Gesta Hungarorum: The Deeds of the Hungarians (Central European Medieval Texts)

Simon of Kéza was a court cleric of the Hungarian King, Ladislas IV (1272-1290). He travelled extensively in Italy, France and Germany and culled the epic and poetic material from a broad range of readings.Written between 1282-1285, the Gesta Hungarorum is an ingenious and imaginative historical fiction of prehistory, medieval history and contemporary social history. The author divides Hungarian history into two periods: Hunnish-Hungarian prehistory and Hungarian history, giving a division which persisted in Hungary up to the beginnings of modern historiography. Simon of Kéza provides a vivid retelling of the well known Attila stories, using such lively prose as - ".the battle lasted for 15 days on end, Csaba's army received such a crushing defeat that very few of the Huns or the sons of Attila survived, the river Danube from Sicambria as far as the city of Potentia was swollen with blood and for several days neither men nor animals could drink the water." The book is also significant because of the author's legal-theoretical framework of corporate self government and constitutional law, inspired by French and Italian sources and practice, which made this chronicle become an integral part of Hungarian historiography. Simon of Kza was a court cleric of the Hungarian King, Ladislas IV (1272-1290). He travelled extensively in Italy, France and Germany and culled the epic and poetic material from a broad range of readings. Written between 1282-1285, the Gesta Hungarorum is an ingenious and imaginative historical fiction of prehistory, medieval history and contemporary social history. The author divides Hungarian history into two periods: Hunnish-Hungarian prehistory and Hungarian history, giving a division which persisted in Hungary up to the beginnings of modern historiography. Simon of Kza provides a vivid retelling of the well known Attila stories, using such lively prose as - ".the battle lasted for 15 days on end, Csaba's army received such a crushing defeat that very few of the Huns or the sons of Attila survived, the river Danube from Sicambria as far as the city of Potentia was swollen with blood and for several days neither men nor animals could drink the water." The book is also significant because of the author's legal-theoretical framework of corporate self government and constitutional law, inspired by French and Italian sources and practice, which made this chronicle become an integral part of Hungarian historiography. "Written between 1282 and 1285, the Gesta Hungarorum is an ingenious and imaginative historical fiction of prehistory, medieval history and contemporary social history. The author divides Hungarian history into two periods: Hunnish-Hungarian prehistory and Hungarian history, giving a division which persisted in Hungary up to the beginnings of modern historiography. With the complete confusion of the Hungarians with the Huns, Simon of Keza offers a unique retelling, among others, of the well-known Attila-stories." "The book is also significant because of the author's legal-theoretical framework of corporate self-government and constitutional law, inspired by French and Italian sources and practice, which made this chronicle an integral part of Hungarian political theory as well as historical consciousness."--BOOK JACKET Written between 1282-1285, this is a historical fiction of prehistory, medieval history and contemporary social history. It divides Hungarian history into two periods: Hunnish-Hungarian prehistory and Hungarian history, a division which persisted up to the beginnings of modern historiography. Cover 1 CONTENTS 6 GENERAL EDITORS' PREFACE 8 ABBREVIATIONS 10 LIST OF MAPS, FIGURES AND TABLES 14 INTRODUCTION 16 INDEX OF GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 334