Claim:
Part of the victorious Magyar army at the Battle of Bratislava in 907 AD was commanded by Chieftain Árpád, who died in this battle, along with his three eldest sons
Rebuttal:
No part of the claim is substantiated by any source.
The heightened public interest in the Battle of Bratislava is understandable, after all, it was a decisive victory for the Magyars. However, there are several unsubstantiated claims and even outright lies circulating about this battle. The above is an example of the former category. Medieval sources leave us utterly in the dark as for the number of sons Chieftain Árpád had, and even less do we know about their birth years. Similarly, neither medieval sources nor 15th century humanists describing the Battle of Bratislava say anything about which specific Magyars could be present. It is doubtful whether Árpád lived to see the battle and if so, whether he participated in it, considering his ripe old age at the time. Not to mention the fact that several scholars today claim that Árpád was most probably the ceremonial, sacral head of state, rather than the actual leader, which would explain why his name is not found in Western sources – in this case it is even less probable that he was present on the battlefield.
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