Anonymous in Hungary. P dictus Magister’s Gesta, Age and Pusztaszer – About the Truth of Writing History

One of the most frequently quoted and examined topic of the historiograpy of the Hungarian Middle Ages is P dictus magister and his work, Gesta Hungarorum. Throughout the many hundred years of research, there had been several occasions when the author of the Gesta was thought to be identified. Unfortunately, he was not, as there is no consensus on his identity until this day. The starting point for almost all the experts on the topic was the same, which meant two alternatives. Firstly, that “P” was in most cases supposed to stand for the Latin “prae” preposition, and secondly, that it was the initial letter of the author’s name (eg. Petrus, Paulus, or Pósa). We can say that research was determined by these two hypotheses. I based my research on the fact that P dictus magister was a learned, educated man of the Middle Ages, who was a scholar of literature, a key figure, whose ideas were characterised by spiritual, biblical, theological way of thinking – all of them typical of the age. According to my conclusions, the Gesta must have been written after 1206 and before 1217, when Kalán, the bishop of Pécs, who was the author of the Gesta in my opinion, took the sign of the cross between 1214 and 1217. We can see that the Gesta reflects the crusaders’ ideals. Bishop Kalán must have had the knowledge to write the work, he must have known the places, and his service at the chancellery, as a governor, and as the bishop of Pécs made him absolutely suitable for it.