SCA German Renaissance Research

The Establishment of a Supreme Court to Try Peace-breakers, 1495

2012-01-15T10:00:00.000-06:00

250. The Establishment of a Supreme Court to Try Peace-breakers, 1495. (German.)

Datt, Volumen rerum Germanicarum novum, sive de pace imperii publica, p. 876.

We, Maximilian, etc., have, for good and sufficient reasons, established a general peace of the land throughout the Roman empire and Germany, and have ordered it to be observed. But it cannot be enforced without the proper support and protection. Therefore at the advice of the electors, princes, and the general diet held here at Worms, for the common good, and for the honor of us and of the supreme court of the holy Roman empire, we have issued the following laws and regulations in regard to it. We will appoint a presiding judge of this court. He may be either a layman or a clergyman, a count or a nobleman. And we will elect sixteen assistant judges [who shall give the decision]. They shall all be elected at this diet. They shall all be Germans of good character and of good degree of knowledge and experience, and at least half of them shall be trained in the law and the other half shall be noblemen of the rank of knight at least. The decision of the sixteen shall be final. In case of a tie the presiding judge shall have the deciding vote. Nothing shall prevent them from giving a just and legal decision. The presiding judge and the sixteen shall have no other business, but they shall devote themselves wholly to the work of this court. They shall not be absent from the sessions of the court without special permission. The sixteen shall get such permission from the presiding judge, and he from the sixteen. But never more than four of them shall be absent from the court at the same time. Neither the presiding judge nor the sixteen shall leave the city in which the court is in session except for the most weighty reasons. If the presiding judge is for a long time prevented by illness or other weighty reason from holding court, he shall, with the consent of the sixteen, give one of the sixteen, preferably a count or nobleman, the authority to represent him. And even if four or less of the sixteen are absent, the others shall have the power to try cases and render decisions as if they were all present. But in cases in which electors, princes, or those of princely rank are concerned, the presiding judge must preside in person. But if he cannot do so, he may, with the consent of the others, name a person to preside in his stead. ... We will, with the advice of the princes and of the diet which shall meet that year, fill all vacancies which may occur in this court. If the presiding judge dies without appointing some one to preside in his stead, the sixteen shall elect some one to take his place, so that the court may not be idle until the next diet assembles. They shall elect a count or nobleman to this office; and he shall fill this office until the next diet meets, at which time we will appoint a new presiding judge.

Abuses in the Sale of Indulgences, 1512

2011-12-31T10:00:00.058-06:00

As found in A Source Book for Mediaeval History: Selected Documents Illustrating the History of Europe in the Middle Ages, by Oliver J Thatcher, Ph.D. and Edgar H. McNeal, Ph.D., pgs 338-340 (1905). The following is a religious piece that reflects the views of both an individual from 1893 as well as those from 1512 & 1517

179. Abuses in the Sale of Indulgences, 1512.

Fr. Myconius, Geschichte der Reformation.

Several references have been made to the need of a reform in the matter of indulgences. Cardinal Raymond, papal legate in 1503, complained that the agents who sold indulgences were actuated only by the basest motives of gain and were thoroughly dishonest. Myconius (his German name was Mecum) was a Franciscan monk who became a Protestant.

We have thought it best to give first a statement of the doctrine of indulgences in order that the abuses in their sale may be more clearly apparent.

"It is the catholic doctrine that when a sin is forgiven its punishment is not necessarily at the same time remitted. Through the power of the keys the eternal punishment is remitted, but generally there remain temporal punishments which must be satisfied either in this world by means of good works, or in the next by enduring punishment in purgatory. The Bible, by examples as well as by statements, teaches that with the removal of the eternal guilt and punishment, the temporal punishment is not always remitted. Adam and Eve, after committing sin, repented and were justified by God, but they were driven out of Paradise and compelled to endure infinite misfortunes, and even death itself, as a punishment of their sin. We are taught the same by the example of the Israelites who were pardoned for their sin of murmuring through the prayers of Moses, but, as a punishment for their sin, were excluded from the promised land and perished in the wilderness.... From this it is seen that the Bible demands not only the conversion of the heart, but also that we render satisfaction by enduring temporal punishment for the sin....

"This satisfaction which we must render [i.e., this temporal punishment which we must endure] is a part of the sacrament of penance, and must be imposed on us by the minister of penance [i.e., the priest]. The doctrine of indulgences is inseparably connected with that of satisfaction. By indulgence is meant a remission of the temporal punishment made by a priest by means of the application of the treasure of the church. The treasure of the church is the whole sum of the merits of Jesus Christ ... in addition to all the good works or merits of all the saints. ... In the church, as St. Thomas Aquinas well says, some have done greater penance than the measure of their sins demanded. Others have suffered with patience many unjust tribulations, with which they would have expiated the temporal punishments of many more sins than they have committed. [All such good works in excess of what they needed to make satisfaction for their own sins are called works of supererogation, and being meritorious, their merit is added to the treasure of the church and may, at the discretion of the church, be applied to the benefit of others who are lacking in such good works.] One of the ways in which the church distributes this common possession (treasure of merits) is by means of indulgences."—From the Theologia Dommatica of Prof. Dati, vol. iii, Chap. XXIX, Florence, 1893.

Anno 1512. Tetzel gained by his preaching in Germany an immense sum of money which he sent to Rome. A very large sum was collected at the new mining works at St. Annaberg, where I heard him for two years. It is incredible what this ignorant and impudent monk used to say. ... He declared that if they contributed readily and bought grace and indulgence, all the hills of St. Annaberg would become pure massive silver. Also, that, as soon as the coin clinked in the chest, the soul for whom the money was paid would go straight to heaven.... The indulgence was so highly prized that when the agent came to a city the bull was carried on a satin or gold cloth, and all the priests and monks, the town council, schoolmaster, scholars, men, women, girls, and children went out in procession to meet it with banners, candles, and songs. All the bells were rung and organs played. He was conducted into the church, a red cross was erected in the centre of the church, and the pope's banner displayed....

Anno 1517. It is incredible what this ignorant monk said and preached. He gave sealed letters stating that even the sins which a man was intending to commit would be forgiven. He said the pope had more power than all the apostles, all the angels and saints, even than the Virgin Mary herself. For these were all subject to Christ, but the pope was equal to Christ. After his ascension into heaven Christ had nothing more to do with the management of the church until the judgment day, but had committed all that to the pope as his vicar and vicegerent.

The Perpetual Peace of the Land Proclaimed by Maximilian I, 1495

2011-12-15T10:00:00.000-06:00

249. The Perpetual Peace of the Land Proclaimed by Maximilian I, 1495. (German.)

Altmann und Bernheim, no. 110.

For various reasons the government had found it impossible to secure the peace of the land. One reason was that there was no effective and satisfactory machinery for punishing offenders, administering justice, and settling disputes. Maximilian not only forbade all private warfare, but also created a supreme court to try all offenders and to make it unnecessary for a man to take the law into his own hands.

We, Maximilian, etc. (1) From the time of the publication of this peace, no one, no matter of what rank or position, shall carry on a feud against another, or make war on him, or rob, seize, attack, or besiege him, or aid anyone else to do so. And no one shall attack, seize, burn, or in any other way damage any castle, city, market town, fortress, village, farmhouse, or group of houses, or in any way aid others to do such things. No one shall receive those who do such things into his house, or protect them, or give them to eat or drink. But if anyone has a ground for complaint against another, he shall summon him before the court. For the command is now given that all such matters must hereafter be tried before the supreme court.

(2) We hereby forbid all feuds and private wars throughout the whole empire.

(3) All, of whatever rank or position, who disobey this command, shall, in addition to other punishments, be put under the imperial ban, and anyone may attack their person or their property without thereby breaking the peace. All their charters and rights shall be revoked, and their fiefs shall be forfeited to their lord. And so long as the guilty one lives, the said lord shall not be bound to restore it to him or to his heirs.

(4) In case this peace is broken and violence is done to anyone, whether elector, prince, prelate, count, lord, knight, city, or anyone else, no matter of what rank or position, secular or ecclesiastical, and the guilty ones are not known, but suspicion rests on anyone, those who were injured may make complaint against the suspected ones, and summon them, and compel them to clear themselves by oath of the crimes of which they are suspected. If any of the suspected ones refuse to clear themselves in this way, or refuse to come at the appointed time, they shall be considered guilty of having broken the peace, and they shall be proceeded against in accordance with the terms of this document. But the one who summons them shall give them a safe-conduct to come and to return to their homes. If it is impossible to deliver the summons to them in person, it shall be posted in a few places which they are known to frequent. If, contrary to this peace, anyone is attacked or robbed, all those who are present and see it, or learn of it in any way, shall take action against the offender with as much earnestness and promptness as if it concerned them alone.

(5) No one shall in any way aid or protect such peace-breakers, or permit them to remain in his territory or lands, but he shall seize them and begin proceedings against them and give aid to anyone who makes complaint against them....

(6) If such peace-breakers have such protection or are so strong that the state must interfere and make a campaign against them, or if anyone who is not a member of the peace breaks the peace or aids those who have broken it, charges shall be made by the injured, or by the presiding judge of the supreme court, to us or to our representatives and to the annual diet, and aid shall be sent at once to those who have been attacked. If through war or anything else it is impossible to hold the diet, we give the presiding judge of the supreme court the authority to call us and the members of the diet together in any place where we, or our representatives, can meet and take whatever measures are necessary. But nevertheless the presiding judge and the whole court shall not cease to prosecute all such peace-breakers with all the legal means possible.

(7) There are many mercenaries in the land who are not in the service of anyone, or who do not long remain in the service of those who hire them, or their masters do not control them as they should, but they go riding about the country seeking to take advantage of people and to rob. We therefore decree that such men shall no longer be tolerated in the empire, and wherever they are found they shall be seized and examined and severely punished for their evil deeds, and all that they have shall be taken from them, and they shall give security for their good conduct by oath and bondsmen.

(8) If any clergyman breaks this peace, the bishop who has jurisdiction over him shall compel him to make good the damage which he has done, and his property shall be taken for this purpose. If the bishops are negligent in this matter, we put them as well as the peace-breakers under the ban, and deprive them of the protection of the empire, and we will in no way defend them or protect them in their evil-doing. But they may clear themselves of suspicion in the same way as laymen.

