Ancient Hungarians: Origins, Culture and Rise of the Magyars

Khan's Den
Khan's Den
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Published 2024-05-10
The political history of Europe was mostly shaped by two phenomena: large, consolidated kingdoms and empires on the one hand and migratory movements from the north and east on the other. While the former is well-known to the public, the many migrations, especially from Asia, are rarely talked about if we leave out the Huns of Attila. Seemingly, after the disintegration of the Hunnic Empire, the migrations by steppe peoples lost importance. But as a matter of fact, the dissolution of the Huns paved the way for even more migrations. Beginning in the 550s, many steppe peoples like the Avars, Göktürks, Bulgars, Pechenegs, and Kipchaks entered the European continent. In between, a particular group called “Magyars” also entered the European continent. They would go on to form the core of Hungarian identity.

The Magyar’s early history was marked by interactions with Turkic empires, shaping their cultural and political development and even writing system. But the most important state was the Göktürk Empire, under which the Magyars lived for nearly a century before moving further west. Passing through modern-day Ukraine, they arrived in the Carpathian Basin – the former home of the Huns. There, the Magyar developed their language, customs, and governance with noticeable Turkic influences. This era saw the rise of important Magyar leaders and the establishment of a distinct political entity. One of the most important leaders was Árpád, who successfully conducted this conquest and founded the eponymous Árpád dynasty. Later, Stephen’s conversion to Christianity and establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary were monumental in solidifying the Magyar presence in Europe.

The subsequent history of the Hungarians is well known. But the era of the ancient Magyars is often overlooked – and complicated. It is time to shed light on these nomadic stepp warriors and establish some facts. First, we’ll explain the geographical origins of the first Magyar tribes and try to understand why they migrated in the first place. Then, we will delve into early Magyar culture and analyze if and how much it had in common with the Finno-Ugric and Turkic cultures. We’ll see how Magyar and Hungarian identity changed over time. And we’ll lastly answer the question if the Hungarians, as their name suggests, really are descendants of Attila and the Huns.

