Genetic identification of Árpád Dynasty members from the ossuary of the Royal Basilica at Székesfehérvár

Abstract

Shotgun sequencing of >400 genomes from the ossuary of the Royal Basilica of Székesfehérvár identified three additional skeletal remains carrying the Árpád Dynasty’s Y chromosome haplogroup R-ARP, raising the total known R-ARP+ individuals from four to seven. Kinship and IBD analyses placed these individuals within the dynasty alongside Béla, Duke of Macsó (†1272)—a Rurikid prince and great-great-grandson of King Béla III— and a fetus from a tomb adjacent to Béla III. One of these is King Béla II “the Blind” (1131–1141); a second is a likely second-degree relative of St. Ladislaus (probably an uncle, identity unresolved); the third, buried outside the original Basilica walls, is related to the Árpáds only by Y-haplogroup. The authenticity of Béla, Duke of Macsó’s remains was genetically confirmed. IBD also linked Árpáds to conquering Hungarians, Vikings, and the Aba, Báthory, and Corvinus families. Subject areas: Genetics, Human genetics, Archeology, History