spans the period from the withdrawal of the Roman administration from the province of Dacia in the 271–275 AD, thenceforward modern Romania's territories were to be crisscrossed by migrating populations for almost 1,000 years...
- Gesta HungarorumGesta HungarorumGesta Hungarorum is a record of early Hungarian history by an unknown author who describes himself as Anonymi Bele Regis Notarii , but is generally cited as Anonymus...
- GelouGelouGelou or Gelu was a Romanian duke mentioned in Gesta Hungarorum as having opposed the conquest of Transylvania by Tuhutum, one of the “seven dukes” of the Magyars. His story was recorded only by the anonymous writer of the 13th century Gesta...
- Glad (duke)Glad (duke)Glad was a duke of Bulgarian origin who, according to the 13th-century chronicle Gesta Ungarorum "", ruled in the territory of modern Banat at the time of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin around 896...
External links
- Duchy of Menumorut (map)
- "The Map of the Road of the Magyar Conquest - According to the Anonymous Notary"
Sources
- Georgescu, Vlad (Author) - Calinescu, Matei (Editor) - Bley-Vroman, Alexandra (Translator): The Romanians – A History; Ohio State University Press, 1991, Columbus; ISBN 0-8142-0511-9 (https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1811/24814/1/THE_ROMANIANS_A_HISTORY.pdf, retrieved on 2009-03-21).
- Klepper, Nicolae: Romania: An Illustrated History; Hippocrene Books, Inc, 2005, New York, NY; ISBN 0-7818-0935-5.
- Köpeczi, Béla (General Editor) - Makkai, László - Mócsy, András - Szász, Zoltán (Editors) - Barta, Gábor (Assistant Editor): History of Transylvania – Volume I: From the Beginnings to 1606; Columbia University Press, 2001, New York; ISBN 0-88033-479-7 (http://mek.oszk.hu/03400/03407/html/, retrieved on 2009-03-21).
- Kristó, Gyula (General Editor) - Engel, Pál - Makk, Ferenc (Editors): Korai Magyar történeti lexicon (9-14. század) /Encyclopedia of the Early Hungarian History (9th-14th centuries)/; Akadémiai Kiadó, 1994, Budapest; ISBN 963-05-6722-9 (the entry “Ménmarót” was written by Zoltán Kordé).
- Kristó, Gyula: Early Transylvania (895-1324); Lucidus Kiadó, 2003, Budapest; ISBN 963-9465-12-7.
- Macartney, C. A.: The Medieval Hungarian Historians: A Critical and Analytical Guide; Cambridge University Press, 2008; ISBN 978-0-521-08051-4.
- Madgearu, Alexandru: Salt Trade and Warfare: The Rise of Romanian-Slavic Military Organization in Early Medieval Transylvania; in: Curta, Florin (Editor): East Central and Eastern Europe in the Early Middle Ages; The University of Michigan Press, 2005; ISBN 978-0-472-11498-6.
- Pop, Ioan Aurel: Romanians and Romania: A Brief History; Columbia University Press, 1999, New York; ISBN 0-88033-440-1.
- Veszprémy, László (Translator): A magyarok cselekedetei /The Deeds of the Hungarians/; in: Anonymus (Author) - Veszprémy, László (Translator): A magyarok cselekedetei – Kézai, Simon (Author) - Bollók, János (Translator): A magyarok cselekedetei; Osiris Kiadó, 1999, Budapest; ISBN 963-389-606-1.