The Grand Alliance of the Cumans was one of the confederated steppe tribes of Turkic origin, and it successfully represented and spread the once powerful "steppe civilization" to an important part of Eastern Europe. Despite the unfortunate destruction of the Cuman state at the level of power and politics, the descendants of the Cumans still live in our Hungary. People with a Cuman-Hungarian identity greatly enriched the medieval (and modern) Hungarian nation and strengthened the Hungarians' Eastern relations, which were equally important in Western relations.
The Cuman Tribal Union (Cuman-Sari-Kipchak Tribal Union) is one of the many Turkic-speaking peoples most closely linked to the fate of the Hungarians. Anonymus, who lived in the 13th century, already mentions fifteen Cumans in his work Gesta Hungarorum. This statement may be a reflection of the beliefs of the time, since according to archaeological and historical finds, the Cumans did not appear in the steppes of Eastern Europe in the 9th and 10th centuries. However, this does not mean that it is impossible for the Hungarians to have very early relations with the Cumans. After the Árpád conquest, the Pecheneg tribes lived in the steppes bordering the eastern part of the Carpathian Basin, but as early as around 1054, the Cuman tribes also appeared in wars and allied relations with the Russian principalities. Around 1070, the Cumans conquered much of the steppes of Eastern Europe, conquering the Oğuz people who lived there, the ancestors of the Turkic tribes who later found a new home in Anatolia and conquered Byzantium.
The extent to which the Cuman-Sari-Kipchak tribal confederation formed a unified state remains a matter of controversy; For example, whether it was led by a single, even titular khan or kagan, or whether it was a much looser confederation of steppe tribes and rulers. Judging by the results, regardless of the level of organization of the Cuman state, these tribes pursued successful policies for at least two centuries, forming one of the outstanding chapters of the great "steppe civilization" (Koppány László Csáji) in the region.
Their leaders established ties with the Russian princes through marriage, and warriors from the Cuman Union - for example, the so-called "Mamluks", originally steppe-born soldiers who had converted to Islam - formed a powerful elite army of light and heavy cavalry.
A very successful "Mamluk dynasty" came to power in Egypt from Sultan Ayibek, the most important of which was the Mamluk ruler who had the Cuman/Turkic name Baibal (meaning: "noble/powerful leopard").
The most famous Cuman ruler was Kötöny, the ruler of Béla IV who accepted (and then murdered) into the Kingdom of Hungary, just before the Mongol invasion.
St. Ladislaus fighting the Cumans – details of the early Gothic frescoes (14th century) of the Lutheran Church in Karaškô, Kraskovo, Slovakia Wikimedia Commons The Grand Alliance of the Cumans was one of the confederacy of steppe tribes of Turkic origin, which successfully represented and spread the once powerful "steppe civilization" to an important part of Eastern Europe. Despite the unfortunate destruction of the Cuman state at the level of power and politics, the descendants of the Cumans still live in our Hungary. People with a Cuman-Hungarian identity greatly enriched the medieval (and modern) Hungarian nation and strengthened the Hungarians' Eastern relations, which were equally important in Western relations.
Zoltán Pető — May 27, 2024
The Cuman Tribal Union (Cuman-Sari-Kipchak Tribal Union) is one of the many Turkic-speaking peoples most closely linked to the fate of the Hungarians. Anonymus, who lived in the 13th century, already mentions fifteen Cumans in his work Gesta Hungarorum. This statement may be a reflection of the beliefs of the time, since according to archaeological and historical finds, the Cumans did not appear in the steppes of Eastern Europe in the 9th and 10th centuries. However, this does not mean that it is impossible for the Hungarians to have very early relations with the Cumans. After the Árpád conquest, the Pecheneg tribes lived in the steppes bordering the eastern part of the Carpathian Basin, but as early as around 1054, the Cuman tribes also appeared in wars and allied relations with the Russian principalities. Around 1070, the Cumans conquered much of the steppes of Eastern Europe, conquering the Oğuz people who lived there, the ancestors of the Turkic tribes who later found a new home in Anatolia and conquered Byzantium.
The extent to which the Cuman-Sari-Kipchak tribal confederation formed a unified state remains a matter of controversy; For example, whether it was led by a single, even titular khan or kagan, or whether it was a much looser confederation of steppe tribes and rulers. Judging by the results, regardless of the level of organization of the Cuman state, these tribes pursued successful policies for at least two centuries, forming one of the outstanding chapters of the great "steppe civilization" (Koppány László Csáji) in the region.
Their leaders established ties with the Russian princes through marriage, and warriors from the Cuman Union - for example, the so-called "Mamluks", originally steppe-born soldiers who had converted to Islam - formed a powerful elite army of light and heavy cavalry.
Russians attacking the Cumans – miniature painting from the 15th-century Königsberg Chronicle Source: Wikimedia Commons A highly successful "Mamluk dynasty" came to power in Egypt from Sultan Ayibek, the most important of which was the Egyptian Mamluk ruler with the Cuman/Turkic name Baibal (meaning: "noble/powerful leopard").
The most famous Cuman ruler was Kötöny, the ruler of Béla IV who accepted (and then murdered) into the Kingdom of Hungary, just before the Mongol invasion.
