List of Hungarian chronicles

This is a list of Hungarian chronicles and related gestas and legends which treat early and medieval Hungarian history. The original source of all extant Hungarian chronicles was the lost Gesta Ungarorum, which was written in the 11th century.

The 14th-century Hungarian chronicle composition, which itself was produced by the compilation of several older gestas and chronicles made at different times,[1][2] It narrates history from biblical times.[3]

The manuscripts were compared to the Buda Chronicle and the Illuminated Chronicle from the perspective of the kinship of texts; thus, a group of other Hungarian chronicles were named after the Buda Chronicle: the so-called Buda Chronicle family. And another group of other Hungarian chronicles were named after the Illuminated Chronicle: the so-called Illuminated Chronicle family, which preserved more extensive passages of text with several interpolations. The 14th-century Acephalus Codex, the 15th-century Sambucus Codex, the Vatican Codex, and the aforementioned Dubnic Chronicle made in 1479 belong to the Buda Chronicle family.[4]

List of Hungarian chronicles

[edit]
Date Image Name Author Language Description
11th century Ancient Gesta The earliest Hungarian chronicle, its text was expanded and rewritten several times in the 12th–14th centuries.
1080 Greater Legend of Saint Stephen
1083 Lesser Legend of Saint Stephen
11th century Life of King Stephen of Hungary by Hartvik Bishop Hartvik
1100s Gesta Ladislai regis
1200s
Gesta Hungarorum
Latin for "The Deeds of the Hungarians"
Anonymus Latin The principal subject of the chronicle is the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin at the end of the 9th century, and it writes of the origin of the Hungarians, identifying the Hungarians' ancestors with the ancient Scythians and Huns.
1203 Annales Posonienses
Latin for "Annals of Pozsony"
1220s–1230s Hungarian–Polish Chronicle
original title
Cronica Ungarorum juncta et mixta cum cronicis Polonorum, et vita sancti Stephani
Latin for "Chronicle of the Hungarians Attached to and Mixed with Chronicles of the Poles, and the Life of Saint Stephen"
Latin
Around 1243–1244
Carmen miserabile
original title
Carmen miserabile super destructione regni Hungariae per Tartaros
Latin for "Sad Song for the Destruction of the Kingdom of Hungary by the Tartars"
Master Roger Latin It was preserved in an appendix of the 15th-century Thuróczy Chronicle.
Around 1271 Gesta Stephani V Magister Ákos
Around 1282–1285
Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum
Latin for "Deeds of the Huns and Hungarians"
Simon of Kéza Latin
1333–1334 Minorite Chronicle of Buda Latin
14th century 14th-century Hungarian chronicle composition
1330
Anjou Legendarium Latin The medieval legendarium of more than 140 pages contains images and scenes of the life of Jesus, Hungarian bishop Saint Gerard, Prince Saint Emeric of Hungary, King Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary, and of many other legendary Christians.
1334 Zágráb Chronicle
1352–1353 Mügeln Chronicle Heinrich von Mügeln German
1358
Chronicon Pictum
Latin for "Illuminated Chronicle"
(Illuminated Chronicle family)
Mark of Kalt Latin The 147 pictures of the chronicle represent a large source of information on medieval Hungarian history.
1361 Chronicon Rithmicum Heinrich von Mügeln
1374 Várad Chronicle
14th century Long Life of Saint Gerard
14th century Acephalus Codex
(Buda Chronicle family)
Latin
14th century Chronicon de Ludovico rege John of Küküllő Latin
14th century Anonymus Minorita Chronica Latin
14th century Munich Chronicle
14th century Kaprina Codex
1431 Csepreg Codex
(Illuminated Chronicle family)
15th century Sambucus Codex
(Buda Chronicle family)
Latin
1460 Drági compendium
1462 Teleki Codex
(Illuminated Chronicle family)
1473
Buda Chronicle
original title
Chronica Hungarorum
Latin for "Chronicle of the Hungarians"
András Hess Latin The first book ever printed in Hungary. This book is the first example, that the printing history of a country begin with the publication of the history of a people.
1479
Dubnic Chronicle
original title
Chronica de gestis Hungarorum
Latin for "Chronicle of the Deeds of the Hungarians"
(Buda Chronicle family)
15th century Knauz Chronicle
15th century Szepesszombat Chronicle
Chronicon Posoniense
15th century Vatican Codex
15th century
Béldi Codex
(Illuminated Chronicle family)
1488
Thuróczy Chronicle
original title
Chronica Hungarorum
Latin for "Chronicle of the Hungarians"
(Illuminated Chronicle family)
Johannes Thuróczy Latin The chronicle describes the history of Hungarians from the earliest times to 1487. The chronicle contains hand-colored woodcuts depicting 41 Hungarian kings and leaders. The Augsburg edition of the chronicle is the first known print made with gold paint.
1490
Epitome rerum Hungarorum
Latin for "A Brief Summary of the History of the Hungarians"
Pietro Ranzano Latin The chronicle is the first Hungarian historical work with a humanist spirit.
1497
Rerum Hungaricarum decades
Latin for "Decades of Hungarian History"
Antonio Bonfini Latin Up until the end of the 18th century, this work served as primary source for Hungarian history in the European academic thought.
1510 Legend of Saint Margaret
1527
Érdy Codex The codex is the largest collection of Hungarian legends, and greatest volume of Hungarian language in history.
1534
Der Hungern Chronica
original title
Der Hungern Chronica, inhaltend wie sie anfengklich ins Land kommen sind, mit Anzeygung aller irer König, vnd was sie namhafftigs gethon haben. Angefangen von irem ersten König Athila, vn[d] volfüret biss auff König Ludwig, so im 1526. Jar bey Mohatz vom Türcken vmbekommen ist
Old German for "The Chronicle of the Hungarians, Which Includes the History of Their Conquest, Presents All Their Kings and What Remarkable Things They Accomplished. From Their First King, Attila, to King Louis, Who Met His Death at Mohács in 1526 by the Turks"
Hans Hauge zum Freistein German
1543/1566
Tarih-i Üngürüs

