Skibby Chronicle
A sixteenth century Danish chronicle found walled up in Skibby church, written anonymously. Scholarship identifies the Carmelite Poul Helgesen as its author.
- Original byline
- Anonymous
- Published
- Date not recorded
- Form
- Other works
- Authorship
- Revealed: Poul Helgesen
- Attribution source
- Wikidata P50 (Q7534989); Wikipedia note
- Reason for anonymity
- Unrecorded
- Copyright
- Public domain
- Reference
- Wikipedia · Wikidata
The authorship story
The Skibby Chronicle is a Latin chronicle of Danish affairs to 1534, discovered in the sixteenth century hidden behind the altar wall of Skibby church, its final sentence breaking off mid-word. It is sharply partisan against the Reformation's advance in Denmark, and philological scholarship has long identified its author as the Carmelite humanist Poul Helgesen, whose known works match its style and sympathies; the identification is the accepted record. The concealment of the manuscript matches the danger of its opinions. A chronicle literally walled into anonymity came out of the wall with an author.
Questions readers ask
Who wrote Skibby Chronicle?
Skibby Chronicle was published anonymously and is documented as the work of Poul Helgesen.. Source: Wikidata P50 (Q7534989); Wikipedia note.
Can I read Skibby Chronicle for free?
Skibby Chronicle is in the public domain, though this site has not yet verified a free full-text source for it.
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