Juraj Papánek (April l, 1738 - April 11, 1802) - historian, author of the first preserved systematic history of Slovak territory and nation. He was born in Kuklov in a yeoman family, studied philosophy in Budapest, jurisprudence in Eger and theology in Pécs. In the Pécs diocese, he was chaplain, priest and finally as dean in the Olasz village where he died and is buried. Especially The History of the Slovak Nation (Historia gentis Slavae) deserves notice from among his wide-ranging work. He considers the Slovaks to bé autochthonous nation in the Carpathian Valley. The other Slavonic nations extended from there, so the Slovak language was the original of all Slavonic languages. In 14 chapters, he devoted most attention to the Great Moravian Empire and its greatest ruler Svätopluk. He ascribes the heritage of Cyril and Metod and its connection with origins of christianity, that the historians of several nations in times of Papánek tried to appropriate, unequivocally to the Slovaks. His work became a manual for the renaissance generation. The theory of the autochthony of the Slovaks and the Slavs has also been accepted by the founder of the world Slavonic studies P.J.Šafárik and, remarkably, part of the modern language studies subscribes to this theory, too. Juraj Papánek is one of the less known but important pillars of defence and protection ofthe Slovak national historicism.

Prof Matúš Kučera