(9) During this peace no one shall make an agreement or treaty with another which shall in any way conflict with this peace. We hereby annul all the articles of such agreements or treaties which are contrary to this peace, but the rest of such agreements or treaties shall remain in force. This peace is not intended to interfere in any way with existing treaties. Without the consent of those who have been injured we will not free from the ban anyone who has through an offence against the peace been proscribed, unless he clears himself in a legal way.

(10) We command you ... to observe this peace in all points, and to compel all your officials and subjects to observe it, if you wish to avoid the punishments of the imperial law and our heavy disfavor.

(11) We hereby annul all grants, privileges, etc., which have been granted by us or our predecessors, which in any way conflict with this peace.

(12) This peace is not intended to annul any of the laws of the empire or commands which have already been issued, but rather to strengthen them and to command that all men shall hereafter observe them.

Complaints of the Germans against the Pope, 1510.

2011-11-30T10:00:00.000-06:00

178. Complaints of the Germans against the Pope, 1510.

Gebhardt, Gravamina gegen den Romischen Höf, pp. 83 f.

This is a brief list of the complaints made by the Germans in 1510 and presented to Julius II. Most of them, it will be observed, are concerned with the financial burdens with which the Germans felt that they were overwhelmed.

(1) That popes do not feel bound to observe the bulls, agreements, privileges, and letters which have been issued by their predecessors, but often dispense with, suspend, and revoke them at the request of people even of low birth. (2) That the pope sometimes refuses to confirm the canonical election of bishops. (3) That the pope sometimes rejects the election of praepositi [provosts], although made by chapters which have paid a high price for the right to elect.... (4) That the better benefices and higher offices are reserved for the cardinals and the chief officials of the papal court. (5) That an unlimited number of expectancies are granted, and many are given for the same office to different persons. And many expectancies are sold to one and the same person. From this practice, lawsuits arise daily, which cause all concerned to incur heavy expenses. For if a man buys an expectancy, he will probably never get the office, but he will surely become involved in a lawsuit about it which will cost him a great deal of money. On this account the proverbial saying has arisen: "If anyone obtains an expectancy from Rome, let him lay aside one or two hundred gold coins, for he will need them in his lawsuit about it." (6) Even when a bishopric is several times within a few years made vacant by death, the pope without any mercy demands the prompt and full payment of the annates. And sometimes when the pope creates new offices and enlarges his court, more is demanded as annates than is just.... (7) Churches are given to members of the papal court, some of whom are better fitted to be mule drivers than pastors. (8) Old indulgences are revoked and new ones sold, merely to raise money, although the laymen are thereby made to murmur against their clergy. (9) Tithes are collected under the pretext that a war is to be made against the Turks, but nothing of the kind is ever done. (10) Cases which could easily be settled in Germany, since there are good and just judges there, are indiscriminately called before the papal court at Rome. St. Bernard, in writing to Eugene III, severely criticised this practice.

Levy of Troops for Wars in Bohemia, 1422

2011-11-15T10:00:00.051-06:00

As found in Translations and Reprints from the Original Sources of European History, Vol III, No. 2, Pg 8 by the University of Pennsylvania Press (1897).

Levy of Troops for Wars in Bohemia, 1422.

Deutsche Reichstagsakten Bd. VIII (1883) pp. 157-165.
Reprinted in Altmann und Bernheim: Ausgewählte Urkunden, Second Ed., pp. 174-177. German.

The levy of troops for the Bohemian wars gives us a picture of the relative size and importance of the various powers of Germany in 1422. The statisticians will note especially the concentration of power in the Rhine lands. The contingents to be furnished by the cities, afford an excellent scale of the relative importance of towns in the epoch concerned.

(The Electors). Archbiships: Mayence 50 with swords, Cologne 40 with swords. Treves 40 with swords. The count Palatine 50 with swords. Saxony 20 mounted men-at-arms. Brandenburg 50 with swords.

The Bishops: The archbishops of Magdeburg 30 swordsmen, 10 archers. Bishop of Hildesheim 5 swordsmen, 5 archers. That of Würzburg 20 swordsmen. That of Bamberg 20 swordsmen. That of Eichstätt 10 swordsmen. That of Strassburg 10 swordsmen. That of Constanz 8 swordsmen. That of Basle 2 swordsmen. That of Coire 2 swordsmen. That of Besançon 6 swordsmen. That of Augsburg 2 swordsmen. That of Metz 6 swordsmen. That of Toul 3 swordsmen. That of Verdun 6 swordsmen. That of Lausanne 6 swordsmen. That of Speyer 8 swordsmen. That of Worms 2 swordsmen. That of Verden 3 swordsmen, 6 men-at-arms. That of Schwerin 8 swordsmen, 8 men-at-arms. That of Halberstadt 6 swordsmen, 6 men-at-arms. That of Bremen 10 swordsmen, 10 men-at-arms. That of Kammin 6 swordsmen, 6 men-at-arms. That of Regensburg 5 swordsmen. That of Munster 10 swordsmen.

Dukes and lay princes. Duke of Lorraine 20 swordsmen. Duke of Bar 20 swordsmen. Duke of Savoy 50 swordsmen. Margrave of Baden 10 swordsmen. Landgrave of Hesse 20 swordsmen, 10 men-at-arms. Duke Otto of the Leina 10 swordsmen, 10 men-at-arms. Erich of Brunswick 5 swordsmen, 5 men-at-arms. Duke Otto of Hirschberg 5 swordsmen, 5 men-at-arms. Bernhard and William of Brunswick with their cities namely, Brunswick and Lüneburg, 10 swordsmen, 10 men-at-arms. John of Mecklenburg 10 swordsmen, 10 men-at-arms. Albrecht of Mecklenburg 10 swordsmen, 10 men-at-arms. Children of Duke Ulrich with the country of Stargardt 10 swordsmen, 10 men-at-arms. Otto and Casimir of Stettin 20 swordsmen, 12 men-at-arms. Vladislaf of Wolgast 15 swordsmen, 12 men-at-arms. Erich of Saxe-Lauenberg 3 swordsmen, 6 men-at-arms. Louis of Ingoldstadt in Bavaria 16 swordsmen. Ernest and William of Bavaria 10 swordsmen. Henry of Bavaria 20 swordsmen. John of Bavaria 10 swordsmen. Stephen of Bavaria 5 swordsmen. Otto of Bavaria 5 swordsmen. Adolphus of Cleve 20 swordsmen. Duke of Berg 6 spearmen. The bishop of Utrecht, with Deventer, Kempten, Zwolle, and Utrecht, 40 swordsmen.

Lords and counts in the Netherlands. The duke of Jülich, and the knights of Jülich and Guelders, and the four cities of Romunde, Nymwegen, Arnheim and Zutphen 60 swordsmen. The three cities of Brabant 100 swordsmen. The cities of Liege 100 swordsmen. Standard bearers, knights, and men of Holland 60 swordsmen. Standard bearers, knights, and men of Hainault, the cities of Hainault, the count of Namurs 20 swordsmen. Lords and knights of Flanders, the cities of Flanders 20 swordsmen.

Counts and lords. Gerhard, count of Mark 3 swordsmen. William count of Ravensburg 2 swordsmen. Count of Teckelnburg 2 swordsmen. Count of Riedenburg 1 swordsman. Lord of Lippe 2 swordsmen. Lord of Dippoldswald 1 swordsman. Count of Bentheim 1 swordsman. Count of Schaumburg 1 swordsman. Count of Oldenburg 1 swordsman. Frederick and William of Henneberg 4 swordsmen. Count of Rheineck 2 swordsmen. Count of Kastel 2 swordsmen. Count of Hohenlohe 2 swordsmen. Count of Weinsberg 2 swordsmen. Count of Heideck 1 swordsman. Otto Erich of the Heust 6 swordsmen. Count of Würtemberg 20 swordsmen. Count of Schauen 15 swordmen. Margrave of Rotelen 3 swordsmen. Margrave of Toggenburg 5 swordsmen. Conrad of Freiburg 5 swordmen. Hugo master of the Order of St. John 10 swordsmen. Christopher of Wenden 6 swordsmen, 6 men-at-arms. Albrecht and George of Anhalt 5 swordsmen, 5 men-at-arms. Bernhard of Anhalt 4 swordsmen, 4 men-at-arms. Bernhard of Rheinstein, 3 swordsmen, 3 men-at-arms. Count of Wernigerode 4 swordsmen, 4 archers. Emich of Leinigen 3 swordsmen. Frederick of Leinigen 2 swordsmen. Philipp of Nassau 4 swordsmen. John of Sponheim 5 swordsmen. Frederick of Veldenz 3 swordsmen. John and Frederick, counts of the Rhine 2 swordsmen. Philipp and Emich, lords of Oberstein, 2 swordsmen. Lord of Hohenfels 1 swordsman. Nicholas Vogt of Honolstein 1 swordsman. John of Katzenellenbogen 8 swordsmen. Adolphus of Nassau 2 swordsmen. William of Wied 3 swordmen. Philipp and Salentin lord of Ysenburg 3 swordsmen. John of Wied, Reinhard, lord of Westerburg 2 swordsmen. Dietrick, lord of Runkel 1 swordsman. John and Henry, counts of Nassau lord of Bilstein 2 swordsmen. Bernhard and John brothers, count Solms 3 swordsmen. John of Wittgenstein 1 swordsman. Rupert of Virneburg 2 swordsmen. Gottfried Eberhard, lord of Eppstein 4 swordsmen. Reinhard, lord of Hanau 3 swordsmen. Dieter, lord of Büdegen 3 swordsmen. Michael of Wertheim 1 swordsman. William of Eberstein 1 swordsman. Lords of Arbergen 3 swordsmen. William of Blankenstein 1 swordsman. John, lord of Schleiden 1 swordsman. Frederick of moers 4 swordsmen. John, lord of Heimsberg 4 swordsmen. Walgrave of Moers 1 swordsman. William Craft, lord of Saffenburg 1 swordsman. John, lord of Rodemachern 2 swordsmen. John and Gottfried, lord of Ziegenhain 2 swordsmen. Henry of Waldeck, and the others of Waldeck 4 swordsmen. John Henry of Vinstigen 2 swordsmen. The lord of Wibelkoben 1 swordsman. Shenk Eberhard, Schenk Conrad and Schenk Conrad the younger, of Ehrenpach 3 swordsmen. Conrad, lord of Bickenbach 1 swordsman. The lord of Neuenahr 1 swordsman. Eberhard of Lineburg, lord of Hartenburg 2 swordsmen. Count of Limburg 1 swordsman. The lord of Harn 2 swordsmen. John of Saarwerden 1 swordsman. The Brothers of Bitsch 1 swordsman. Count of Salm 1 swordsman.

