2 – Battle of Menfo (1044)
This battle was one of the most important in the Kingdom of Hungary’s early history. Technically it was a fight between the Kingdom of Germany and the Hungarian supporters of Samuel Aba, but since the Kingdom of Germany had made up a large proportion of the Holy Roman Empire since 962, the battle warrants its place on this list. Aba had been the third King of Hungary since 1041 when he deposed Peter Orseolo.
Peter fled to the court of Emperor Henry III and was well received. Samuel attacked Austria in 1042 which forced Henry to retaliate by launching an invasion of Hungary the following year. The emperor forced Samuel to renounce all Hungarian territory west of the rivers Morava and Leitha. He also had to pay tribute to the Holy Roman Empire, and Samuel raised this money by seizing church estates and imposing heavy taxes on Christian prelates.
It was a grave error because it turned members of his council against Samuel. Henry seized on the discontent by launching another invasion of Hungary; this time to restore Peter to the throne. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Henry won a brilliant victory at the Battle of Menfo as the Hungarian army fell apart in the face of the German cavalry. Samuel rode away from the battlefield, and his fate is unknown. German sources of the era claimed Samuel was captured and executed by Henry. 14th-century Hungarian sources wrote that Samuel was murdered by locals when he fled north of the River Tisza.
Peter was restored to the throne in 1044 as Hungary became a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. However, Peter’s second reign lasted just two years because of a pagan uprising in 1046. Peter was planning to flee to Henry’s side yet again but was coerced into taking a meeting with his nephew Andrew which turned out to be a trap. While 14th-century sources suggest Peter was executed, Cosmas of Prague, an 11th and 12th-century chronicler, wrote that Peter was married in 1055.