Gesta Hungarorum
The oldest surviving Hungarian chronicle, written around 1200 by an author who signed only 'P. dictus magister', known ever since as Anonymus.
- Original byline
- P. dictus magister (Anonymus)
- Published
- 1200
- Form
- Other works
- Authorship
- Pseudonym; identity unresolved
- Reason for anonymity
- Unrecorded
- Copyright
- Public domain
- Reference
- Wikipedia · Wikidata
The authorship story
The Gesta Hungarorum recounts the origins of the Magyars and their conquest of the Carpathian basin, written in Latin around the year 1200. Its author identifies himself only as P. dictus magister, sometime notary of King Bela, and seven centuries of scholarship have not settled which King Bela, or who P. was. Hungarian historiography simply calls him Anonymus, and his hooded statue in Budapest is a monument to an unidentified writer. The byline is itself the anonymity: a self-chosen initial, a title, and nothing more, making this one of the oldest unsolved authorship questions in European historiography.
Questions readers ask
Who wrote Gesta Hungarorum?
Gesta Hungarorum was published under the byline P. dictus magister (Anonymus). The identity behind the byline has never been established in the documented record.
Can I read Gesta Hungarorum for free?
Yes. Gesta Hungarorum is in the public domain and the full text is free to read at the Internet Archive.
When was Gesta Hungarorum published?
Gesta Hungarorum was published in 1200, credited to P. dictus magister (Anonymus).
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