The Abbots. The abbot of Fulda 6 swordsmen. The abbot of Weissenburg 2 swordsmen. The abbot of Zelle 1 swordsman. The abbot of Mürbach 3 swordsmen. The abbot of Maulbronn 5 swordsmen. The abbot of Einsiedeln 2 swordsmen. The abbot of Biebenhausen 3 swordsmen. The abbot of Salem 5 swordsmen. The abbot Alb 2 swordsmen. The abbot of Kemptem 2 swordsmen. The abbot of Schaffhausen 2 swordsmen. The abbot of Petershausen 2 swordsmen. The abbot of Kinzing 2 swordsmen. The abbot of Weingarten 4 swordsmen. The abbot of Elchingen 2 swordsmen. The abbot of St. Blasien 2 swordsmen. The abbot of Balbeuren 2 swordsmen. The abbot of Zwiefalten 2 swordsmen. The abbot of Isni 1 swordsman. The abbot of Saint George 1 swordsman. The abbot of Saint John 1 swordsman. The abbot of Pfaeffers 1 swordsman. The abbot of Königsbrünn 1 swordsman. Prior to Schussenried 2 swordsmen.

The cities. The confederates of Berne, Lucerne, Zurich, Freiburg in Vaud 250 horse. Constance, Lindau, Buchhorn, Ravensburg, Ueberlingen, Zelle am Unter See, Diessenhofen, 50 swordsmen and 200 mounted men. Schaffhausen, Waldshut, Lauffenberg, Säckingen, Rheinfelden, Winterthür, Rapperswil, Frauenfeld 26 men-at-arms. Kempten, Isny, Wangen, Leutkirch, Memmingen, Augsburg, Biberach, Pfullendorf, Kaufbeuren, Ulm, Giengen, Nordlingen, Bopfingen, Aalen, Gmünd, Dünkelsbühl, Esslingen, Reutlingen Rottweil, Weil, Buchau, 100 swordsmen and 100 men-at-arms. Halle 12 swordsmen and 12 men-at-arms. Heilbronn, Wimpfeu Weinsberg 24 mounted men armed. Basle 16 swordsmen. Strassburg Muhlhausen, Colmar, Münster in St. Gregorienthal, Kaiserberg, Dürkheim, Schlettstadt, Oberehuheim, Roshein, Hagenau, Weissenburg, 30 swordsmen. Freiburg, Neuenberg Breisach, Kenzingen Endingen 10 swordsmen. Verden 10 swordsmen. Kaufmansarburg 3 swordsmen. Treves 4 swordsmen. Metz 20 swordsmen. Toul 10 swordsmen. Speyer Worms and Mayence 24 swordsmen. Cologne, Aix la Chapelle 30 swordsmen. Dortmund 6 swordsmen. Frankfort 15 swordsmen. Friedberg 2 swordsmen. Gelnhausen 3 swordsmen. Wetzlar 2 swordsmen. Nuremberg 30 swordsmen, 30 men-at-arms. Rothenburg 12 swordsmen, 12 men-at-arms. Windsheim 5 swordsmen, 6 men-at-arms, Weissenburg in Franconia 5 swordsmen, 5 men-at-arms. Schweinfurt 5 swordsmen, 5 men-at-arms. Regensburg 15 swordsmen, 15 men-at-arms. Lübeck 30 swordsmen, 30 men-at-arms. Hamburg 15 swordsmen, 15 men-at-arms. Müblhausen [Saxony] 3 swordsmen, 6 men-at-arms. Nordhausen 15 swordsmen, 10 men-at-arms. Aschesleben 10 swordsmen, 6 men-at-arms. Halberstadt 10 swordsmen, 10 men-at-arms. Quedlinburg 10 swordsmen, 10 men-at-arms. Sum total, 754 swordsmen and 777 mounted horse from the cities.

Taking Apart Images - Part 12.1 - Children of the Planets: Jupiter and His Children by Meister Hausbuch

2011-11-03T10:00:00.002-05:00

Now it's Jupiter's turn, the second planet. In the air with Jupiter, we have Sagittarius (the Archer) and Pisces (the fish). Jupiter's children tend to be hunters, falconers, archers, sailors, judges, men of the court, and scholars.

I'm not quite sure why, but I love all the miscellaneous things that can be found in these drawings that are easily missed by casual perusal.

First, another example of crotal bells in this series...

Chairs used in the field... Whether this was a common practice or used for this drawing, I'm uncertain, but I find it fascinating that most of the more crudely made chairs in these drawings are three-legged (or at least appear to be so).

Chairs for indoor usage... This chair, on the other hand, is obviously a four-legged chair and much more sturdy than it's 'field' counterparts.

Pouches...

Pattens... In studying this drawing I realized a few minor things that I thought I might jot down. First, in the drawing the pattens are worn by (seen next to) the scholars, the crossbowmen (you can just make out one of them on the center crossbowman where it is hidden just behind the scholar building's roof), and the court scene, yet you do not see them on either of the riders or the peasants. The peasants are understandable (addressed later), but where do the riders store their pattens while on horseback? Would they have a special bag that carries them? Or do they not bring them with the assumption that where ever they are going (whether a distance or back home) will have them ready when they get there?

Also, the court scene shows the various levels of what pattens would have been like for the three classes represented, the noble (very long with heeled arches), the merchant (sedate, utilitarian and lacking heeled arches) and the peasant (doesn't wear them). Using this as a guideline or pseudo rule, the scholar and the crossbowman appear to fall into the noble category.

Scholar Detail

Merchant Detail

Noble Detail

Popular Dissatisfaction that the Church had so much Wealth, ca. 1480.

2011-10-31T10:00:00.001-05:00

As found in A Source Book for Mediaeval History: Selected Documents Illustrating the History of Europe in the Middle Ages, by Oliver J Thatcher, Ph.D. and Edgar H. McNeal, Ph.D., pg 336 (1905).

177. Popular Dissatisfaction that the Church had so much Wealth, ca. 1480.

Goldast's Reichssatsung, p. 280.

We give a brief passage from an unknown author to illustrate the growing dissatisfaction of the common people that the church had so much wealth. It betrays a dangerous temper of mind. In the light of this the suppression of monasteries and the seizure of ecclesiastical property which was carried out on so large a scale in the sixteenth century does not seem strange.

It is as clear as day that by means of smooth and crafty words the clergy have deprived us of our rightful possessions. For they blinded the eyes of our forefathers, and persuaded them to buy the kingdom of heaven with their lands and possessions. If you priests give the poor and the chosen children of God their paternal inheritance, which before God you owe them, God will perhaps grant you such grace that you will know yourselves. But so long as you spend your money on your dear harlots and profligates, instead of upon the children of God, you may be sure that God will reward you according to your merits. For you have angered and overburdened all the people of the empire. The time is coming when your possessions will be seized and divided as if they were the possessions of an enemy. As you have oppressed the people, they will rise up against you so that you will not know where to find a place to stay.

Taking Apart Images - Part 11 - Saint Sebastian by Hans Baldung Grien

2011-10-27T10:00:00.038-05:00

I found another simple image, Saint Sebastian (1510) by Hans Baldung Grien, from which I wanted to pull another example of the single-tied unterhosen that appears to have been popular at this time. This is provided more to expand the time frame where these would have been worn. I haven't found many other styles thus far, which leads me to believe these were fairly common.

Unterhosen Detail

Landsknecht Project List Updated - Somewhat

2011-10-24T10:00:00.002-05:00

I was going through my original project list for my husband's landsknecht kit and realized that it really needed to be updated, both with information and with terms in usage. I've left the original names in brackets with the original numbering to remove any confusion, but the majority of the rest is new.

1.) Hemd [Shirt]

2a.) Wams [Doublet]

Wams were constructed in many different ways generally from wool. They were basically the 'doublet' (wams) worn under the 'over-doublet' (lederwams).

2b.) Lederwams

Leder, or leather, was the material used to construct Lederwams. This is the section of a landsknechts clothing that helped to protect their clothing from battle or so has been implied. From the way this piece of clothing fits to the wearers form and the low weight of the leather needed to make it (~3-4 oz), I'm unable to wrap my mind around how it would provide much protection, but we'll use this as our premise for now.

2c.) Ledergollar

I've also seen this term used for what appears to be the same piece of clothing. What is the difference? I'm not sure, honestly. Lederwams is translatable into leather jerkin, whereas I'm unable to find a translation for gollar except to find people referring to it as a padded vest. Perhaps the lederwams were more stylish and the ledergollar was used more for light armor...?

3.) Pluderhosen [Trews]

4.) Waffenroch

5.) Hosen [Stockings]

6.) Coif [Head-wrap or Undercap]

7.) Tellerbarret [Over-hat]

8.) Cow-mouthed Shoes [Shoes]

10.) Unterhosen [Braies / Underwear]

11.) Points

Drinking Flasks

2011-10-21T10:00:00.044-05:00

For a while now I've been curious about the historical accuracy, feasibility, and construction of leather drinking vessels (canteens, bottles, etc.), so I started the research trek and have you ever noticed that search engines are horrible at intuitive results? Since when does a search for 'leather drinking bottles' come up with nudity? At any rate, a little persistence finally bore fruit. Obviously, you need the right terms and the term I needed was 'flask'.

Dictionary.com gave me a great place to start (after a few bad starts)...

Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English: cask, keg < Anglo-French, Old French flaske < Late Latin flasca, earlier flascō, of uncertain origin; compare Old English flasce, flaxe, Old High German flasca ( German flasche ); compare flagon

OHG, perfect, way before the time I'm researching. Flasche, German for flask, is the term that finally opened the search engines to what I wanted, though perhaps not exactly how I thought I wanted them. Flasche turns into the modern English equivalent of a bottle.

Children of the Planets: Luna (Moon) by Meister Hausbuch (c1475-85)

Not the easiest to see, that's why I've provided a detail, but is that a drinking flask hanging from the man's spear on the upper right side of the drawing?

There is also a square flasche in Hans Baldung Grien's Apostelscheidung (1521) and I know I've seen another, but I've lost it for the moment.

A side trip gave me another word to throw into all of this which is even older than flasche... flehtanan (“to plait, braid”), from the practice of plaiting or wrapping bottles in straw casing.

Taking Apart Images - Part 10 - Apostelscheidung by Hans Baldun Grien

2011-10-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

Apostelscheidung (1521) by Hans Baldung Grien is presented here in black and white. I'm afraid I haven't found a color image yet. My only interest in this piece are the objects within it. The clothing appears somewhat questionable, perhaps even "undate-able". It's generic without a real foundation in anything.

I can safely say I've never seen a flask (or flasche [German]) like this, but what else could this be? I love finding flasks in artwork, though I can't say for sure why

Flasche Detail

A satchel, the perfect thing for long trips. There appears to be a buckle on the shoulder strap and one holding the satchel closed.

Satchel Detail

And a sack that is fashioned to be worn like a backpack. I've seen these and a little research helped to uncover some information. Dictionary.com indicates that the word knapsack originated around 1595 and likely came from the Low German word knappsack.

Knapsack Detail

Israhel van Meckenem

2011-10-19T10:00:00.084-05:00

Recently I became aware of a fact concerning Israhel van Meckenem (c1445-1503). It appears as if 90% of the works his workshop produced were copies of other shops and artists. According to the Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin, Vol. XVII, Feb 1919, No. 99, Pgs 7-8:

Israhel van Meckenem was accounted one of the greatest masters by his contemporaries; two generations later he was even believed to be the inventor of engraving and the teacher of Martin Schongauer. The excessively high esteem in which his work was held gradually gave place to undeserved neglect, and he was thought to be devoid of all originality, significant only as a prolific copyist and as a reworker of other men's plates. Gradually he is regaining his rightful place, and although out of a total of five hundred and fifty-eight engravings catalogued by Geisberg ninety-six only appear to be original, there are among them masterpieces which rank with the best productions of his time, and go far to prove that Van Meckenem could well have dispensed with other men's designs. Technically (as well as in the subject matter of his earliest plates) he owes much to his father, the Master of the Berlin Passion, and to the Master of Saint Erasmus; but even more to Master E.S., "the Van Eyck of engraving" (over three hundred of whose prints he copied), who, in his turn, derives from the Master of the Playing Cards, the earliest engraver whose work has come down to us. Strangely enough, though Israhel copied fifty-six of Martin Schongauer's engravings, twelve by the Master of the Amsterdam Cabinet, and, toward the end of his life, four by Dürer, his style remains individual and distinctive; many layers of fine lines, laid at an acute angle, shade and model the faces and figures; scratched rather than engraved - true "dry point" work.

So which works belong to Israhel van Meckenem as the artist and not copiest? I made a very rough outline of the information provided in the above article as well as information I acquired from various other places and I will update it periodically as I find more information.

A. 558-570 images - Estimated attributions to IvM as both artist and copiest
B. 96 images - Estimated IvM originals

Small Passion, c1475 - 53 images?
Large Passion, c1480 - 11 images (It would have been considered 12 images, but "The Entombment" was Schongauer's.)
Israhel van Meckenem and his wife, c1480-90s
Scenes of Daily Life, c1495 - 14 images I've found so far
Fanciful Composition - A hunter and his dogs being roasted by the hare they were hunting.

C. 300+ images - Master E.S. copies (active 1440-1467)
D. 56 images - Martin Schongauer copies (c1448-91)

The Virgins series, c1483 (by Schongauer) - 10 images? (5 wise, 5 foolish)
"The Entombment" from the Large Passion, c1480

E. 12 images - Master of the Amsterdam Cabinet copies (active 1470-90) - There are some claims that this is also Meister des Hausbuch.
F. 4 images - Albrecht Dürer copies

The Holy Family with the Locust
The Promenade, c1496-98 (by Dürer)
The Four Naked Women or The Four Witches
?

G. ? - Hans Holbein, draughtsman for Life of the Virgin
H. ? - Meister des Hausbuch copies - There are some claims that this is also the Master of the Amsterdam Cabinet.

Saint Christopher, c1480-90 (Meckenem's copy)
The Lovers, c1490 (Meckenem's copy)
Coat of Arms with Tumbling Boy, c? (Most likely after Hausbuch)

Over half of Meckenem's copies are from Master E.S., who was an engraver from 1440-67. Other than this, it appears as if the balance of his copies and personal work fell into contemporary lines, or roughly 1466-1503. There are some that claim his work was pirating other engravers and some that would claim, at least in the case of Master E.S., that the plates were given to him for reproduction. I have yet been unable to substantiate either of these claims, but at least I know that studying his personal Scenes of Daily Life are still valid and viable for around 1495.

Further reading:
A short history of engraving & etching, for the use of collectors and students by Arthur Mayger Hind, 1908, Pg 34

Albrecht Dürer: 1500

2011-10-18T10:00:00.028-05:00

There is no way for me to know in what order these images of 1500 should be presented, therefore, they are grouped to suit my own personal fancy and for no other reason.

Self Portrait at 28 (1500)

Portrait of a Young Man (1500)

Nuremberg Woman in a Dance Dress

Nuremberg Woman in a House Dress


Nuremberg Woman Dressed for Church

Nuremberg Woman in a Dance Dress


Coat of Arms (1500)

Witch Riding Backward on a Goat (1500)

The Astronomer (1500)

Saint Sebastian (1500)

The Virgin and the Child (c1500)

Guild Formations

2011-10-17T10:00:00.003-05:00

I found an interesting section on the guilds in my area of study from the Journal of the Society of Arts, January 31, 1873, Pg 183, "Guilds, and Their Functions" by John Yeats, LL.D.. The following section of his article was the most informative about guilds of the Holy Roman Empire:

...A brief notice may now be taken of the guilds of foreign countries. Dr. E. Brentano thinks that the rise of the continental guilds was less early and more hampered than was the case in England. He refers to the capitularies of Charlemagne and other monarchs as proof of the hindrances thrown in the way of union, and of the restrictions under which such guilds as were allowed to exist were placed. But there are various reasons for supposing that this opposition was at any rate but of a temporary character. At Ravenna [Italy] a fishers' guild existed as early as 943. The Easterlings or steel-yard merchants of London were a band of foreigners who carried on the trade between England and the Baltic countries, and they had their guild, Herbert says, of older date than the Cnihten Guild of London, already mentioned. It is the more probable supposition that this guild of the Easterlings was not a copy of a Saxon institution, but a resort to a practice with which its members were already familiar. Amongst the Teutonic nations of the Continent especially, the guild was a prominent institution, prominent by the numerous guilds which existed, and also by the power to which they attained. Thus, in 1130, the Hezlagh, or Great Guild of Sleswig, went so far as to put to death Nicholas, King of Denmark, in revenge for the murder of their alderman, Duke Canute. The Merchant Guild of Cologne was of noted strength, and fought strenuously and successfully for the liberties of their town against both aristocratical and ecclesiastical authority. As further examples, it will be sufficient to mention the facts that no less than twenty-five Silesian towns furnished members to a great Tailors' Guild; and that the German cutlers formed four great fraternities, which had Nürnberg for their centre, and whose ramifications extended all over Germany, and even into Courland and Lavonia. In proof of the rapid development of industry at this period, particularly in metals, I venture to quote the following, though somewhat of an episode.

It is recorded that there were in 1104 sword cutlers in Magdeburg, Strasburg, and the Netherlands, who also made breast-plates, shields, and helmets; in 1285 there were in Nuremberg, goldsmiths, blade-forgers, cutlers, sword-cutlers, and girdlers. The most able smiths were to be found in Styria and Solingen; and in 1392 it was reported that there was a depôt of Styrian iron goods in Bremen, whence they were exported to Russia and Prussia. In 1368 the smiths alone formed 15 out the 17 guilds that were in Augsburg. The lock-smiths were highly distinguished for their excellent workmanship in door-keys, clasps, knockers, and rails, such as are still to be seen on the church-doors at Nuremberg, Augsburg, and Freiberg. Windlass-makers appeared in Augsburg in 1453 as a peculiar department of smiths, and coppersmiths in 1363. These latter appeared in Nuremberg in 1386, in which town we also find wire-workers and braziers in 1321; in 1328 workers in tin; in 1360 coiners and wire-drawers; and in 1370 needle-makers. In Breslau, as well, we find needle and pin makers in 1390. Bell-founders and great gun makers had their chief seats in Augsburg and Nuremberg. In 1399 Hugo, of Nuremberg, cast in Augsburg an alarm-bell of 40 cwt., and in 1469 Nicholas Hilger cast great bells in Freiberg. Heavy artillery was already known in 1356, and in 1372 the council of Augsburg ordered the casting of 20 cannon. Gunners appeared in Nuremberg in 1403. In this town there were also peculiarly skilful brass and copper smiths, and metal founders, who, as Peter Vischer, for example, executed the most magnificent works of art. These crafts, indeed, were early known in Germany, proof of which exists in the renowned brazen gates of Augsburg, Mentz, and Hildesheim, which belong to the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Gold and silver smiths appeared likewise in the time of Charlemagne, and in Henry I.'s reign there lived an exceedingly clever goldsmith at Mentz. The gold plates adorned with jewels on the old manuscripts of the Gospels were also the work of goldsmiths; and in the thirteenth century there were found in use amongst the knights and their ladies costly clasps and girdles, and harness for their horses, richly ornamented with gold and silver. In Augsburg, in 1276, goldsmiths were employed in the mints, and in 1370 there were 11 masters of this craft in Nuremberg. In Vienna they appear for the first time in 1350. Artisans of this craft, too, prepared the most artistic and valuable church utensils, some of which are still preserved in the treasuries of Berlin, Vienna, and Munich. Besides these, it is said that there were in Nuremberg, in 1373, diamond-polishers; in 1383 silver-melters; in 1387, gold and silver burnishers; in Breslau, in 1470, gold-beaters; and in 1324, in Augsburg, tin-workers. Germany was at that time rich in the precious metals, which were abundantly supplied by the mines of Freiberg and Schneeberg.

