Editing Stephen I of Hungary (section)

=== Last years (1031–1038) ===
[[File:Képes_krónika_-_44.oldal_-_Imre_herceg_temetése_és_Vazul_megvakíttatása_(1).jpg|alt=Prince Emeric's funeral and the blinding of Vazul|thumb|Prince [[Saint Emeric of Hungary|Emeric]]'s funeral and the blinding of [[Vazul]] (''[[Chronicon Pictum]]'', 1358)|left]]
Stephen's biographer, Hartvic, narrates that the King, whose children died one by one in infancy, "restrained the grief over their death by the solace on account of the love of his surviving son",<ref>''Hartvic, Life of King Stephen of Hungary'' (ch. 19), p. 390.</ref> [[Saint Emeric of Hungary|Emeric]].{{sfn|Kristó|Makk|1996|p=48}} However, Emeric was wounded in a hunting accident and died in 1031.{{sfn|Cartledge|2011|p=16}} After the death of his son, the elderly King could never "fully regain his former health",<ref>''The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle'' (ch. 45.69), p. 107.</ref> according to the ''Illuminated Chronicle''.{{sfn|Kristó|Makk|1996|p=48}} Kristó writes that the picture, which has been preserved in Stephen's legends, of the king keeping the [[vigil (liturgy)|vigils]] and washing the feet of paupers, is connected with Stephen's last years, following the death of his son.{{sfn|Kristó|2001|p=32}}

Emeric's death jeopardized his father's achievements in establishing a Christian state,{{sfn|Györffy|1994|p=169}} because Stephen's cousin, [[Vazul]]{{mdash}}who had the strongest claim to succeed him{{mdash}}was suspected of an inclination towards paganism.{{sfn|Kontler|1999|pp=58–59}} According to the ''[[Annales Altahenses|Annals of Altaich]]'' Stephen disregarded his cousin's claim and nominated his sister's son, the Venetian [[Peter Orseolo]], as his heir.{{sfn|Györffy|1994|p=170}} The same source adds that Vazul was captured and blinded, and his three sons, [[Levente]], [[Andrew I of Hungary|Andrew]] and [[Béla I of Hungary|Béla]], were expelled from Hungary.{{sfn|Györffy|1994|p=170}} Stephen's legends refer to an unsuccessful attempt upon the elderly king's life by members of his court.{{sfn|Kristó|2001|p=32}} According to Kristó, the legends refer to a plot in which Vazul participated and his mutilation was a punishment for this act.{{sfn|Kristó|2001|p=32}} That Vazul's ears were filled with molten lead was only recorded in later sources, including the ''Illuminated Chronicle''.{{sfn|Kristó|2001|p=32}}

In the view of some historians, provisions in Stephen's ''Second Book of Laws'' on the "conspiracy against the king and the kingdom" imply that the book was promulgated after Vazul's unsuccessful plot against Stephen.{{sfn|Györffy|1994|p=135}}<ref>''Laws of King Stephen I'' (Stephen II:19), p. 11.</ref> However, this view has not been universally accepted.{{sfn|Györffy|1994|p=135}} Györffy states that the law book was issued, not after 1031, but around 1009.{{sfn|Györffy|1994|p=136}} Likewise, the authenticity of the decree on tithes is debated: according to Györffy, it was issued during Stephen's reign, but Berend, Laszlovszky and Szakács argue that it "might be a later addition".{{sfn|Berend|Laszlovszky|Szakács|2007|p=351}}{{sfn|Györffy|1994|p=136}}

Stephen died on 15 August 1038.{{sfn|Guiley|2001|p=136}} He was buried in the basilica of Székesfehérvár.{{sfn|Györffy|1994|p=170}} His reign was followed by a long period of civil wars, pagan uprisings and foreign invasions.{{sfn|Engel|2001|pp=29–32}}{{sfn|Molnár|2001|pp=25–27}} The instability ended in 1077 when [[Ladislaus I of Hungary|Ladislaus]], a grandson of Vazul, ascended the throne.{{sfn|Molnár|2001|p=27}}