Ladislaus I's laws, Ladislaus legend
Ladislaus I's laws
They survived in three so-called "law books". The earliest of these is the one generally called "third law". (There is a possibility that they - partly or all - originate from the time before Ladislaus's reign.) The so-called "second law" dates back to the beginning of Ladislaus's reign, while the so-called "first law" was enacted by the synod of 20 May 1092 at Szabolcs, under the king's chairmanship. The "third" and "second" laws contain secular, mainly criminal laws, and both of them include acts, which were possibly framed independently, at different times. The "first law" is a collection of church laws, but the last two paragraphs contain secular subjects, so presumaby they do not belong to the resolutions of the synod at Szabolcs. The laws themselves are known from later copies dating from the 15-16th centuries.
ZSA
The Ladislaus legend
The ancient legend of St Ladislaus was probably completed by the time of his canonisation in 1192, and from this version a shorter extract was made in the years after 1204. The bigger legend follows the supposed text of the original legend more firmly. The author of the original legend must have used one of the lost chronicles from the 12th century as a source. It might have been Bishop Hartvic's legend, the Emeric legend and possibly King Stephen's Exhortations, too. The significance of the legend is that it proves the existence of the 12th century chronicle. In contrast with the representation in the chronicle, which focuses on Ladislaus's devotion, the legend shows a generous king . The miracles surrounding Ladislaus brought the treasures of international hagiography to Hungary. Each miracle has its parallels in eastern and western Christian traditions (for example, Ladislaus drew water and fed his hungry people like the Biblical Moses during the flight into the wilderness). The author had admirable stylistic skills, his rhymed prose developed into a poem in places.
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