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro: Steppe Invasions and the Magyars
02:45 The Names "Hungary" and "Magyar"
05:48 Origin Theory 1: Finno-Ugric (Uralic)
08:03 Origin Theory 2: Turkic (Central Asian)
11:04 Origin Theory 3: Mixed
15:36 Culture and Religion
18:10 Parallels to Nordic and Turkic Cultures
21:57 A Word from Emre
22:31 Magyar Migration into Europe
32:10 The Magyar Conquests in Europe
35:30 The Huns and Hungarians
44:50 Conclusion
All Comments (21)
  • @KhansDen
    This video was supposed to be 24 minutes long. But the more research I conducted, there more excited I got about Magyar history. So here it is, with 47 minutes runtime my longest video since 2021. Still I was forced to cut out a part about the Sarmatians and their connections to the Magyars – a remnant of that topic can be seen in the first world map at the beginning of the video. Forgive me, Magyar friends. I hope that you, especially, enjoy this one nonetheless. I might have missed an event or important person here and there. Tell me in the comments below, and I'll consider it for a follow-up video in the future. On this occasion, please consider joining my revived Discord server. Over there, we like to discuss history about the steppe and Turkic peoples, ancient primary sources, DNA research and so on. There's even a "Research" group where you can, if you feel like it, contribute to one of the future projects. --> discord.gg/mwqE8dTcFq
  • @HEALTHYFOODGOOD
    I am a Volga Tatar and took a genetic test. The closest historical populations are Hungarian conquerors, with very close matches.
  • @hunguy3280
    Under a recent openings of some Hun cemeteries, located in the Northern Mongolian region, the DNA blood relationship between the deceased Huns and the Hungarians living in Central Europe today, has been confirmed as being the same. This confirms a long believed relationship between this two brother nations.
  • @Horizontal77
    匈牙利人认为自己是匈奴的兄弟国家。匈奴人和匈牙利人的祖先是同一个人。另一方面，阿瓦尔人认为自己是匈奴人的后裔，特兰西瓦尼亚的塞克勒人也是如此。匈牙利人和阿瓦尔人在喀尔巴阡盆地联合。因此，匈牙利人之间的匈奴联系得到了加强。
  • @Szilvi79
    Thank you for this absolutely amazing video. A little fun fact to add: in Hungary we use the Eastern name order. Family name comes first, and the given name after that. This is the official way. As far as I know, no other European country uses it. Another fun fact: the word Táltos (the Hungarian name for the "shaman") also means "a horse, that runs very fast" (in some folk tales they also can fly - like the shamans souls while beeing in trans). And the name Emese (the mother of prince Álmos) is still popular here. :)
  • @Reader_curiosity
    A very beautiful episode about the history of the Hungarian people, and if I were an official in the Republic of Hungary, I would nominate you to obtain the highest medal of the Hungarian Republic. Turks and Magyars have common roots in terms of cultural, geographical, political and other contacts. These facts show the Magyars were closely connected to the Turks while they stayed in the Pontic steppes. The Kingdom of Magyar was formed as a result of the alliance of the Magyars tribes with the Turkic Kabar tribes. The lands of the Pannonian Basin received many Turkish tribes, perhaps the most prominent of which was the large Cuman migration to Pannonia in the thirteenth century AD. One of the surprising things is that historical sources mention that the Chinggisid Empire, during its first expansions on the European continent, knew that the Magyars were a people migrating to Europe, and they sent a reconnaissance team to Magna Magyars and studied the common ties that united them with the Western Magyars. Although the Hungarian Árpád dynasty ruled the Pannonian Basin for almost three centuries, the German dynasties associated with the Holy Roman Empire that later ruled the Kingdom of Hungary considered their self-identity to be Hungarian, and this shows what I mentioned previously several times, that identity is a complex matter and is not related to lineage only. . It turns out that during the era of the Arpad dynasty, the Avars, Germans, Slavs, Pechenegs and others were absorbed into the identity of the Magyar Kingdom. Historical sources mention that the King of Hungary sent a letter to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and asked him to make an alliance and listed a set of reasons that justified this alliance, including the existence of common lineage. In my opinion, the Hungarian king mentioned this because he is of Neapolitan Italian origin on his father’s side and of Cumanian/Hungarian origin on his mother’s side. According to historical studies, the Magyars people most likely have their roots in Western Siberia, and they migrated during several waves of migration to the Volga and Pontic steppes, reaching central Europe. As for the legend of the Magyars lineage mentioned by the historian Simon of Kéza about the Huns, its purpose may have been political in terms of linking the legitimacy of the Kingdom of Arpad with the dynasty of Attila the Hun, which enjoyed the greatest historical popularity in the Pannonian Basin. It was preceded by several European historical accounts about the Huns, including contemporary accounts of the Hun Empire, linking them directly with the Onogurs, Kutrigurs, and Utigurs in aspects of lineage, language, culture, and others.
  • @francvanmia
    Thank you for taking the time to make this video! The whole truth would probably require a time machine,and even if there were, some details would probably be left out! Tengri be with you !
  • @nikocat2008
    They always forget that among Hungarians marrige with a relative was and is a taboo. The further away your spouse from is the better. So mixing was suppoerted.
  • @turktarihi266
    I was waiting for this video since the Bulgars one, because you said you were not doing Balkan history anymore. I was exited for this video, Thanks!
  • @Baso-sama
    thank you for making a video about us, it is always nice to see someone putting energy into this topic. there are a couple of things which are still up to debate, but it would not be fair to pick apart the perceived inaccuracies due to the tentative nature of the finer details and the obscurity of the studies and knowledge supporting those details. all in all a well put together work with logical consistency and generally in a good direction. especially the take on türk vs ugric origins: well it can be both. lastly, i am pretty sure there will be rude comments from some of my compatriots who have lower impulse-control, but don't let those comments take away your curiosity and enthusiasm about the subject. thanks again, cheers! :)
  • @burqut
    This video was well presented, informative and engaging. Thank you for creating it and please continue to produce more.
  • @warlordaguszto5326
    I have been waiting for the Magyars to be covered for some time now. As a Hungarian wanting to learn more of my roots I am Greatful that u took the time to talk about us. 🎉🇭🇺🔥
  • @danielmagyar2028
    What a well done video, brother! Thank you for covering our history!
  • @a1n9t8o9
    Finally some real content on this subject! Well done!
  • @xogunatobrasil456
    Great video. A suggestion for future topics, you can talk about the Crimean Khanate, it has an interesting but little-known history, and it had an important relationship with the Ottoman Empire.
  • @mariaalmasi3374
    Scythians Huns Magyars some of the people, same culture. Horse riding.
  • @fatihunal2713
    🐺🇹🇷🇦🇿🇰🇿🇹🇲🇰🇬🇺🇿🇭🇺🐺🤘at least the Macars are in the Turkish counsil. Are home of Kurultai and Part of Turan..
  • @tiborkarpati312
    This is the best english language content what I ever seen on youtube about Hungarians origins. Great job, thank you! I would be happy if I could see something based on Tahiri Üngürsz. It is a book based on the library what has been looted from Székesfehérvár's library after the Ottoman conquest. (as I know)