The Illuminated Chronicle

The Illuminated Chronicle. Chronicle of the Deeds of the Hungarians from the Fourteenth-Century Illuminated Codex

The Illuminated Chronicle (Chronica de gestis Hungarorum e codice picto saec. xiv.) is the ninth volume in the Central European Medieval Texts, a Latin–English bilingual series, the volumes of which are based on the best critical editions of the original texts. These do not usually include the full philological apparatus, but provide comprehensive textual explanations for readers who are less informed about Central and Eastern European history and geography.

The Illuminated Chronicle (formerly known as the Vienna Chronicle) was composed in 1358 in the international artistic style at the royal court of Louis I of Hungary. Its text, presented here in a new edition and translation, is the most complete record of Hungary's medieval historical tradition, going back to the eleventh century and including the mythical past of its people. The 147 pictures are an invaluable source of information on late medieval cultural history, costume, and court life of the fourteenth century. The artistic value of the miniatures is quite high, and the characters are drawn with detail and with a knowledge of anatomy. Forty-two of the miniatures are included in the present volume.