Gallus Anonymus

Gallus Anonymus (in Polish: Gall Anonim ) is the first to have written a chronicle of the Histoire of Poland ( Cronicae and gesta ducum sive principum Polonorum ). Its true name being unknown, he was baptized thus by the Polish historian Marcin Kromer (1512 - 1589).

Biography

He lived with the XIe and the 12th century, at the time of Boleslas III the Stop-Chest ( Bolesław III Krzywousty ). Monk, undoubtedly of French origin (from where the name of Gallus ), it arrived in Poland towards 1110, probably after having remained in a monastery Hungarian (Certain historians think that it could be one of the authors of the Gesta Hungarorum ). At the request of the royal chancellery, he wrote a chronicle (1112 - 1116) reporting the history of Poland, of the origins until in 1113.

Chronicle

Its chronicle was written in Latin and includes/understands three parts. It did not arrive at the end of the third part which is brutally completed in 1113.

In the first book, it describes the birth of the Polish state, the legendary sovereign which sat its foundations (Piast, Siemovit, Lech, Siemomysl) as well as the predecessors of Boleslas III the Stop-Chest. Not having written sources, it is based on the oral tradition to report these legendary times. Its topographic descriptions are very precise as well as the biographies of Mieszko Ier and Boleslas Ier Valiant the. The portrait of this last is very idealized. The first book contains a poem on the birth of Boleslas III the Stop-Chest which is compared with the birth of the Christ. Gallus Anonymus insists on the fact that Poland adopted the Christianisme, which enabled him to reinforce its position in Europe and to be a nation with whole share.

The second book describes the youth of Boleslas III the Stop-Chest. Gallus Anonymus gets busy with glorifier the sovereign there, from his birth in 1108.

The third book describes the feats of arms of Boleslas III the Stop-Chest.

The chronicle of Gallus Anonymus is strongly inspired by the medieval Hagiographie S , a very rich style, a large literary variety, but often carried out at the request of the sovereigns, flatteringly to describe them at the expense of historical truth.

Three Manuscrit S of its chronicle arrived to us.

Influence

Gallus Anonymus will have a considerable influence on the future history of Poland with its description of the legendary birth of the state which can be illustrated by the Latin proverb Vox populi, vox dei . That will lead, in particular through work of Wincenty Kadłubek and Stanisław de Skarbimierz, with the Démocratie peerage-book and the Union polono-Lithuanian.

The character of Gallus Anonymus and its work inspired many Romancier S contemporaries:

Antoni Gołubiew (cycle Bolesław Chrobry , 1947 - 1954)
Teodor Parnicki (inter alia Srebrne orły , 1944 - 1945)
Aniela Gruszecka and its trilogy Powieść O kronice Official reception (1962).

Sources

Galli Anonimi Chronicon , Warsaw, 1948 (photocopies of the manuscript).
David P, sources of the history of Poland at the time of Piasts (963-1386) , Paris, 1934.
Plezia Mr., Nowe studia nad Gallem Anonimem , in: Lies and litteris, Poznań, 1984.
Gesta principum Polonorum = The deeds off the princes off the Poles , Budapest, 2003, ISBN 9639241407.

External bond

The chronicle (Polish translation):

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