Wigand expanded upon the earlier work of Nikolaus von Jeroschin. His rhyming chronicle[de] is one of the principal sources of information used for the history of the Prussian lands and parts of the adjoining Grand Duchy of Lithuania, covering the period between 1293 and 1394.[3] Originally written in Middle High Germanrhymed prose, the work combined actual accounts with legends, folk tales, and myths. Out of an estimated length of 17,000 lines, only about 500 have survived to the present day.[3] However, in 1464, the Polish chronicler Jan Długosz, speaking little German, asked Thorn clergyman Konrad Gesselen[de] to translate Wigand's chronicle into Latin, and Gesselen's translation has survived almost intact.[3][4] Gesselen titled his translation New Prussian Chronicle (Latin: Chronica nova Prutenica) to distinguish it from Jeroschin's earlier work, some of which he also translated. Gesselen did not take credit for his translation, but was identified as the author in 1895 by German historian Max Perlbach[de].[5]
Wigand's chronicle is sometimes referred to in German sources as "Wigand of Marburg's rhyming chronicle" (German: Reimchronik Wigands von Marburg), since it is a medieval chronicle written in rhyming prose in a vernacular language (the definition of a rhyming chronicle). The chronicle is referred to in a few German sources as "[the] 'chronicle of Thorn'/'Thorn chronicle' from 1293 to 1394",[6][7][8] probably because Gesselen's Latin translation was found in Thorn in 1821.[9]
↑ Note that von Marburg is a purely descriptive title added to his original name of Wigand by later historians, rather than a proper surname. Also the von should not be confused with a preposition used in later times to denote someone's noble status
↑ "Book Notices"(PDF). Quaestiones Medii Aevi Novae[pl]. 1. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo DiG[pl]: 165. 1996. ISSN1427-4418. Retrieved 2023-09-02. The author refers to the state of research on the chronicle by Wigand of Marburg and deals with the growth of secular chivalric ideals among the brethren of the Order of the Teutonic Knights in the fourteenth century, examining their reflection in the analysed monument. The publication in question presents the Toruń clergyman Konrad Gesselen who after 15 June 1464 translated the chronicle into Latin at the request of the Polish historian Jan Długosz
Jan Długosz, also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first historian.
Mestwin I was Prince of Pomerelia from about 1205 until his death.
Pilėnai was a hill fort in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Its location is unknown and is subject to academic debates, but it is well known in the history of Lithuania due to its heroic defense against the Teutonic Order in 1336. Attacked by a large Teutonic force, the fortress, commanded by Duke Margiris, tried in vain to organize a defense against the larger and stronger invader. Losing hope, the defenders decided to burn their property and commit mass suicide to deprive the Order of prisoners and loot. This dramatic episode from the Lithuanian Crusade has caught the public imagination, inspired many works of fiction, and became a symbol of Lithuanian struggles and resistance.
LucasDavid was a German historian, who from ca. 1550 on compiled extensive volumes on Prussian history.
Thietmar, Prince-Bishop of Merseburg from 1009 until his death in 1018, was an important chronicler recording the reigns of German kings and Holy Roman Emperors of the Ottonian (Saxon) dynasty. Two of Thietmar's great-grandfathers, both referred to as Liuthar, were the Saxon nobles Lothar II, Count of Stade, and Lothar I, Count of Walbeck. They were both killed fighting the Slavs at the Battle of Lenzen.
The Treaty of Kalisz was a peace treaty signed on 8 July 1343 in Kalisz, concluded by the Kingdom of Poland under King Casimir III the Great and the State of the Teutonic Order under Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Ludolf König von Wattzau.
Margiris or Margis was a medieval Lithuanian/Samogitian prince, mentioned by Caspar Schütz, via Wigand of Marburg, as the heroic defender of Pilėnai fortress in 1336. Not able to defend the fortress against the Teutonic Order, Margiris and other defenders decided to commit a mass suicide, burning the castle and leaving no loot for the enemy. This episode from the Lithuanian Crusade was popularized during the 19th-century wave of romantic nationalism and Margiris is treated as a national hero in Lithuania.
Nikolaus von Jeroschin was a 14th-century German chronicler of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia.
Henry of Rebdorf is the name given to the alleged author of an imperial and papal chronicle of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The only connexion between the chronicle to which the name of Henry of Rebdorf has been attached and the foundation of the Augustinian canons at Rebdorf, near Eichstätt, Bavaria, lay in the fact that the first editor of the said chronicle published it from a manuscript preserved there, and later taken to the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, while other manuscripts, displaying no essential points of difference, are known to exist in Klosterneuburg Monastery and in the Hofbibliothek in Vienna.
