St. Stephen of Hungary
Feast Day: August 16
Baptized as a boy with his father, the Magyar duke of Hungary, he married Gisela, sister of Emperor St. Henry II, and succeeded his father in 997.
After bringing order and consolidating his position, Stephen was crowned first king of Hungary in 1000.
He worked energetically, if somewhat roughly, to convert his pagan people to Christianity.
Ill health and shameless quarrels among his relatives over his successor made his last year difficult.
Stephen holds an honored place in Hungarian history.