Germans of the Holy Roman Empire in Artwork (1500-1510): Landsknecht

2011-10-16T10:00:00.022-05:00

There are various categories for German dress in the Holy Roman Empire and I cannot even scratch the surface on all the ways they can be organized.

My plan of action became thus... I'm going to start with time frame and use class as my subcategory. Therefore, to keep things reasonably round and balanced, I am going to go through what artwork I can find and share them in 10 year increments sorted by the class of the individuals within the artwork. If 10 years becomes more than one post will allow, then I will break it down further, but until that eventuality, 10 years works for me. To keep the classes simple I am using Urban (which includes any class above a peasant that generally lived within a city), Soldier, Camp Follower/Frau, Peasants and Children.

Let's start with the land soldiers or Landsknechte for no other reason than it tickled my fancy at the time. My overall analysis for this particular span of time is that their general style of clothing was already recognizable as Landsknecht, but you don't see some of the more flamboyant extravagances that are easily discernible in later artwork. For lack of any other description this is pretty staid for the Landsknechte. The most flamboyant parts of the costume appear to be the sleeves.

I am aware that there are different ranks among the soldiers that I've depicted here, but I'm afraid that breaking them out by rank is beyond what I want to attempt currently. I'm also afraid that describing their outfits with even a semblance of correct costume terminology is at present beyond me. I know what I see, but I don't know how to communicate that.


The Crucifixion by Daniel Hopfer (c1500-36)

Note on The Crucifixion: This piece could easily fall outside this time frame and if I find that it doesn't fit the over 'feel' of the costumes represented by the other artwork, it will be moved, though this Landsknecht is somewhat conspicuous without his codpiece.

Zeugbuch Kaiser Maximilians I, BSB Cod.icon.222, 29r (c1502)

Zeugbuch Kaiser Maximilian I - BSB Cod.icon.222, 71r (c1502)

Zeugbuch Kaiser Maximilian I - BSB Cod.icon.222, 71v (c1502)

My general opinion is that the shredded sleeves of both the previous image and the one following are very stylized. It wouldn't surprise me if the sleeves were in fact shredded to some degree, but this is definitely over the top.

Zeugbuch Kaiser Maximilian I - BSB Cod.icon.222, 72r (c1502)

Zeugbuch Kaiser Maximilian I - BSB Cod.icon.222, 73r (c1502)

Zeugbuch Kaiser Maximilian I - BSB Cod.icon.222, 295r (c1502)

This next set of three drawings are all from Paul Dolstein, who is rumored to have fought during the Swabian War and various confrontations surrounding it.

Landsknechts by Paul Dolstein (c1500-03)

Lansknecht Musicians by Paul Dolstein (c1500-03)

Landsknechts by Paul Dolstein (c1500-03)


Calvary [Kalvarienberg] by Albrecht Dürer (1502) - Landsknecht Detail

Calvary [Kalvarienberg] by Albrecht Dürer (1502) - Landsknecht Detail

The Green Passion: Christ on the Cross by Albrecht Dürer (c1503-04) - Landknecht Detail

The Green Passion: Ecce Homo by Albrecht Dürer (c1503-04) - Landsknecht Detail

Landknecht from Behind by Albrecht Dürer (c1503-04)

This next piece by Lucas Cranach the Elder is the definite odd-ball in the group. It is, beyond a doubt, the most flamboyant set in this entire group of drawings.

Landsknecht by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1505)

Landsknecht by Albrecht Altdorfer (1506)

Landsknecht with a Prostitute by Albrecht Altdorfer (c1506) - Landsknecht Detail

Even though this next piece is attributed to Hans Süß von Kulmbach, it obviously has Albrecht Dürer's initials in the bottom left corner, therefore, there is a bit of a question for me over the author of this piece.

Landsknecht by Hans Süß von Kulmbach (c1507-10)

The Twelve Articles of the Peasants, 1525

2011-10-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

Warning: Long post!

The Twelve Articles of the Peasants was a direct result of the Peasants' War (1524-26). I've provided here the original German, as found in the Memmingen Archives, followed by a translation found in Translations and Reprints from the Original Sources of European History: Reformation Number, Vol II, No. 6, Pgs 18-24 published by the Department of History of the University of Pennsylvania (1897). It amazes me how history is constantly doomed to repeat itself, yet each generation feels that it is so 'enlightened'.

Memmingen Archives

"Dye grundtlichen vnd rechten haupt artickel, aller baurschafft vnnd hyndersessen der gaistlichen vnd weltlichen oberkayten, von wo(e)lchen sy sich beschwert vermainen.

Dem christlichen leeser fryd vnnd gnad gottes durch Christum. Es seyn vil wider christen, die yetzund von wegen der versammleten baurschafft das euangelion zu(o) schmehen vrsach nehmen, sagent, das seyn die frücht des newen euangelions? Nyemant gehorsam seyn, an allen ortten sich empor heben vnd auff po(e)men, mit grossem gewalt zu(o)hauff lauffen vnd sich rotten, gaistlich vnnd weltliche oberkaiten zu(o)reformieren, außzu(o)reytten, ja villeücht gar zu(o) erschlagen? Allen disen gotlosen freuenlichen vrtailern antwurten diese nachgeschribne artickel, Am ersten das sye dise schmach des wort gotes auffheben, zu(o)m andern die vngehorsamikait, ja die empo(e)rung aller bauren christenlich endtschuldigen. Zu(o)m ersten, ist das euangelion nit ain vrsach der empo(e)rungen oder auffru(o)ren, dye weyl es ain rede ist, von Christo, dem verhaissne Messia, welchs wort vnd leben nichts dann liebe, fride, geduldt vnd ainigkaiten lernet. Also das alle die in disen Christum glauben, lieplich, fridlich, gedultig vnd ainig werden. So dann der grund aller artickel der bawren (wie dann klar gesehen wirt), das euangelion zu(o)ho(e)ren vnd dem gemeß zu(o) leben, dahin gericht ist. Wie mügen dann die widerchristen das ewangelion ain ursach der embo(e)rung vnd des vngehorsams nennen? Das aber ettlich widerchristen vnd feynd deß euangelij wider so(e)lliche anmu(o)ttung vnd begerung sich lonen vnd auffbo(e)men, ist das euangelion nit vr-sach, sonder der teüfel, der schedlichst feynd deß ewangelij, der solches durch den vnglauben in den seynen erweckt. Hye mitte das, das wort gotes (liebe, fryd, vnd ainigkait lernent) vndergetruckt vnd wegkgenommen wurde. || Zu(o)m andern dann klar lauter volget, das dye bawren in jren artickeln solches euangelion zu(o)r leer vnd leben begerendt, nit mügen vngehorsam, auffru(e)risch genennt werden. Ob aber got die pauren (nach seynem wort zu(o) leben a(e)ngstlich ru(o)ffent) erho(e)ren will, wer will den willen gotes tadlen? Wer will in sein gericht greyffen? Ja wer will seiner mayestet wyderstreben? Hat er die kinder Israhel, zu(o) jm schreyendt, erho(e)ret vnd auß der hand pharaonis erlediget? Mag er nit noch heut die seynen erretten? Ja, er wirts erretten! Vnd in ainer kürtz! Derhalben christlicher leser, solliche nachvolgendt artickel lyse mit fleyß, vnd nach mals vrtail.

Hye nachvolgent die artickel.

Der erst artickel:

Zum ersten ist vnser diemu(e)ttig bytt vnd beger, auch vnser aller will vnd maynung, das wir nun fürohin gewalt vnd macht wo(e)llen haben, ain gantze gemain sol ain pfarer selbs erwo(e)len vnd kyesen. Auch gewalt haben, den selbigen wider zu(o)entsetzen, wann er sich vngepürlich hieldt. Der selbig erwo(e)lt pfarrer soll vns das hailig euangeli lauter vnd klar predigen one allen menschlichen zu(o)satz, leer vnd gebot, dann vns den waren glauben stetz verkündigen, geyt vns ain vrsach got vnd sein gnad zu(o) bitten, vnns den selbygen waren glawben einbylden vnd in vns bestetten. Dann wann seyn genad in vnß nit eingepyldet wirdt, so bleyben wir stetz fleysch vnd blu(o)t, das dann nichts nutz ist, wie kla(e)rlich in der geschrifft stat, das wir allain durch den waren glauben zu(o) got kommen kinden, vnd allain durch seyn barmhertzigkait sa(e)lig mu(e)ssen werden. Darumb ist vns ain so(e)llicher vorgeer vnd pfarrer von no(e)tten, vnd in dieser gestalt in der geschrifft gegrindt.

Der ander artickel:

Zu(o)m andern, nach dem der recht zehat auff gesetzt ist im alten testament vnd im neuen als erfüldt, nichts destminder wo(e)llen wir den rechten korn zehat gern geben, doch wie sich gebürt. Dem nach man sol in got geben vnd den seynen mitaylen, gebürt es ainem pfarrer, so klar das wort gots verkindt. Seyen wir des willen hinfüro disen zehat vnser kirch bro(e)pst, so dan ain gemain setzt, sollen einsemlen vnd eynnemen, daruon ainem pfarrer, so von ainer gantzen gemain erwo(e)lt wirt, seyn zymlich gnu(o)gsam auffenthalt geben, jm vnd den seynen, nach erkantnus ainer gantzen gmain. Vnnd was über bleybt sol man (armen dürfftigen, so im selben dorff verhanden seynd) mittailen, nach gestalt der sach vnd erkantnus ainer gemain. Was über bleybt, soll man behaltten, ob man raysen mu(e)ßt von lands not wegen. Darmit man kain landts steüer dürff auff den armen man legen, sol manß von disem überschuß außrichten. Auch ob sach were, daz ains oder mer do(e)rffer weren, die den zehenden selbs verkaufft hettent auß ettlicher not halben, die selbigen so darumb zu(o) zaigen, in der gestalt haben von aynem gantzen dorff, der sol es nit entgelten, sonder wir wellen vns zymmlicher weyß nach gestalt und sach mit im vergleychen, jm sollichs wider mit zymlicher zyl vnd zeyt ablassen. Aber wer von kainem dorff sollichs erkaufft hat vnd jre forfaren jnen selbs solchs zu(o)geaygent haben, wo(e)llen vnd solen vnd seynd jnen nichts weyters schuldig zu(o)geben, alain wie obstat vnsern erwo(e)lten pfarrer darmit zu(o) vnderhalten, nachmalen ablesen oder den dürfftigen mittailen, wie die hailig geschryfft innho(e)lt, sy seyen gaistlich oder welttlich. Den klaynen zehat wo(e)llen wir gar nit geben. Dann got der herr das vich frey dem menschen beschaffen, das wir für ain vnzymlichen zehat schetzen, den die menschen erdicht haben. Darumb wo(e)llen wir jn nit weytter geben.

