The Orseolos

A Genealogical Study

Abstract

This study examines the lineage of the Orseolo dynasty: the origins of the family and the genealogical data on its members. In the Hungarian historiography the ancestry of the Orseolos was a subject of lengthy debates, the present paper therefore aims to clarify all those questions that arose during these disputes in the light of the available sources. Since Peter – a member of the dynasty – arose on the throne of the Hungarian Kingdom in the 11th century, the study not only discusses in detail the genealogy of the king, but his rule and political role as well.