Chronica Hungarorum
Encyclopedia
History of Hungary
Hungary is a country in central Europe. Its history under this name dates to the early Middle Ages, when the Pannonian Basin was colonized by the Magyars, a semi-nomadic people from what is now central-northern Russia...
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Chronicon Pictum
The most famous of the variants is the Vienna Illuminated Chronicle, i.e. the Chronicon PictumChronicon Pictum
The Chronicon Pictum Pictum, Chronica Picta or Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum) is a medieval illustrated chronicle from the Kingdom of Hungary from the fourteenth century...
(1358–1370, ed. S. Ladislaus Endlicher 1827)), deriving the name from its magnificent illustrations and the fact that it was kept in the Viennese Imperial Library.
Buda Chronicle
A popular chronicle partly based on the Chronicon Pictum (entitled just Chronica Hungarorum) was circulated in a printed form. It is also known as the Buda Chronicle. It was produced in 1473 by András HessAndrás Hess
András Hess set up a printing press in Buda in 1472.He printed the first book in Hungary on June 5, 1473 in his Buda press. Hess was probably of German origin. He dedicated the book, the Chronica Hungarorum or Buda Chronicle to the person who had invited him to Hungary.Today a square is named...
and is the first incunabulum
Incunabulum
Incunable, or sometimes incunabulum is a book, pamphlet, or broadside, that was printed — not handwritten — before the year 1501 in Europe...
ever printed in Hungary (Buda, András Hess
András Hess
András Hess set up a printing press in Buda in 1472.He printed the first book in Hungary on June 5, 1473 in his Buda press. Hess was probably of German origin. He dedicated the book, the Chronica Hungarorum or Buda Chronicle to the person who had invited him to Hungary.Today a square is named...
, 1473, 70 fol., 2º.)
It relates the history of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
from the earliest times to the coronation of King Matthias. Eleven copies of the chronicle are known to survive, two of them in Hungary: one in the National Széchényi Library
National Széchényi Library
The National Széchényi Library is a library in Budapest, Hungary. It is one of the two Hungarian national libraries, the other being the University of Debrecen Library.-History:...
and another in the Budapest University Library.
Johannes de Thurocz
The third chronicle entitled Chronica Hungarorum, partly based on the Chronicon Pictum, was produced by Johannes de ThuroczJohannes de Thurocz
Johannes de Thurocz , was a Hungarian historian in the Kingdom of Hungary, and is the author of Chronicle of the Hungarians , the most extensive 15th century work on Hungary, and the first chronicle on Hungary written by a layman.-Life:Thurocz's parents came from Turóc county , Upper Hungary...
Hungarian: Thuróczy János, c.1435-90, ed. E. Galantai, J. Kristo, E. Malyusz, Budapest 1985-88), the first layman known to have written a book in the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
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This work (Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
, 1488, Augusburg, 1488) presents events as seen by an educated nobleman. The chronicle is described in the article on the author.