Der drit artickel:

Zu(o)m dritten ist der brauch byßher gewesen, das man vns für jr aigen leüt gehalten haben, wo(e)lchs zu(o) erbarmen ist, angesehen, das vns Christus all mitt seynem kostparlichen plu(e)tvergu(e)ssen erlo(e)ßt vnnd erkaufft hat, Den || hyrtten gleych alls wol alls den ho(e)chsten, kain außgenommen. Darumb erfindt sich mit der geschryfft, das wir frey seyen vnd wo(e)llen sein. Nit das wir gar frey wo(e)llen seyn, kain oberkait haben wellen. Lernet vnß gott nit, wir sollen in gepotten leben, nit yn freyem fleyschlichen mu(o)twilen, sonder got lieben, jn als vnserrn herren jn vnsern nechsten erkennen, vnnd alles das, so wyr auch gern hetten, das vnns got am nachtmal gepotten hat zu(o) ainer letz. Darumb sollen wir nach seinem gepot leben. Zaigt vnd weißt vns diß gepot nit an, das wir der oberkkait nit korsam seyen? Nit allain der oberkait, sunder wir sollen vns gegen jederman diemu(e)tigen, das wir auch geren gegen vnser erwelten vnd gesetzten oberkayt (so vns von got gesetzt) jn allen zimlichen vnd christlichen sachen geren gehorsam sein. Seyen auch onzweyfel, jr werdendt vnß der aigenschafft als war vnnd recht christen geren endtlassen oder vns jm euangeli des berichten, das wirß seyen.

Der viert artickel:

Zum vierten ist bißher jm brauch gewesen, daß kayn armer man nit gewalt gehabt hatt, das willpret, gefigel oder fisch jn fliessenden wasser nit zu(o) fachen zu(o) gelassen werden, welchs vns gantz vnzymlich vnd vnbru(e)derlich dunckt, sunder aigennützig vnd dem wort gotz nit gemeß sein. Auch in etlichen ortern die oberkait vns das gewild zu(o) trutz vnd mechtigem schaden haben, wil vns das vnser (so got dem menschen zu(o) nutz wachsen hat lassen) die vnuernüfftigen thyer zu(o) vnutz verfretzen mu(e)twiligklich (leyden mu(e)ssen) dar zu(o) stillschweigen, das wider gott vnd dem nechsten ist, Wann als gott der herr den menschen erschu(o)ff, hat er jm gewalt geben vber alle thier, vber den fogel im lufft vnd vber den fisch jm wasser. Darumb ist vnser begeren, wann ainer wasser hette, das ers mit gnu(o)gsamer schriff be- || weysen mag, das man das wasser vnwyssenlych also erkaufft hette, begeren wir jms nit mit gewalt zu(o) nemen. Sunder man mu(e)st ain christlich eynsechen darynnen haben von wegen bru(o)derlicher lieb, aber wer nit gnu(e)gsam anzaigen darumb kann thon, solß ainer gemayn zymlicher weyß mittailen.

Der funfft artickel:

Zum fünfften seyen wir auch beschwert der beholtzung halb. Dann vnsere herschafften habend jnenn die ho(e)ltzer alle allain geaignet, vnd wann der arm man was bedarff, mu(o)ß ers vmb zway geldt kauffen. Ist vnnser maynung: Was für ho(e)ltzer seyen, es habens geistlich oder weltlich, jnnen, die es nit erkaufft haben, sollen ayner gantzen gemain wider anhaim fallen, vnd ainer gemayn zimlicher weiß frey sein, aim yetlichen sein noturfft jnß hauß zu(o) brenen vmb sunst lassen nehmen, auch wann von no(e)ten sein wurde zu(o) zymmern auch vmb sunst nemen, doch mit wissen der, so von der gemain darzu(o) erwelt werden. So aber kains verhanden wer, dann das, so redlich erkaufft ist wordenn, sol man sich mit den selbigen briederlich vnd christelich vergleichen. Wann aber das gu(o)t am anfang auß inen selbs geaygnet wer worden vnd nachmals verkaufft worden, sol man sich vergleichen nach gestalt der sach vnd erkantnuß briederlicher lieb vnd heiliger geschrifft.

Der sechst artickel:

Zu(o)m sechsten ist vnser hart beschwerung der dyenst halben, wo(e)lche von tag zu(o) tag gemert werden vnd teglich zu(o) nemen, begeren wir, das man ain zimlich ein sechen darein thu(e), vnß der massen nit so hart beschweren, sonder vns gnedig hier jnnen ansechen, wie vnser eltern gedient haben, allain nach laut des wort gots.

Der sybent artickel:

Zu(e)m sibenden, das wir hinfüro vns ain herschafft nit weyter wo(e)lle lassen beschweren, sonder wieß ain herschafft zymlicher weiß aim verleycht, also sol erß besitzen laut der verainigung des herren vnd bauren. Der herr soll jn nit weiter zwyngen noch dryngen, mer dyenst noch anders vom jm vmb sunst begeren, darmit der baur solych gu(o)tt onbeschwert, also rüeblich brauchen vnd niessen müg. Ob aber des herren dienst von no(e)tten weren, sol jm der baur willig vnd gehorsam für ander sein, doch zu(e) stund vnd zeyt, das dem bauren nit zu(o) nachtail dyen, vnnd jme vmb aynen zymlichen pffenning denn thu(o)n.

Der achtet artickel:

Zu(o)m achten sey wir beschwert, vnd der vil, so gu(e)ter jnnen haben, das die selbigen gu(e)ter die gült nit ertragen kinden vnd die bauren das jr darauff einbiessen vnd verderben, das die herschafft dieselbigen gu(e)ter, erber leüe besichtigen lassen vnd nach der billikayt ain gylt erscho(e)pff, damit der baur sein arbait nit vmb sunst thye, dann ain yetlicher tagwercker ist seyns lons wirdig.

Der neundt artickel:

Zu(o)m neünten seyen wyr beschwertt der grossen frefel, so man stetz new satzung macht, nit das man vnß strafft nach gestalt der sach, sunder zu(o) zeyten auß grossem neyd vnd zu(o) zeytten auß grossem gunst. Ist vnser maynung, vns bey alter geschribner straff straffen, darnach die sach gehandelt ist, vnd nit nach gunst.

Der zehent artickel:

Zu(o)m zehenden sey wir beschwert, das etlich haben jnen zu(e)geaignet wisen, der gleichen ecker, die dann ainer gemain zu(o) geherendt. Dieselbigen werden wir wider zu(e) vnsern gemainen handen nehmen, es sey dann sach, das mans redlich erkaufft hab. Wann mans aber vnbillycher weyß erkaufft het, sol man sich gu(e)tlich vnnd briederlich mit ainander vergleychen nach gestalt der sach.

Der aylfft artickel:

Zu(o)m ailften wellen wir den brauch genant den todt fall gantz vnd gar abthu(e)n haben. Den nimmer leiden noch gestatten, das man witwen, waisen das jr wider got vnd eeren, also schentlich nemen, berauben sol, wie es an vil ortten (menigerlay gestalt) geschehen ist, vnd von den, so sy besitzen vnd beschirmen solten, hand sy vns geschunden vnnd geschaben, vnd wann sy wenig fu(o)g hettendt gehabt, hettendt diß gar genomen, das got nit mer leiden wyl, sunder sol gantz absein, kain mensch nichts hinfiro schuldig sein zu(o) geben, weder wenig noch vyl.

Beschluß:

Zu(o)m zwelften ist vnser beschluß vnd endtlyche maynung, wann ainer oder mer artickel, alhie gesteldt (so dem wort gotes nit gemeß) weren, als wir dann nit vermainen, die selbigen artickel wol man vns mit dem wort gots für vnzimlich anzaigen, wolt wyr daruon abston, wann mans vns mit grundt der schrifft erklert. Ob man vns schon etlich artickel yetz zu(o) lyeß vnd hernach sich befendt, das vnrecht weren, sollen sy von stund an todt vnd absein, || nichts mer gelten. Dergleichen ob sich in der schrifft mit der warhait mer artickel erfunden, die wider got vnd beschwernus der na(e)chsten weren, wo(e)ll wir vnns auch vorbehalten vnnd beschlossen haben vnnd vns in aller christlicher leer yeben vnd brauchen. Darumb wir gott den herren bitten wo(e)llen, der vns das selbig geben kan vnnd sunst nyemant. Der frid Christi sey mit vns allen."

Translation:

THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE PEASANTS.

The great peasant war affords a serious commentary upon the general social and economic conditions in Germany at the opening of the Reformation. The abuses were, however, of long standing and several local revolts had taken place before 1525. Even the religious element so prominent in the 12 articles was not new, but can easily be traced back to a period antedating the publication of Luther's Theses. The religious crisis bore therefore somewhat the same relation to the terrible outbreak of the slowly developed discontent that the financial crisis in France (the immediate reasonfor assembling the estates general in 1789) bore to the great democratic movement of reform which constituted the essence of the French Revolution.

