Description
King Andrew I (r. 1040-1060) strengthened the position of Christianity in Hungary during the turbulent period following the death of King St. Stephen, without the country becoming a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. He developed the nation by sharing dynastic rule with his brother, Duke Béla. As a direct male descendent of King St. Stephen, he reigned in the footsteps of Hungary’s founding king, building on the reverence for King St. Stephen and following his system of values. In 1055 he founded the Benedictine monastery in Tihany, granting the abbey its deed of foundation in a sign of his sovereign rule; this document is considered to be the first original surviving deed in Hungarian. King Andrew’s tomb is located in the abbey crypt of Tihany monastery.
The commemorative coin “King Andrew I” is the second piece in the series “Nation-building sovereigns of the Arpad Dynasty”, which presents the most important kings from the House of Arpad. Faithfully preserving historical accuracy, the series focuses on ten sovereigns and according to the plans a new piece will be released once every two years.
