The first King of Hungary who led the nationwide conversion to Christianity and unified the tribes under a feudal system. Stephen I was born into the House of Árpád. Under his father, Grand Prince Géza, Hungary was forcibly Christianized and centralized, and Stephen was baptized accordingly. After Géza's death, opposition to his harsh rule led to challenges against Stephen's succession. His kinsman Koppány rebelled under the old custom of seniority, rallying pagan warriors and seizing fortresses. Stephen responded with a feudal army and Church allies, defeating the rebels at the Battle of Veszprém, where Koppány was killed. On the first day of the second millennium, Stephen received the crown and consecration from the Pope and became Hungary's first king. Stephen soon founded the archbishopric of Esztergom, advancing Christianization while securing the Church's independence from the Holy Roman Empire. He replaced tribal rule with counties (megye) centered on royal castles and governed by ispáns, bringing...