The articles given below are the sober manifesto of the conservative party and closely resemble the local cahiers of the third estate which were drawn up in France in 1789. Much more radical schemes than the 12 articles were, however, drafted providing for a complete revision of the constitution of the German Empire. These latter did not confine themselves to the complaints of the discontented peasants but included those of other classes as well.[1]

In the translation the editors have availed themselves so far as possible of the partial translation of the articles given in Gieseler's Ecclesiastical History, vol. v, pp. 347 ff. (of the Edinburgh edition).

From the German of the period, in Oechsle: Beiträge zur Geschichte des Bauern krieges (Heilbronn, 1830) pp. 246 ff.

The fundamental and correct chief articles of all the peasants and of those subject to ecclesiastical[2] lords, relating to these matters in which they feel themselves aggrieved.

M cccc. quadratum, lx et duplicatum
V cum transibit, christiana secta peribit.
Ein M, vier c, zwei l darbey.

     Und ein x das zwifach sey.
     Bald man ein v dartzu ist schreyben
     Werden nit souil secten des christen bleyben.

Peace to the Christian Reader and the Grace of God through Christ.

There are many evil writings put forth of late which take occasion, on account of the assembling of the peasants, to cast scorn upon the gospel, saying: Is this the fruit of the new teaching, that no one should obey but all should everywhere rise in revolt and rush together to reform or perhaps destroy altogether the authorities, both ecclesiastic and lay? The articles below shall answer these godless and criminal fault-finders, and serves in the first place to remove the reproach from the word of God and in the second place to give a Christian excuse for the disobedience or even the revolt of the entire Peasantry. In the first place the Gospel is not the cause of revolt and disorder, since it is the message of Christ, the promised Messiah, the Word of Life, teaching only love, peace, patience and concord. Thus, all who believe in Christ should learn to be loving, peaceful, long-suffering and harmonious. This is the foundation of all the articles of the peasants (as will be seen) who accept the gospel and live according to it. How then can the evil reports declare the Gospel to be a cause of revolt and disobedience? That the authors of the evil reports and the enemies of the Gospel oppose themselves to these demands is due not to the Gospel, but to the Devil, the worst enemy of the Gospel, who causes this opposition by raising doubts in the minds of his followers, and thus the word of God, which teaches love, peace and concord, is overcome. In the second place, it is clear that the peasants demand that this Gospel be taught them as a guide in life and they ought not to be called disobedient or disorderly. Whether God grant the peasants (earnestly wishing to live according to His word) their requests or no, who shall find fault with the will of the Most High? Who shall meddle in His judgments or oppose his majesty? Did he not hear the children of Israel when they called upon Him and saved them out of the hands of Pharaoh? Can He not save His own to-day? Yea, he will save them and that speedily. Therefore, Christian reader, read the following articles with care and then judge. Here follow the articles:

The First Article.—First, it is our humble petition and desire, as also our will and resolution, that in the future we should have power and authority so that each community should choose and appoint a pastor, and that we should have the right to depose him should he conduct himself improperly. The pastor thus chosen should teach us the Gospel pure and simple, without any addition, doctrine or ordinance of man. For to teach us continually the true faith will lead us to pray God that through His grace this faith may increase within us and become a part of us. For if His grace work not within us we remain flesh and blood, which availeth nothing; since the Scripture clearly teaches that only through true faith can we come to God. Only through His Mercy can we become holy. Hence such a guide and pastor is necessary and in this fashion grounded upon the Scriptures.

The Second Article.—According as the just tithe is established by the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New, we are ready and willing to pay the fair tithe of grain. The word of God plainly provides that in giving according to right to God and distributing to His people the services of a pastor are required. We will that for the future our church provost, whomsoever the community may appoint, shall gather and receive this tithe. From this he shall give to the pastor, elected by the whole community, a decent and sufficient maintenance for him and his (im und den seynen) as shall seem right to the whole community [or, with the knowledge of the community]. What remains over shall be given to the poor of the place, as the circumstances and the general opinion demand. Should anything farther remain, let it be kept, lest anyone should have to leave the country from poverty. Provision should also be made from this surplus to avoid laying any land tax on the poor. In[3] case one or more villages themselves have sold their tithes on account of want, and the village has taken action as a whole, the buyer should not suffer loss, but we will that some proper agreement be reached with him for the repayment of the sum by the village with due interest. But those who have tithes which they have not purchased from a village, but which were appropriated by their ancestors, should not, and ought not, to be paid anything farther by the village which shall apply its tithes to the support of the pastors elected as above indicated, or to solace the poor as is taught by the Scriptures. The small tithes, whether ecclesiastical or lay, we will not pay at all, for the Lord God created cattle for the free use of man. We will not, therefore, pay farther an unseemly tithe which is of man's invention.

The Third Article.—It has been the custom hitherto for men to hold us as their own property, which is pitiable enough, considering that Christ has delivered and redeemed us all, without exception, by the shedding of His precious blood, the lowly as well as the great. Accordingly, it is consistent with Scripture that we should be free and wish to be so. Not that we would wish to be absolutely free and under no authority. God does not teach us that we should lead a disorderly life in the lusts of the flesh, but that we should love the Lord our God and our neighbor. We would gladly observe all this as God has commanded us in the celebration of the communion.[4] He has not commanded us not to obey the authorities, but rather that we should be humble, not only towards those in authority, but towards everyone. We are thus ready to yield obedience according to God's law to our elected and regular authorities in all proper things becoming to a Christian. We, therefore, take it for granted that you will release us from serfdom as true Christians, unless it should be shown us from the Gospel that we are serfs.

The Fourth Article.—In the fourth place it has been the custom heretofore, that no poor man should be allowed to touch venison or wild fowl or fish in flowing water, which seems to us quite unseemly and unbrotherly as well as selfish and not agreeable to the word of God. In some places the authorities preserve the game to our great annoyance and loss, recklessly permitting the unreasoning animals to destroy to no purpose our crops which God suffers to grow for the use of man and yet we must remain quiet. This is neither godly nor neighborly. For when God created man he gave him dominion over all the animals, over the birds of the air and over the fish in the water. Accordingly it is our desire if a man holds possession of waters that he should prove from satisfactory documents that his right has been unwittingly acquired by purchase. We do not wish to take it from him by force, but his rights should be exercised in a Christian and brotherly fashion. But whosoever cannot produce such evidence should surrender his claim with good grace.[5]

The Fifth Article.—In the fifth place we are aggrieved in the matter of wood-cutting, for the noble folk have appropriated all the woods to themselves alone. If a poor man requires wood he must pay double for it, [or perhaps, two pieces of money]. It is our opinion in regard to a wood which has fallen into the hands of a lord whether spiritual or temporal, that unless it was duly purchased it should revert again to the community. It should, moreover, be free to every member of the community to help himself to such fire wood as he needs in his home. Also, if a man requires wood for carpenter's purposes he should have it free, but with the knowledge of a person appointed by the community for that purpose. Should, however, no such forest be at the disposal of the community let that which has been duly bought be administered in a brotherly and Christian manner. If the forest, although unfairly appropriated in the first instance, was later duly sold let the matter be adjusted in a friendly spirit and according to the Scriptures.

The Sixth Article.—Our sixth complaint is in regard to the excessive services demanded of us which are increased from day to day. We ask that this matter be properly looked into so that we shall not continue to be oppressed in this way, but that some gracious consideration be given us, since our forefathers were required only to serve according to the word of God.

The Seventh Article.—Seventh, we will not hereafter allow ourselves to be farther oppressed by our lords, but will let them demand only what is just and proper according to the word of the agreement between the lord and the peasant. The lord should no longer try to force more services or other dues from the peasant without payment, but permit the peasant to enjoy his holding in peace and quiet. The peasant should, however, help the lord when it is necessary, and at proper times when it will not be disadvantageous to the peasant and for a suitable payment.

The Eighth Article.—In the eighth place, we are greatly burdened by holdings which cannot support the rent exacted from them. The peasants suffer loss in this way and are ruined, and we ask that the lords may appoint persons of honor to inspect these holdings, and fix rent in accordance with justice, so that the peasant shall not work for nothing, since the laborer is worthy of his hire.

The Ninth Article.—In the ninth place, we are burdened with a great evil in the constant making of new laws. We are not judged according to the offence, but sometimes with great ill will, and sometimes much too leniently. In our opinion we should be judged according to the old written law so that the case shall be decided according to its merits, and not with partiality.

The Tenth Article.—In the tenth place, we are aggrieved by the appropriation by individuals of meadows and fields which at one time belonged to a community. These we will take again into our own hands. It may, however, happen that the land was rightfully purchased. When, however, the land has unfortunately been purchased in this way, some brotherly arrangement should be made according to circumstances.

The Eleventh Article.—In the eleventh place we will entirely abolish the due called Todfall [i. e., heriot], and will no longer endure it, nor allow widows and orphans to be thus shamefully robbed against God's will, and in violation of justice and right, as has been done in many places, and by those who should shield and protect them. These have disgraced and despoiled us, and although they had little authority they assumed it. God will suffer this no more, but it shall be wholly done away with, and for the future no man shall be bound to give little or much.

Conclusion.—In the twelfth place it is our conclusion and final resolution, that if any one or more of the articles here set forth should not be in agreement with the word of God, as we think they are, such article we will willingly recede from when it is proved really to be against the word of God by a clear explanation of the scripture. Or if articles should now be conceded to us that are hereafter discovered to be unjust, from that hour they shall be dead and null and without force. Likewise, if more complaints should be discovered which are based upon truth and the scriptures and relate to offences against God and our neighbor, we have determined to reserve the right to present these also, and to exercise ourselves in all Christian teaching. For this we shall pray God, since He can grant these, and He alone. The peace of Christ abide with us all.

1 The version printed in Benson's Geschichte des Bauemkriegs in Ost/ranken, (1840) pp. 514 ff. adds: " and lay lords." The same version omits the characteristic but untranslatable rhymes.

2 For a very interesting example see Oechsle, pp. 163 ff and 283 ff.

3 The following two sentences are somewhat obscure in the original.

4 A reference to the gospel of John, chap. XIII.

5 Compare the above with the Art. II-IV of the decree abolishing the Feudal System in France, August 1789. Translations and reprints, Vol. I, No. 5, p. 3.

