Gall Anonymus, Chronicle of Poland

The Chronicle of Gall Anonymus (Chronicle and Deeds of the Princes or Rulers of Poland, in  Latin Cronica et gesta ducum sive principum Polonorum) is the first, though unfinished, Polish chronicle, written in Latin, probably between 1112 and 1116. It is a collection of chronologically arranged historical narratives whose protagonists are the rulers of Poland from the Piast dynasty. This form of historical writing is known as gesta (gesta ducum, meaning “the deeds of rulers”). Some scholars have interpreted Gall Anonymus’s work as a panegyric in honour of Bolesław III Wrymouth. However, the prevailing view is that the chronicle constitutes a written defence of the prince after the mutilation of his elder brother Zbigniew and the subsequent penance he performed. This act was widely regarded as a crime, and the chronicler attempted to justify his protagonist and encourage readers to forgive the ruler.