Gábor Vékony
And Then Svatopluk Founded Such an Empire...
Interpretations of the History of the Principality of Moravia
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In the 9th century, as in most of its history, the Carpathian Basin was not a political unity. Political integration over a longer period, and the economic and cultural integration resulting from it, were only in evidence at the time of the Avars (567-803) and that of the Kingdom of Hungary. That latter integration cannot be taken as continuous from the 11th century to its dissolution early in the 20th; here it is sufficient to mention the divisions caused by the Ottoman wars of the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 9th century it was the Franks in the west, who had defeated the Avars, and the Bulgarians in the east, who defined the political situation. As a defensive cordon, the Franks had established margravates in the marches, and vassal Slav principalities beyond them. These - after around 820 - included that of the Morava (March) riparian Slavs, who were united by Mojmir - the first of their princes known by name - around 830. These Moravian princes participated in the struggles for power in the Carolingian marches, intermarrying with distinguished Frankish families. Their territories marched with those of the Bulgarians, the most important Eastern rivals of the Franks, and this underlines their importance. In the course of the 9th century their power grew, they strove to attain independence, a fact reflected in the legal status of Moravia. The earlier ducatus had become a regnum around 880-890 and Svatopluk himself is repeatedly called a king.3
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Concepts like peoples, ethnic unity, ethnogenesis, principality or empire should only be used and discussed by those familiar with the state of things in the Early Middle Ages, following conceptual analysis. Where few written sources are available, archeological findings cannot be given precedence over written sources, however modest the latter may be. Archeological findings are difficult to interpret, indeed are often misinterpreted. Recent Slovak work which wishes to treat the Moravian principality - the Great Moravian Empire as they call it - as a stage in Slovak ethnogenesis, attempts to exploit archeological data to this end. This is not an advisable course.
References
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3 * Gábor Vékony: A morvák "birodalma". Magyarok a Kárpát-medencében. (The Realm of the Moravians. Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin). Budapest, 1988, pp. 15-17.
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Gábor Vékony
is Professor at the Institute of Archeology of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. He is the author of the chapters "The Prehistory of Dacia" and "The Dacian Kingdom" in The History of Transylvania, Budapest, 1994.