Ottoman Turkish for "The History of the Hungarians"

Mahmud Tercüman Ottoman Turkish Mahmud Tercüman translated it from a Hungarian chronicle found after the Siege of Székesfehérvár in 1543.
1559 Székely Chronicle
original title
Chronica ez vilagnak jeles dolgairol
Hungarian for "Chronicle About the Famous Events of the World"
István Székely Hungarian
1575
Heltai Chronicle
original title
Chronica az magyaroknac dolgairol: mint iöttek ki a nagy Scythiábol Pannoniaban, Es mint foglaltac magoknac az orſzagot: Es mint birtác aßt Herczegröl Herczegre: Es Kiralyrol Kiralyra, nagy ſok tuſakodaſockal es ſzamtalan ſoc viadallyockal
Old Hungarian for "Chronicle About the Deeds of the Hungarians: How They Came Out From Scythia to Pannonia, and How They Conquered the Country for Themselves: And How They Ruled It From for Prince to Prince, and From King to King, With Many Great Battles and Numerous Fights"
Gáspár Heltai Hungarian
1664
Nádasdy Mausoleum
original title
Mausoleum potentissimorum ac gloriosissimorum Regni Apostolici Regum et primorum militantis Ungariae Ducum
Latin for "The Mausoleum of the Most Powerful and Glorious Apostolic Kingdom and the Kings and Military Leaders of Hungary"
Count Ferenc Nádasdy Latin, German The chronicle contains 60 full-page images of Hungarian kings and leaders.
1740 Macar Tarihi

Ottoman Turkish for "Hungarian History"

Ottoman Turkish

References

[edit]
  1. ^ András, Hess; Horváth, János; Soltész, Zoltánné (1973). Chronica Hungarorum 1473 (in Hungarian). Budapest: Magyar Helikon.
  2. ^ Farkas, Gábor Farkas; Varga, Bernadett, eds. (2023). Chronica Hungarorum 1473 (Fakszimile kiadás és kísérőkötet) [Chronica Hungarorum 1473 (Facsimile edition and accompanying volume)] (in Latin and Hungarian). Budapest: Országos Széchényi Könyvtár (National Széchény Library). ISBN 978-963-200-723-6.
  3. ^ Spychała, Lesław (2010). "Chronicon Budense [Chronica Hungarorum]". In Dunphy, Graeme (ed.). Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle. Leiden: Brill. pp. 313–314. ISBN 90-04-18464-3.
  4. ^ Domanovszky, Sándor (1902). "A Budai krónika" [The Buda Chronicle] (PDF). Századok (in Hungarian). Budapest: Athenaeum.