Koppány

Koppány of Somogy (* 950, † 998 in Veszprém ) was a Hungarian tribal prince from the House of Árpád.

Life

Koppány was the cousin of the Hungarian Grand Prince Géza and ruled the area of Somogy south of Lake Balaton. He challenged by Géza 's death 997 the rule over Hungary after the Senioratsprinzip the Árpád dynasty, after which the oldest male member of the clan was the leader. In order to legitimize his claims he wanted to Géza, Sarolt widow married. Yet arrested the paganism of the Magyars, he fought against Géza Vajk son, his educated as Christians nephew Stephen, who justified his claims by divine right.

In the battle of Veszprém 998 Koppány defeated the troops of Stephen, who had the crucial support of Bavarian knights and was executed that battlefield. The body was supposedly quartered and the parts nailed to deter the city gates of Veszprém, Győr and Esztergom, and sent to the next possible usurper Gyula after Gyulafehérvár. Stephan could be crowned and continue the Christianization of the country then the first king of Hungary.