During the Mongol-Tatar expansion in Central Asia, one part of the Kipchaks migrated towards Europe and settled in Hungary. In Europe, the Kipchak Kipchaks were called Kumans or Kuns. In Hungary there are two historical areas Nagykunszag and Kiskunszag, the names of which have a direct relation to the Kumans.
Actually, the Kumans first appeared in Hungary in 1070. In 1087 they took part in a campaign against the Byzantine Empire as part of the army of the Hungarian king Szolomon. The first groups of Kumans settled in Hungary in 1091, and further on, other groups of them continue to arrive in this country.
King Ladislaus I of Hungary (left) fighting a Cuman warrior (right). Photo from free sources on the Internet.
The next world wave of Kumans to Hungary occurred in 1239 after the Mongol invasion of the steppe regions of Eurasia. The Kumans were then led by the khan Kotyan Sutojevic. These groups of Kumans settled in the Middle Danube plain of Alföld. King Béla IV of Hungary was then fighting with some Hungarian magnates and needed a military force to counter a possible Mongol threat. In 1239, Béla IV was hospitable to the Cumans and accepted them into his domain, concluding an alliance with them as well. The Kumans promised to convert to Catholicism in the future and to be loyal to the Hungarian crown. The Kuman princess Elizabeth was engaged to the eldest son of Béla IV, Hungarian Prince István.
Image of fighting Polovtsians and Hungarians. Photo from free sources on the Internet.
However, in 1241, the Mongol-Tatar hordes descended on Hungary, and this invasion killed about half of Hungary’s population. The Mongols persecuted the Kumans as their blood enemies. That is why they carried out an expansion into the region. Khan Kotyan died during this invasion and his tribal group left the country.
Then in 1246 another part of these tribes from Bulgaria followed to Hungary. It is known that the total number of Kumans who migrated to Hungary was about 40 thousand people. The noble Kumans swore an oath of allegiance to the Hungarian king. They pledged to defend the Hungarian kingdom from other invaders, and in return they received guarantees of preserving their national traditions and permission for rights, self-government within the Kuman enclave.
King László Kun, grandson of Kotjan. Photo from free sources on the Internet.
During the reign of King László IV, the son of Elizabeth of Kootenay, the Kumans achieved considerable influence. They were at that time the support of the Hungarian king in the confrontation with the rebellious nobles. It was King László IV who settled the Kumans in 1279 in the regions of Kunszag, Mesefeld and the interfluves of the Tisza, Maros and Keres and confirmed their autonomy. But some time later in the 1280s, the Kumans were persecuted by the Catholic Church and Hungarian rival magnates. As a result, the Cumans were removed from their governing positions and then defeated in a battle with the forces of the Hungarian barons at Lake Hod. However, the Kuman region of Kunshag still retained its autonomy. Among other things, some Kumans still remained at the court of the Arpad dynasty.
The settlements of the Cumans in Kunszag in the 15th century no longer differed from those of the Hungarians. The language of the Cumans was gradually forgotten in Hungary and replaced by the Hungarian language. The wars in the region against the Austrians and Turks led to a 60% decrease in the population of Kunszag. However, until the 17th century, some Kumans still spoke their language. By this time, the Cumans had become significantly Christianized, settled and assimilated with the Hungarians.