Buda Chronicle Facsimile Edition

The Buda Chronicle, printed in Buda on 5 June 1473 by András Hess, occupies a unique position in the history of Hungarian culture and European book production. As the very first book to be printed in Hungary, it represents not only the arrival of the new technology of movable type in Central Europe but also the effort to consolidate and preserve a long tradition of Hungarian historical writing. Its pages recount the legendary origins of the Hungarians, the exploits of their kings, and the more recent events of the fifteenth century, ending in the reign of King Matthias Corvinus.

Copies of this rare work survive today in only a handful of libraries, which testifies both to its bibliographical rarity and to its importance as a witness of medieval Hungarian historiography.

Composition and Structure of the Text

The chronicle itself is not an entirely new creation but a compilation of earlier materials, carefully selected and revised in order to present a continuous narrative of Hungarian history.

The first portion draws upon the medieval chronicle tradition, which sought to connect the Hungarians with the Huns and with legendary origins in distant Scythia, before recounting the conquest of the Carpathian Basin and the consolidation of the early kingdom.

The narrative then moves into the fourteenth century, offering a particularly detailed account of the last years of King Charles I, including his death and burial, episodes that are preserved here in fuller detail than in many other sources.

The reign of Louis the Great is treated largely on the authority of John of Küküllő, although with notable omissions and revisions that demonstrate editorial selectivity.

Finally, the chronicle brings the story forward through the tumultuous decades following Louis’s death, encompassing the achievements of John Hunyadi and, in more condensed fashion, the early campaigns of King Matthias Corvinus. The work concludes abruptly around 1468, leaving the impression of a narrative brought as close as possible to the present day without delving into the most sensitive political matters of Matthias’s reign.

Historical and Cultural Significance

As the first printed book produced on Hungarian soil, the Buda Chronicle stands as a landmark in both national and regional history. Its appearance marks the transformation of a manuscript tradition into a printed form, making the collective memory of the Hungarian people more durable and more widely available than ever before.

The small number of copies that have survived suggests that its initial print run was modest, probably no more than two or three hundred, but its impact was nevertheless considerable. Later chronicles borrowed extensively from it, and its text helped to establish a canon of Hungarian history that intertwined legendary origins with more recent achievements.

From a textual perspective, the Chronica Hungarorum preserves details that are absent elsewhere and transmits versions of narratives that differ from other surviving manuscripts. This makes it indispensable for historians seeking to reconstruct the evolution of Hungarian historiography.

At the same time, the chronicle reveals its own biases. It expresses sympathy for the figure of John Hunyadi and casts Matthias Corvinus in a favorable light, reflecting the political environment in which it was produced. The decision to end the story in 1468 may even reflect a conscious strategy to avoid potential controversy about Matthias’s more recent campaigns and policies.

Legacy and Modern Reception

Although the Buda Chronicle offered a somewhat condensed and selective account of the most recent past, it established a model that subsequent chroniclers would follow. Later works, such as the Thuróczy Chronicle, drew upon its contents, either directly or indirectly, demonstrating its enduring authority as a historical source.

Multiple Repositories

- National Széchényi Library (Országos Széchényi Könyvtár), Budapest;

- Eötvös Loránd University Library (ELTE), Budapest;

- Scheide Library / Princeton University Library, Princeton;

- National Museum / Czartoryski or Polish National collections, Kraków;

- University Library, Leipzig;

- Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris;

- Charles University Library, Prague;

- Biblioteca Nazionale dei Lincei / Corsiniana, Rome;

- Russian National Library, Saint Petersburg;

- Austrian National Library, Vienna.