Gelou

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Gelou (translated into Romanian as Gelu, into Hungarian as Gyalu) was, according to the Gesta Hungarorum (a Hungarian history from about 1200 C.E.), a leader of Vlachs and Slavs in Transylvania who was defeated by the Magyars sometime during the 10th century.

The Gesta narrates that Gelou was killed by the warriors of the Magyar chieftain Tétény (also called Töhötöm; in the original Latin: Tuhutum).

Romanian historian Neagu Djuvara argued that the name of Gelou could be connected with the ancient Thracian toponym "Gelupara" ("para" means "town") and with the modern toponym of "Gilău", the name of a village and a river in Cluj.

Hungarian historians contend that Gelou - like other enemies of the Magyar leader Árpád mentioned in the Gesta - was probably an invention of the author. The key arguments behind this hypothesis are:

  • There is a lack of supporting evidence (written or archeological) for the existence of Gelou.
  • The Gesta fails to mention key historical personalities such as Svatopluk I and Simeon I of Bulgaria.
  • Other characters in the Gesta have been shown to have been invented from toponyms (e.g Zobor).
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