Saint Stephen of Hungary

Stephen of Hungary was the son of the chief of the Magyars, a group of Hungarians. He married the sister of the future emperor, Saint Henry, at 20. When Stephen became chief of the Magyars, he instituted Christianity as the country's religions, suppressing pagan revolts. The Pope crowned him king in 1001, when he was 26. He instituted a tithing policy to support the church, pastors, and the poor. He abolished paganism, at swordpoint in some instances, and commanded all his subjects to marry (with the exception of the clergy). In 1031 his son died, and the rest of his life, there was controversy concerning his successor, which included assassination attempts from his own nephews.

I honestly don't see anything particularly saintly about Saint Stephen. All the saints I have covered up to now have had redeeming characteristics that I would like to incorporate into my own life, but this man was a fundamentalist extremist in the worst way, dictating his subjects' religion, marriages, and killing people in the name of religion. I honestly find it offensive that this man was canonized.