But we can also mention Basarab, who ruled over Bessarabia, located in what is now the Wallachian region, and some historians believe that he may be related to the Huniadi family.
The Cumans also had a close relationship with the medieval Hungarian royal family, as noted in early Hungarian conservative articles, through the marriage of the Árpád family through Elizabeth Cuman (probably the daughter of the Cuman tribal leader Sehan). Her son, King Ladislaus IV, known as Cuman, who was excommunicated by the Pope for "paganism", died young and was not one of the most successful Hungarian rulers, although his position between the "two worlds", the world of the Asian steppes and the world of the West, was more tragic than reprehensible. It also reflects the collective spirit and mentality of the Hungarian people in the Middle Ages, who had a hard time fitting into the political-religious structures of the West.
Mihály Ferdinandy, one of the most prominent Hungarian historians of the 20th century, wrote in his touching prose:
"He was the only ruler of Árpád who did not follow the example of St. Stephen or St. Ladislaus, but after the legendary ancestor of his family: Attila. By the time Béla IV compared the Huns to the Tatars, Ladislaus IV had already claimed to be his successor, and this turn to the East was fraught with far-reaching consequences. ”
The language of the Cumans may be a version of Kipchak, which is a Turkic language. It has unfortunately become extinct, but based on an examination of extant linguistic records, it may be closely related to today's Kazakh and Kyrgyz languages.
After the initial struggles and difficulties, the Cumans deeply absorbed into the body of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, adopted Christianity, but did not forget about the battle strategy and many elements of steppe life.
The "chair" (székek) was an autonomous administrative unit of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, independent of the royal county system. "Chair", like the chair of the Saxons and Sekei, refers to the chair of the judge. The system was created according to the system of the old Cuman tribes, and the tribal leader became the captain of the chair. We know that there are a total of six chairs, such as:
Harash-Seke — in the Kishkunsag region, with the center in Harash (today's Kishkun Haras)
Korbaz Seke — Probably presided over by the Olashi family, centered in Korbaz Salas in Nagi Kunsag
Kecskemét-Seck — No data available
Kara-Sek — Its center is Karasalas in the Kishkunsag region
Mizse chair — no data available
Hantos-Seck — its tribal origins unknown; Located in the Transylvanian part of Fayer County, it may have been the property of the Cuman family in the 14th century.
The original religion of the Cumans, probably like other Turkic peoples, was the Tengri faith (which can be defined by the word "shamanism"), traces of which have survived for a long time in Hungarian-Cuman folk culture and traditions. The medieval Cumans stubbornly adhered to their "paganism", and ecclesiastical sources show that it was quite difficult to convert the Cumans to Christianity – religion is most closely related to identity-forming traditions.
For the Cuman tribes, who were closely associated with nature and nomadic steppe life, the adoption of Christianity was indeed a slow and difficult process.
Perhaps because the cult of the Eternal Kingdom of Heaven (Tengri) emphasizes the close connection between the natural and supernatural worlds, this religion or cult does not divide the world into "material" and "spiritual-supernatural" dimensions, as monotheism does. The chosen holy person, the shaman, is able to come into contact with this transcendent world, is able to climb the World Tree as an intermediary between God, divine powers, and qualities and people. According to the beliefs of the steppe peoples, these shamans exercise true divine - magical powers, manifested through healing and divination.
However, within a hundred or two hundred years of settlement, the Cumans gradually lost contact with the nomadic life, and, as the Hungarians had done three centuries earlier, they all became Christians and were permanently integrated into the body of the Kingdom of Hungary.
In the steppes of Eastern Europe, another steppe power, the Mongol conquest overthrew the rule of the Cumans, beginning with the Battle of the Kalka River. The constituent elements of the tribal confederation were then absorbed by the surrounding peoples and empires, but they did not disappear without a trace, although they did not maintain a "visible" identity.
In Hungary, however, a dual Cuman-Hungarian identity was formed, which still exists today.
Thus, like other steppe peoples such as the Avars, Huns, Kabas or Yas (possibly Alans), the Cumans did not "disappear". Identifying with the names of the ruling tribes or peoples has become characteristic of the ancient steppe federations and state organizations, beginning with the ancient steppe ruler Maotun, who founded the Xiongnu (Xiongnu) Empire in Asia. This is why Xiongnu Shan Yu later wrote in a letter to the Emperor of China: "I have made all these people Xiongnu, and all the archer nations have been unified into one family. Therefore, it is not a very difficult task for the Cumans to maintain the continuation and protection of this "dual identity".
Several theories have emerged as to where the Cumans originally came from, but researchers seem to agree that one of the main sources that constituted the tribal confederation may have been the region of Inner Asia bordering China – the region where the Xiongnu were first mentioned in the earliest Chinese sources.
The Grand Alliance of the Cumans was one of the confederated steppe tribes of Turkic origin, and it successfully represented and spread the once powerful "steppe civilization" to an important part of Eastern Europe. Despite the unfortunate destruction of the Cuman state at the level of power and politics, the descendants of the Cumans still live in our Hungary. People with a Cuman-Hungarian identity greatly enriched the medieval (and modern) Hungarian nation and strengthened the Hungarians' Eastern relations, which were equally important in Western relations.