Prussian Chronicle or Teutonic Chronicle can refer to one of the several medieval chronicles:
Hermann von Wartberge was a chronicler of the Livonian Order. Born in Westphalia, Wartberge was a Catholic priest and author of the valuable Latin chronicle Chronicon Livoniale covering the history of the Livonian Crusade from 1196 to 1378. Wartberge used previous chronicles, archival documents, and personal experiences. As the narrative became more detailed around 1358, it is believed that Wartberge joined the Order around the time and began describing the events as an eyewitness. For example, in 1366 he was sent on a diplomatic mission to Gdańsk (Danzig) and took part in numerous military campaigns against the pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Wartberge provided extensive details on localities of the frequent raids and on construction of Livonian fortresses. The chronicle was preserved in the State Archives in Gdańsk and was first published in 1863 by Ernst Strehlke in Scriptores Rerum Prussicarum. Translations into Lithuanian and Latvian were published in 1991 and 2005.
The Jüngere Hochmeisterchronik, Croniken van der Duytscher Oirden, or Utrecht Chronicle of the Teutonic Order is a Middle Dutch chronicle of the Teutonic Order. It was written in or around the city of Utrecht in the Low Countries in several phases: around 1480, around 1491, and with some minor alterations after 1492. It has been referred to as “the final piece of the puzzle that is the official historiographic tradition of the Teutonic Order”. The anonymous chronicle was likely authored by the land commander of the Utrecht bailiwick of the Teutonic Order, Johan van Drongelen, in cooperation with his personal secretary Hendrik Gerardsz. van Vianen.
"Christ ist erstanden" is a German Easter hymn, and is possibly the oldest Christian liturgical German song. It has inspired the music of numerous composers, such as Ludwig Senfl and Heinrich Schütz, as well as modern composers such as Oskar Gottlieb Blarr and Enjott Schneider, and has appeared in 45 hymnals, including the current German Catholic and Protestant hymnals. Translations and paraphrases include a version by Catherine Winkworth which has appeared in 231 hymnals. "Christ ist erstanden" also inspired Martin Luther to write "Christ lag in Todes Banden", deriving the melody from it.
Theodor Ilgen was a German archivist and historian.
Ernst von Ratzeburg or Rassburg was a member of the Livonian Order. He acted as its Master from 1273 until his death at the Battle of Aizkraukle in 1279, at which he was one of 71 members of the Order to die.
Landmeister of Prussia was a high office in the Teutonic Order. The Landmeister administered the land of Prussia of the Teutonic Order. It was in existence as a separate office from 1230 to 1309, later being held in union with the office of Grand Master until 1525.
Stenckel von Bentheim, also known as Sсhenckel von Bentheim and Seno von Bynthausen, was a knight of Westphalia mentioned in The Chronicle of the Prussian Land by Peter of Dusburg and the eponymous The Chronicle of Prussia by Nikolaus von Jeroschin. He took part as a so-called guest knight in the Prussian Crusade and died in the Battle of Pokarwis in 1261, as described by Peter of Dusburg and Nikolaus von Jeroschin in the aforementioned chronicles:
The brothers and the Christians fought back valiantly, particularly one, a good pure knight called Lord Schenckel of Bentheim who came from Westphalia. He had heard a bishop there preaching to the people that all of the Christian souls who were killed by the heathens in Prussia entered heaven directly without going through purgatory. This reward was precious above all others to this knight. He spurred on his horse and charged, carrying his spear as knights do, and charged through the enemy front line and into the main army. His charge inflicted serious injury on many Prussians; his sharpedged salute killed many on both sides. When he had charged through them, and he was turning back and had reached the middle of the army, this laudable warrior of God was knocked down.
The Battle of Wopławki or Woplauken was fought on 7 April 1311 in the area near the village of Woplauken, north-east of Kętrzyn. Belarusian historian Ruslan Gagua states in Annalistic Records on the Battle of WopławkiArchived 2020-06-26 at the Wayback Machine The battle definitely had become a major and significant one by medieval standards during the military confrontation of the Teutonic Order and the then Lithuania, according to The Nature of the Conduct of Warfare in Prussian and Lithuanian Borderlands at the Turn of the 13th and 14th Centuries by Ruslan Gagua.
Ernst Strehlke was a German historian and archivist. He dedicated his rather short life to the history of the Teutonic Order.
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