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The ''Chronicon Pictum'' (
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for "illustrated chronicle",
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
: ''Illuminated Chronicle'' or ''Vienna Illuminated Chronicle'', hu, Képes Krónika, sk, Obrázková kronika, german: Illustrierte Chronik, also referred to as ''
Chronica Hungarorum ''Chronica Hungarorum'' (Chronicle of the Hungarians) is the title of several works treating the early History of Hungary, Hungarian history. Buda Chronicle A popular chronicle partly based on the ''Chronicon Pictum'' (entitled just ''Chronica ...
'', ''Chronicon Hungarie Pictum, Chronica Picta'' or ''Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum'') is a medieval illustrated chronicle from the
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
from the 14th century. It represents the great international artistic style of the royal courts in the court of King
Louis I of Hungary Louis I, also Louis the Great ( hu, Nagy Lajos; hr, Ludovik Veliki; sk, Ľudovít Veľký) or Louis the Hungarian ( pl, Ludwik Węgierski; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370 ...
. The codex is a unique source of art, medieval and cultural history. The chronicle's full name is: ''Chronicon pictum, Marci de Kalt, Chronica de gestis Hungarorum'' (Illustrated Chronicle, Mark of Kalt's Chronicle About the Deeds of the great Hungarians).


History of the chronicle

The chronicle was written by
Mark of Kalt Mark of Kalt (, ; ) was the canon of the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and chronicler of King Louis I of Hungary, known for his work ''Chronicon Pictum'', beginning its composition in 1358 and finishing it between 1370 and ...
( la, Marci de Kalt, hu, Kálti Márk) in 1358, with the last of the illuminations being finished between 1370 and 1373. The chronicle was given by the great Hungarian king
Louis I Louis I may refer to: * Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor * Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140) * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois ( ...
to the French king
Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...
, when the daughter of
Louis Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...
,
Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...
, was engaged to Charles's son
Louis I, Duke of Orléans Louis I of Orléans (13 March 1372 – 23 November 1407) was Duke of Orléans from 1392 to his death. He was also Duke of Touraine (1386–1392), Count of Valois (1386?–1406) Blois (1397–1407), Angoulême (1404–1407 ...
in 1374. The chronicle was then given to Serbian despot
Đurađ Branković Đurađ Branković (; sr-cyr, Ђурађ Бранковић; hu, Brankovics György; 1377 – 24 December 1456) was the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456. He was one of the last Serbian medieval rulers. He was a participant in the battle of Anka ...
as gift from the French king Charles VII. The chronicle was copied in 1462. Between 1458 and 1490, it was still in
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, in the court of King
Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. People Notable people named Matthias include the following: In religion: * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Iscariot * ...
, and later lost, possibly spending some time in Turkish possession. There is evidence to suggest that in the second half of the 15th century the chronicle was in Hungary, it also contains several handwritten Hungarian and Latin entries from the 15th and 16th centuries, even in three places with Turkish writing in Hungarian. From the fact that it contains Turkish comments related to Hungary, the researchers concluded that between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 17th century, the codex was owned by a Hungarian who knew Turkish very well. The chronicle may have fled Vienna from the Ottoman occupation in the 16th century. From the 17th century, it belonged to the court library in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
. Sebastian Tengnagel mentions it in the manuscript catalog of the court library from 1608 to 1636. The chronicle reappears in the first half of the 17th century in royal archives of
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
by unknown means, which is why it is also referred as the ''Vienna Illuminated Chronicle''. As a result of the Venice Cultural Convention, the chronicle returned to Hungary in 1934. The manuscript is now kept in the
National Széchényi Library The National Széchényi Library ( hu, Országos Széchényi Könyvtár) (OSZK) is a library in Budapest, Hungary, located in Buda Castle. It is one of two Hungarian national libraries, the other being University of Debrecen Library. History The ...
in
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
(Országos Széchényi Könyvtár, Budapest).


Illuminations

The 147 pictures of the chronicle are an inexhaustible source of information on medieval Hungarian cultural history, costume and court life, they also represent the most important records extent of Hungarian painting in the 14th century. The artistic value of the miniatures is quite high, and the characters are drawn with detail and with a knowledge of anatomy. The chronicle contains 147 miniatures: 10 larger images, 29 images in the width of the column, 4 smaller images at the bottom of the page in a round medallion shape, 99 images enclosed in
initial In a written or published work, an initial capital, also referred to as a drop capital or simply an initial cap, initial, initcapital, initcap or init or a drop cap or drop, is a letter at the beginning of a word, a chapter, or a paragraph that ...
s, and 5
initial In a written or published work, an initial capital, also referred to as a drop capital or simply an initial cap, initial, initcapital, initcap or init or a drop cap or drop, is a letter at the beginning of a word, a chapter, or a paragraph that ...
s without images. In addition, there are 82 ornaments at the margin. The images are listed in the same order as their appearance in the chronicle.


References


External links

* * * – A more readable Latin text, with notes in Latin * – Hungarian translation at the
Hungarian Electronic Library The Hungarian Electronic Library ( hu, Magyar Elektronikus Könyvtár) is one of the most significant text-archives of the Hungarian Web space showcasing a variety of primary and secondary sources. Contains thousands of full-text works in the humani ...
{{Authority control Hungarian chronicles Hungarian books History of Hungary History of the Hungarians Kingdom of Hungary Medieval Kingdom of Hungary 9th century in Hungary 10th century in Hungary 11th century in Hungary 12th century in Hungary 13th century in Hungary 14th century in Hungary 14th-century illuminated manuscripts 14th-century history books 14th-century Latin books Illuminated histories