Gesta principum Polonorum
Written around 1112-1116, The Deeds of the Princes of the Poles is the oldest narrative source from Poland, formerly attributed to 'Gallus,' a French monk. The anonymous author tells the ancient history of Poland down to the reign of Boleslaw III. The chronicle contains valuable information on Poland's relations to her neighbors as well as the political ideas of his time.
After years of detailed and meticulous work by a team of historians, editors and translators, a bilingual edition of The Deeds of the Princes of the Poles (Gesta principum Polonorum), a major (indeed, unique) literary source for the history and society of early Poland, has now been published. The readable modern English-the first translation into that language--is a faithful equivalent of the Latin text, which is as accurate and authentic as modern scholarship can establish.
Generations of Polish school-children have learned about the Gesta of the nameless Frenchman, Gallus Anonymus, whose identity, however, has lately been disputed. The introduction and notes to this volume seek to provide the interested reader and the scholar with all relevant background information about this chronicle.
But the most important is the text itself in two languages:
Bolezlaus dux inclitus Dei dono progenitus Hic per preces Egidij Sumpsit causam exordii. |
Duke Boleslaw, the illustrious, By God's grace was engendered thus: His entry into life he made When prayers of St. Giles were said. |
Or:
Hic autem Semimizl magnum et memorandum Meschonem progenuit, qui primus nomine vocatus illo VII annis a nativitate cecus fuit. |
|
Siemomysl's son was the great and memorable Mieszko, the first of that name, who was blind for the first seven years of his life. |
General Editors’ Preface
Thomas N. Bisson: Preface
Abbreviations
General
Titles quoted in abbreviation
Introduction (in cooperation with Wojciech Polak)
Manuscripts and editions
Title, author, and date of composition
Genre, structure, form, and style
Sources
The GpP as historical source
Lordship, land, and the course of history
The influence of the GpP on Polish history-writing
Editorial principles
Gesta
Liber I
Liber II
Liber III
Deeds
Book I
Book II
Book III
Selected Bibliography
Editions and translations of the GpP
Primary sources
Literature
Index of Proper Names
Index of Geographical Names
Illustrations, tables, maps