Sarolt

Who was Sarolt?

Sarolt was wife of Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians.

She was a daughter of Gyula of Transylvania and was probably educated in the Eastern Orthodox faith. She was married to Géza, the son of Taksony, Grand Prince of the Hungarians, who succeeded his father before 972.

Sarolt exerted a powerful influence on her husband which allowed her to also influence his government. She was watched with suspicion by Catholic missionaries. The chronicles accused her of drinking insatiably and even committing manslaughter.

After her husband's death in 997, one of his distant cousins Koppány, who declared his claim to the leadership of the Magyars against her son, Stephen, wanted to marry Sarolt, referring to the Hungarian tradition. Koppány, nevertheless, was defeated, and shortly afterward Sarolt's son was crowned as the first King of Hungary.

Her name is of Turkic origin and means "white weasel". She was also called "Beleknegini" by her Slavic subjects, which means "white queen".