The Medieval Hungarian Historians

The various works in which the Hungarians of the Middle Ages recorded their own origins and early doings are of great value not only for the history of Hungary and the Magyar people, but also for the whole of south-eastern Europe. But before they can be safely used as sources they require much editing and interpretation. Studies by Hungarian and German scholars of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are now of course out-dated. Mr Macartney spent some years going through the documents and all the critical literature, and here presents the fruits of his work in a short form containing all that needs to be known for safe and profitable use of the texts. The present book has as its first part a long introductory essay on the development of the Hungarian historical tradition; its second part is an analytical guide to the separate documents, carrying summarised descriptions of MSS, editions, date, contents, reliability, relations to other texts, and so on, and including references to Mr Macartney's own contributions in the Studies. It is intended for Western students not able to read Magyar.