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'Gallus Anonymus' (Polish: ''Gall Anonim''; 11th-12th centuries) is considered to be the first author of Polish history by creating the work ''Cronicae et gesta ducum sive principum Polonorum'' (Chronicles and Deeds of the Dukes or Princes of the Poles, ca. 1115).
Gallus greatly influenced the subsequent course of Polish history, as his version of Poland's early history emphasized that the ruler's authority was inferior to that of God, as expressed in the voice of the assembled people (as in the Latin proverb, "''Vox populi, vox Dei''" — "The voice of the people is the voice of God"), thus documenting the electoral tradition of Poles and their tendency to disobey unwanted authority. This concept, via the ''Chronicles'' of Wincenty Kadłubek and the ''Sermons'' of Stanisław of Skarbimierz, contributed to the development of the unique "Golden Liberty" that would characterize the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, whose kings were elected and were bound to obey the ''Sejm''.
The national origin of Gallus Anonymus (the "Anonymous Gaul") is unknown; though traditional scholarship has assumed he was French (hence "''Gallus''"), the idea that he was a Benedictine monk from Venice was worked to details by prof. Tadeusz Jasiński from UAM and popularized after an interview to a leading Polish daily, Gazeta Wyborcza. Similar conclusion was originally hypothesized in the 1960's by prof. Danuta Borawska ^[1] (she also mentions that Anonymus might be of Mazon origin). She concluded that 'Gallus Anonymus' was probably a monk from the St Gilles Monastery in Lido, Venice, Italy with later accord by prof. Marian Plezia^{[2] [3]} . Gallus' style of writing is similar to that of Hildebert from Lavardin, and Gallus was to be educated in Le Mans or according to Zathey^[4] rather he was educated in Chartres or Bec of Normandy. As 'clericus de penna vivens' is suspected by Borawska^[5] to wrote also Gesta Ungarorum or Translatio Sti Nicolai. According to Jasinski he came to Poland by the Via Egnatia over the Slavic-speaking countries of "Epir, Thrace, Dalmatia, Croatia, Istria". Jasinski found over 100 similarities when he compared the works "Chronicle" and "Translatio Sti Nicolai". He concludes that Gallus knew native Italian and Slovenian languages just like many Venetian clergymen of those times did. Anonymus cursus velox is also in accord with Venetian origin. Feliks Pohorecki in 1930 formulated the hypothesis, that if one finds an author using cursus spondiacus and simultaniusly cursus velox in this fact may identify Anonymus. Swedish latinist Tore Janson found Cursus spondiacus in the Hildebert school and author wrote in Translation about a stay at Tours and celebration of mass in Lido.
"There is no reason, therefore, to doubt that Gallus Anonymous was Monachus Littorensis." ^[6]

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Notes

1. Borawska, D., "Mała Historia Literatury Polskiej" Wyd. Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2005, s. 52-53
2. M. Plezia, Nowe studia nad Gallem-Anonimem, in Mente et litteris. O kulturze i społeczeństwie wieków średnich, Poznań 1984, s. 111-120
3. "Anonim tzw. Gall, Kronika polska", wyd. M. Plezia, przeł. Roman Grodecki; Wrocław 1996.
4. Zathey J., W jakich szkołach uczył się Gall Anonim?, "Sprawozdania Polskiej Akademii Umiejętności" 1952, z. 7-10, s. 555.
5. Borawska D., Gallus Anonim czy Italus Anonim?, "Przegląd Historyczny" 1965
6. Tomasz Jasinski, Was Gallus Anonymous Monachus Littorensis? Summaries (Kwartalnik Historyczny, CXII, 2005, 3) (abstract 1, abstract 2)


★ TX Bibliography reviled by p. ''sava.com''

External links

★ Edmund Kotarski: ''Gall Anonim'' (English/Polish)

★ Gazeta Wyborcza article about Gallus Anonymus Venetian origins (in Polish)

★ Kim naprawdę był Gall Anonim? (in Polish)