User:Norden1990/Gesta Ladislai regis

The Gesta Ladislai regis (lit. "The Deeds of King Ladislaus") is the historiographical name of a hypothetical Latin epic poem chronicling the life and reign of Ladislaus I of Hungary, which is believed to have been written at the turn of the 11–12 centuries. According to a scholarly theory, its text was inserted and dissolved into the corpus of various texts of the so-called 14th-century chronicle composition, most notably the Illuminated Chronicle.

Interpretations
The 140th chapter of the Illuminated Chronicle writes that "whoever delights to know how many and how great were the good works wrought for his people by the blessed Ladislaus, will find full account of his deeds" ("[...] de gestis eiusdem plenam poterit habere notitiam"). It is uncertain whether the word "deeds" (gesta) refers to the Saint Ladislaus legend or to another chronicle variant. According to historian László Veszprémy, the quoted sentence is typical of chroniclers to draw readers' attention to hagiographical texts. Bálint Hóman considered this gesta is identical with Urgesta, the first Hungarian chronicle, which – as Hóman claimed – was compiled under Ladislaus I. In contrast, János Győry emphasized the phrase "full account of his deeds" is identical with the Saint Ladislaus legend, and the Latin word "gesta" is not a title here.

Classical philologist János Horváth, Jr. discovered a separate passage within the text of the chronicle from a stylistic and phraseological point of view, which narrates the events of the second half of the 11th century. According to Horváth, this was the first continuation of the original Urgesta and this section can be identified with the Gesta Ladislai regis, compiled under Coloman. Historian József Gerics agreed that the aforementioned quote refers to the chronicle written during the reign of Coloman. János Bollók identified the Gesta Ladislai regis (compiled under Coloman) in the chronicle text lasted from the 94th to the 141st chapters, which narrates the history of Hungary between 1060 (coronation of Béla I) and 1095 (death of Ladislaus I). This text primarily tells the struggles for the throne between Solomon against his cousins, Géza and Ladislaus.

Secondary studies

 * BOLLÓK János dolgozata: Ladislaus (Egy középkori etimológia és tanulságai) In: Scripta manent. Ünnepi tanulmányok a 60. évét betöltött Gerics József professzor tiszteletére. Szerk. DRASKÓCZY István. Bp. 1994. 63 - 73
 * Bollók német
 * Gerics
 * Gerics
 * Gerics

Category:11th century in Hungary Category:11th-century poems Category:Hungarian poetry Category:Epic poems in Latin Category:Lost poems