A SZENT ISTVÁN-I INTELMEK ÉS A HOSPITES
THE ADMONITIONS OF ST. STEPHEN AND THE HOSPITES

Author(s): László Havas
Subject(s): Ancient World
Published by: Scientia Kiadó
Keywords: Admonitions of St. Stephen; hospites; multiethnic country; Charlemagne;
Summary/Abstract: The Admonitions of St. Stephen puts special emphasis on the hospites whose influx helps to avoid building a frail monolingual country. For a long time the text had been interpreted as expressing St. Stephen's ideas of a multiethnic country. The word regnum interpreted as 'country' in the text, however, in the 11th century meant not country but rather 'royal power', as well as 'royal court'. Following Charlemagne and the German Emperors St. Stephen's ideal was an open, multilingual royal court creating an erudite high culture. The bearers of this culture were the well-trained foreigners, priests, monks and knights. They brought with themselves the documenta, the written works that helped to elevate the Hungarian court to the standards of Europe. St. Stephen's aim, therefore, was not the building of a multiethnic state but of creating a learned political and cultural centre.

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