Skip to main content

Secondary sourceBookafter 1358, no later than 1370

Chronicon Pictum

Márk Kálti · after 1358, no later than 1370

A 14th-century Hungarian royal chronicle whose illuminated miniatures portray Attila as a glorious ancestor of the Hungarian kings.

Shows how later Hungarian royal tradition reimagined Attila as a glorious royal ancestor.

Ask Attila the Hun about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
A manuscript page with illuminated initials containing two painted kings, one holding a sword and one holding a banner with red and white stripes, above columns of Latin text in black ink and red rubrics. A small framed miniature at lower right shows a king being crowned by two bishops.
Márk Kálti, Chronicon Pictum, after 1358. National Széchényi Library, Budapest.

About this source

What it is

The Chronicon Pictum (Illuminated Chronicle) is a Latin chronicle of the Kingdom of Hungary, written by Márk Kálti and produced in the royal workshop of King Louis I, probably finished not long after 1358. It contains 147 miniatures illustrating Hungarian history. It is now held by the National Széchényi Library in Budapest.

Why it matters

The chronicle follows a medieval Hungarian tradition that linked the Hungarians to the Huns, presenting Attila as a glorious royal ancestor rather than a foreign invader. It reveals how King Louis I's court used history and art to build a legitimizing national story, and shows medieval ideas about kingship, costume and court life.

Look closer

  • Why might a Hungarian king want Attila shown as a noble ancestor rather than a destroyer?
  • What do the crowns, swords and banners in the images tell you about royal power?
  • What is left out of this picture of Attila that other sources might include?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Attila the Hun on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Attila the Hun sources

Meet the AI Attila the Hun →
Solid black book cover with a white Library of Congress catalog label near the bottom, bearing the text LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, a barcode, the number 00020502083, and a red dot.Book

Primary source

Getica

Jordanes · 555

Fresco in an arched vault showing a scene of armed warriors on horseback and on foot in a battle, with a flying figure in orange and red robes above, and a pale-robed procession of clergy with a horse on the left. Decorative gilded stucco frames the arch.Painting

Primary source

The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila

Raphael · 1513-1514

Title page of the 1729 Venice edition of the Chronicon Paschale, in Greek and Latin text, printed by Bartholomaei Javarina. Below the text is an engraved view of a walled city with spires, with two figures in period dress and armor in the foreground.Book

Secondary source

Chronicon Paschale

Anonymous · 630

Medieval manuscript folio in Middle High German with a large decorated red, blue and green initial letter on the left, red heading text at top, and a round green seal with the inscription 'Joseph von Laszberg Ritter' at right. Yellowed parchment with black ink text in columns.Book

Secondary source

Nibelungenlied

c. 1200

Hand-colored woodcut from a chronicle showing mounted armored knights in a battle on green hills, with lances and banners. Below is a line of Latin text describing the fallen king Theodoric and the fighting.Painting

Secondary source

Chronica Hungarorum - The Battle of King Attila at the Catalaunian Plains

Johannes de Thurocz · 1488

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Attila the Hun now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions