How did the Holy Crown of Hungary become a symbol of Hungarian kingship?

The Holy Crown of Hungary, also known as Saint Stephen’s Crown, became the preeminent symbol of Hungarian kingship and nationhood primarily through its association with the country's first king, Stephen I.12

According to tradition, Stephen received the crown from Pope Sylvester II and was crowned on Christmas Day in the year 1000. This event was historically significant because it marked Hungary’s formal entry into the community of Western Christian nations while simultaneously establishing the kingdom's independence from the political suzerainty of the Holy Roman Empire.32

Over time, the crown evolved into a vital constitutional symbol. It was widely held that no sovereign was truly accepted by the Hungarian people without being crowned with it. Its status as a national treasure is so profound that it has been treated as the embodiment of the state itself; for instance, it was placed under U.S. guardianship at Fort Knox following World War II to protect it from being seized by Soviet forces, before being returned to Hungary in 1978.1