Several illustrated chronicles were created in the

Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy, also known as Switzerland or the Swiss Confederacy, was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ), initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerlan ...

in the 15th and 16th centuries. They were luxurious

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared manuscript, document where the text is decorated with flourishes such as marginalia, borders and Miniature (illuminated manuscript), miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Churc ...

s produced for the urban elite of

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

and

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

, and their copious detailed illustrations allow a unique insight into the politics and daily life of late medieval

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

on the eve of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

. The most important of these

chronicle A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...

s are the works of the two Diebold Schillings, their luxurious execution, as well as their content reflecting the growing confidence and self-esteem of the leaders of the confederacy after their spectacular successes in the

Burgundian Wars The Burgundian Wars (1474–1477) were a conflict between the Burgundian State and the Old Swiss Confederacy and its allies. Open war broke out in 1474, and the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, was defeated three times on the battlefield in th ...

. * 1423 Konrad Justinger's chronicle (Bern) the original was lost, but a copy of the text survives in

Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...

. * 1470 the " Tschachtlanchronik" by Bendicht Tschachtlan und Heinrich Dittlinger (Bern, now kept in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

) *

Diebold Schilling the Elder Diebold Schilling the Elder (–1439 – 1486) was the author of several of the Swiss illustrated chronicles, the '' Berner Schilling'' of 1483, the '' Zürcher Schilling'' of 1484, and the '' Spiezer Schilling'' (1480s). Biography Schilling wa ...

, Bern: **1483 the " Berner Schilling", three volumes, covering the time from the foundation of Bern up to and including the Burgundy Wars. **1480s " Spiezer Schilling", a shorter one-volume edition **1484 " Zürcher Schilling" (kept in Zürich; used by Gerold Edlibach for his chronicle of 1486) * Diebold Schilling the Younger, nephew of Diebold Schilling the Elder: **1515 " Luzerner Schilling" * 1515 Chronicle of Wernher Schodeler of Bremgarten. * 1529–1546 ''Berner Chronik'' of Valerius Anshelm. * 1576 Christoph Silberysen's compendium. * 1587 " Wickiana" by Johann Jakob Wick, a compilation of various manuscripts and prints. * 1626–1631 ''Schweitzer-Chronic'' by Michael Stettler of Bern.

References

* Baumann, Carl G.: ''Über die Entstehung der ältesten Schweizer Bilderchroniken'', 1971. . {{Authority control 15th century in the Old Swiss Confederacy 16th century in the Old Swiss Confederacy Types of illuminated manuscript

See also

References