 Árpád ( Hungarian pronunciation : [ ˈaːrpaːd ] ; c . 845 – c . 907 ) was the head of the confederation of the Hungarian tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries . He may have been either the sacred ruler or kende of the Hungarians , or their military leader or gyula , although most details of his life are debated by historians , because different sources contain contradictory information . Despite this , many Hungarians refer to him as the " founder of our country " , and Árpád 's preeminent role in the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin has been emphasized by some later chronicles . The dynasty descending from Árpád ruled the Kingdom of Hungary until 1301 . 
