Determination of the phylogenetic origins of the Árpád Dynasty based on Y chromosome sequencing of Béla the Third

Abstract

We set out to identify the origins of the Árpád Dynasty based on genome sequencing of DNA derived from the skeletal remains of Hungarian King Béla III (1172–1196) and eight additional individuals (six males, two females) originally interred at the Royal Basilica of Székesfehérvár. Y-chromosome analysis established that two individuals, Béla III and HU52 assign to haplogroups R-Z2125 whose distribution centres near South Central Asia with subsidiary expansions in the regions of modern Iran, the Volga Ural region and the Caucasus. Out of a cohort of 4340 individuals from these geographic areas, we acquired whole-genome data from 208 individuals derived for the R-Z2123 haplogroup. From these data we have established that the closest living kin of the Árpád Dynasty are R-SUR51 derived modern day Bashkirs predominantly from the Burzyansky and Abzelilovsky districts of Bashkortostan in the Russian Federation. Our analysis also reveals the existence of SNPs defining a novel Árpád Dynasty specific haplogroup R-ARP. Framed within the context of a high resolution R-Z2123 phylogeny, the ancestry of the first Hungarian royal dynasty traces to the region centering near Northern Afghanistan about 4500 years ago and identifies the Bashkirs as their closest kin, with a separation date between the two populations at the beginning of the first millennium CE.

Genome-wide autosomal, mtDNA, and Y chromosome analysis of King Bela III of the Hungarian Arpad dynasty

“…We could identify 30 derived mutations stemming from the hg R node and leading to hg R1a1a1b2a-Z95 plus an additional mutation on a downstream SNP, which defines Y chromosomal hg R1a1a1b2a2a-Z2123 (Table S6 ). This is a sub-hg of R1a1a1b2-Z93, the main Asian branch of R1a that has particularly high frequencies in Central Asia 46 , which is consistent with the result reported in previous studies 33 , 34 .…”

“…Olasz et al genotyped Y-STR haplotype of King Béla III and predicted he belonged to haplogroup (hg) R1a 33 . Nagy et al reported the Y chromosome sequence of Bela III and found the lineage traced to the region centering near Northern Afghanistan about 4500 years ago and the present-day Bashkirs were his closest paternal kin with a separation date about 2000 years ago 34 . Here, we attempted a genome-wide characterization of the remains of Bela III in order to address whether the genome of King Bela III groups within the gene pool of central Asians or present-day Hungarians.…”

Blood group typing from whole-genome sequencing data

“…In this study we explored diploid markers in WGS data generated for Y-chromosome analysis from 79 individuals [ 8 ]. Analyses were performed with Polypheme software validated for HLA typing from NGS data [ 10 ] and set up for RBC analysis.…”

“…Detailed description of WGS procedure is given in [ 8 ]. DNA samples were sonicated using a Covaris S220 Ultrasonicator to yield fragments with a median fragment length of 300 bps according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.…”

“…The aim of this study was to overcome these limitations and to estimate the feasibility of RBC antigen typing from WGS data. We analyzed whole-genome data from 79 individuals from Central Asia [ 8 ] for the highly polymorphic HLA-DRB1 gene and for 9 blood group antigen.…”