This war also ended in Stephen’s victory, but at the price of many Hungarian lives.  In the final battle Kean himself perished.  Following his death, all of Kean’s wealth came into Stephen’s possession.  He used the booty—gold, silver, pearls, and precious stones—to build churches and to aid the work of the apostles of Christianity.

King Stephen was the first of Hungary’s Christian heroes, and for his work on behalf of the new faith he was soon canonized by the church.  Hungary’s Christianization involved so much violence, however, that one cannot but sympathize with some of its victims.  All the more so, as there were many who were willing to fight and even to die for their traditional faith.

The legend of Thonuzóba

Some of eleventh-century Hungary’s pagan heroes were just as honorable and upright as the best representatives of Christianity.  Their fate reflects both the merciless character of the Christianization of central and eastern Europe and the heroism of those who—albeit representing backward-looking social and cultural views—may have demonstrated more honesty and dedication than did the overzealous spokespersons of the new faith.

Of these anti-Christian heroes, none can claim more sympathy than the above-mentioned Thonuzóba, prince of the Pechenegs, who settled in the country in the middle of the tenth century.  His life story, alluded to briefly in medieval chronicles, has been romanticized by a number of modern poets and novelists who viewed Stephen’s extermination of their nation’s ancient cultural heritage with considerable misgivings.  Prince Thonuzóba’s legend is reproduced on the basis of these romanticized portrayals.

Following his victory over the pagan Pechenegs, King Stephen had the young prince of his defeated enemies brought to him.  “Why don’t you let yourself be baptized?” asked the king.  “If you do, no harm will come to you and to your people.  If you will only accept the new faith and swear allegiance to me, you will be able to live and rule freely over your own people.”

“I will swear allegiance to you, sire, but I cannot relinquish the faith of my fathers!” replied Thonuzoba.  Then, pointing to some of the German and Italian priests, he said: “I and my people will never accept the God of these foreigners.”