Hungarian invasions of Europe
Fact of the Hungarian figure „Myth of the Hungarian land-taking – Ópusztaszer”
Part of the „The story of the beginning” topic
During the 9th and 10th centuries, the Hungarian invasions, known as the „kalandozások,” were a series of military campaigns and raids conducted by the Magyar tribes across Europe. These invasions reached as far west as the Enns River, which the Hungarians referred to in their legends as the „Óperenciás tenger,” symbolizing the farthest edge of their known world.
The Enns River, flowing through modern-day Austria, marked a significant boundary for the Hungarian raiders. After settling in the Carpathian Basin, the Magyars launched numerous expeditions into Western Europe, targeting the Carolingian Empire, Italy, and even the Iberian Peninsula. Their highly mobile cavalry and expertise in guerrilla tactics made them formidable opponents, often catching the more established European armies off guard.
The Hungarian invasions of Europe (kalandozások/adventurings) – raids for pillage and prisoners – began before the Land-taking, at the earliest in the 830s. Between 899 and 970, invasions took place two out of every three years, most of them to the west. At the turn of the 9th–10th centuries, the Hungarians attacked neighbouring countries and territories: Northern Italy, Carinthia, Moravia and Bavaria. In 906 Saxony, in 909 Swabia, in 910 Franconia, in 911 they crossed the Rhine, in 915 they reached the Danish border, in 926 they arrived as far as the Atlantic and in 942 even to Hispania.
The battle tactics they used generally brought victory for the Hungarians, attacking, then pretending to flee, and finally encircling the enemy. In 933, the Hungarians were defeated at Riade in Saxony. After that, in the 930s, they were defeated more and more frequently. In the 940s, the crisis deepened with the roads through the Kingdom of Germany being blocked, even Prince Henry invaded Hungarian territory in 950 and returned with plunder. In the 950s, the war routes to Italy were also blocked. On 10 August 955, the Hungarians suffered a total defeat on the Field of Lech, ending their westward adventures. The Germans captured and hanged Bulcsú, Lehel and Súr chieftains. In the 960s raids were initiated to the Balkans with varying degrees of success until their defeat at Arcadiopolis in 970.
The Enns River also holds a significant place in Hungarian folklore. The term „Óperenciás tengeren is túl” (beyond the Óperenciás sea) is a frequently debated phrase in Hungarian folklore, fairy tales, and idiomatic expressions. According to the Hungarian Ethnographic Lexicon, Kunszery Gyula’s research, citing Béla Tárkány’s 1846 diary entry from his travels through Karlsbad and Gastein, suggests that the name „Óperencia” might have originated from a mishearing of „Ober Enns,” referring to Upper Austria (Österreich ob der Enns), as the Enns River was the boundary between Upper and Lower Austria.
Hungarian soldiers stationed in this region likely considered the Salzkammergut lakes as the „Óperenciás tenger,” embedding this concept into Hungarian folklore. This legend underscores the cultural and historical connections between the Hungarian people and the lands they encountered during their invasions.