Unterhosen Construction - Part 2

2011-10-14T10:00:00.003-05:00

With the extant unterhosen on the screen before me and all of my observations planted in my head, I made a mental pattern for what I needed to do. Wider in the back, narrowed a bit in the crotch and widen a little in the front -- a bottom heavy hour glass, if you will.

To see how this might work, I took the measurement of my daughter's groin from where the unterhosen would rest around her hips, front to back, then however wide she was going to need them to be across the front (between the hips), across the back and between her legs. Seemed fairly straight forward and low and behold, a bottom heavy hour glass. To these measurements I added hem allowances on all four sides to make sure I had enough material. I always believe in "It's easier to make smaller, than larger." before the material is cut. (Btw, the leftover material from my daughter's hemd worked great for this!) Ya know, considering it, if you've ever used cloth diapers on a baby, the shape is somewhat similar.

General Fabric Note: For those of you that don't know (and I had to learn the hard way), there's a 'stretchy' direction on fabric, a non-stretchy direction and a really stretchy direction. If you grab a piece of material that still has the selvage, hold it in your hands so that the selvage is horizontal and give the material a few good tugs. It shouldn't go anywhere and should be tight. Don't just do it on the selvage, move a few inches down and with the fabric in the same orientation, give a few more tugs. It doesn't stretch. Yet if you turn the fabric 90 degrees and do the same tugging, the fabric stretches, even if only a little bit. This is the stretchy length of the fabric. The third direction, where you'd turn the fabric 45 degrees gives you the bias and it's really stretchy this direction. I've been given to understand that the variations in the fabrics stretchiness is based on the warp and weft. Without getting too technical, in weaving the warp threads are on the ones on the loom under great tension and the weft are the threads on the wound shuttle that you put through the warped threads. In the fabric the warp are the threads that run with the selvage or the non-stretchy length and the weft are the others, the slightly stretchy side. I hope this is more clear than mud. :D

Taking Apart Images - Part 9.3 - Children of the Planets: Saturn and His Children - Bells

2011-10-13T11:29:00.000-05:00

After my previous post I started considering bells from the post before it and went searching...

The bells in Saturn and His Children are called crotal (rumbler or pellet) bells. As defined by the UK Detector Finds Database:

...its clapper is loose and contained within an enclosed chamber with perforations to allow transmission of the sound.

These types of bells were made of either pewter or copper alloy. Most of the period representations that I've been able to find for crotal bells appear to be from England, but obviously this design was also used at least in the later centuries in the Germanic countries. These small bells, it is claimed, were originally cast using the lost wax method.

Metal Detecting Holiday in England
Florilegium Article on Bells

Taking Apart Images - Part 9.2 - Children of the Planets: Saturn and His Children - Tools and Occupations

2011-10-12T10:00:00.001-05:00

Let's start with a 15th century Planet Book text concerning the children of Saturn:

My children are vicious, dry and old,
They're lame, misshapen, depraved withal.
Traitorous, brooding, greedy, pale,
They often find themselves in jail.
They grub the dirt, dig graves, plow land,
In foul and stinking clothes they stand.
Condemned to die or live in sorrow,
Sweat and strain, or trouble borrow,
Always needy, never free,
It's Saturn's children there you see.

Therefore, there aren't many occupations under Saturn, but we have the farmer... with his plow, horses and a child helping direct the horses using a whip with a long lead (handle).

Then we have some tools, like a basic shovel...

A long-handled pick...

An axe...

Taking Apart Images - Part 9.1 - Children of the Planets: Saturn and His Children by Meister Hausbuch

2011-10-11T10:00:00.104-05:00

I'm a glutton for punishment. I realized that I might as well do all of Meister Hausbuch's Children of the Planets. My next stop is Saturn. Why...?

...When I began taking apart Mercury and His Children, I had chosen the image because of the eye glasses within the image, but I didn't realize at the time that Mercury was considered the sixth planet of the seven. I thought I might as well start at the beginning(?) with Saturn and work through them one at a time.

Before I began going through Meister Hausbuch's Planet images, I knew next to nothing about medieval astronomy and astrology. I can safely say that I don't have much interest in astrology, but I've always been fascinated by astronomy. After doing a little background information on the basis for these images, I made a persona discovery.

Prior to Copernicus' book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium in 1543 (he was a German, btw), the medieval world believed that the planets rotated around the Earth (geocentricity) as opposed to the Sun (heliocentricity) and it wasn't until later into the 19th-20th century that Copernicus' theories began to be accepted to a certain degree. What's fascinating about geocentricity and heliocentricity is that neither theory is believed conclusively by everyone. There are still many people that believe in a geocentric system over a heliocentric system and vice versa, so which is correct? For this study, it's irrelevant, but it is important to remember when studying these and other areas of period astronomy that all writings (except for a select few) were based on the geocentric system during the entire Middle Ages.

At any rate, here we have Saturn, the first planet, with Capricorn (the goat) and Aquarius (the waterman). My first post is full of the miscellaneous items that I find interesting...

Bells... I have no idea what the history behind bells might be, but I like that there is something within this image that I recognize that can be bought at your local hobby store and Saturn has them all over his horse.

A backpack styled water bucket... I think this is absolutely neat and it would make carrying water back to camp easier and less stressful on the hands.

A basic walking stick...

A basic crutch... I think it would be cool for Chiurgeon's to have these available for those twisted ankles. :D

Bag with a metal frame opening... I believe this was intended as a work bag as opposed to a bag used for money or personal items, because it appears as if he is putting rocks or other found valuables within it.

Basic leather girdle purse... For a non-visual tutorial putting this type of purse together read through Basics of Turnshoe and Pouch Making by Baron James de Biblesworth M.K.A. James Barker. For some visuals (but no instructions) visit Shoes and Bags or Belts, Bracers, and Bags!. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a site containing this single strapped version of the girdle purse, but obviously this shows they existed (unless the artist was too lazy to make a double strap). I wonder if this might be another Germanic convention...?

Food and Cookbooks

2011-10-10T10:00:00.003-05:00

For all intents and purposes, the Germanic people north of the Alps were somewhat isolated from the rest of Western European culture. (I've heard the same said of the British Isles/Ireland area, but that's for someone else to research :D) Therefore, their food supplies were rather limited due to the harsher climate and expense of bringing Mediterranean foodstuffs, like olive oil, citrus fruit, and such, their direction. So what was common to the Germanic people's dining table? Let's start with the cookbooks...

Historic Cookbooks - A general list of many different cookbooks from many different countries.

German language cookery texts (1350-1896) [German]

Incipit libellus de arte coquinaria (circa 13th cent) [German? with Latin]
Das Buch von guter Speise (circa 1345-1354) [German and English]
Das Kochbuch der Meisters Eberhard (circa mid 15th cent) [German and English]
Das Kochbuch der Handschrift (circa 15th cent) [German]
Küchemaistery (c1485) [Google Translated summary of the book]
Küchemaistery (c1497 Augsburg) [Copy of original text]
Küchemaistery (c1507) [Copy of original text]
Kochbuch (c1550 Nuremburg) [Copy of original handwritten text]
Das Kochbuch der Sabrina Welserin (1553) [English] and Das Kochbuch der Sabrina Welserin [German]
Kochbuch der Maria Stenglerin (1554 Augsburg)

Since Early New High German (or Early Modern German or Middle High German) was the version of German that was spoken during my era, I wanted to include a ENHG to English dictionary that I found online. It's not very extensive, but it's better than nothing. Is there someone out there that teaches ENHG? :D I have found a few books from the turn of the century that I hope help. One is A Middle High German Primer by Joseph Wright (1917), which centers on Upper German (Bavaria, Switzerland, Baden, Swabia and Alcase) from 1200-1300.

My final goal is to take both Maria Stenglerin, Sabrina Welserin's and Meister Eberhard's cookbooks and produce a list of foodstuffs that would have been fairly common to the Germanic dining table in the 15th-16th centuries.

Tables Refreshed

2011-10-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

Some time ago I did a little research into period tables (Table) and I had a link to a page that is currently not easily accessible. I wish to remedy this by taking the information from the Wayback Machine and bringing it back to life. On the Middle Kingdom's Order of the Laurel Page for Master Charles Oakley, who the author of the following piece, he indicated the following:

"As always, all plans and articles are copyright free for SCA and personal use"

Taking him at his word, I am republishing his article "The Most Simple Period Table I Could Make", so that it can be found by search engines once more. If the author or representative objects to this publication, please, feel free to contact me to remove it. As always, enjoy!

The Most Simple Period Table I Could Make:

by Master Charles Oakley

Well... it's been a while since I've had the time to sit down at the ol' scribe's desk and write up yet another "Spiffing up your campsite" article. The purpose of these articles is to pass along ways of adding to the look and feel of the Society by incorporating into our encampments various items of furniture that have strong ties to "period" items... if not outright reproductions (of sorts) and that are, more or less, transportable. As always, if you find value in this, share it with your friends.

One of the things that every good encampment needs is a table. Varieties of tables exist or can be seen in illustrations and paintings throughout various periods and cultures but most are a lot more elaborate than most people want to build. However... during a broad span of medieval history there existed a table so simple that anybody could build it and so portable… well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words so let me present you with some pictures.

The above illustration comes from a 15^th C. manuscript titled "How a Man Schall be Armyd at his ese when he schal fighte on foote". Now the table is pretty well displayed but it is missing a couple of important pieces of information such as "just how many legs do the 'trestles' have... 3 or 4?" Interestingly this isn't a really big problem. Tables of this sort could have either 3 or 4 legs... but this one appears (to my eye) to be of the 3 legged variety. What can be clearly seen is that the trestle has two front legs made of flat pieces of wood broader at the base and tapering toward the top. These set into to fairly thick slabs of wood. It does not appear (another missing piece of information) that the legs go through these boards and so, it may be assumed, are set into pockets chiseled underneath them. A single broad plank is laid across the trestles to complete the table. The plank does not appear to be fastened to the trestles in any way.
So... what are we looking at? Six legs (flat boards), two flat boards that the legs fit into and one long flat board that makes the table top... 9 boards. How hard could this project be?
Step the First:

Gathering your tools. This is the easiest part. At a minimum you will need:

A saw
A hammer (preferably a wood mallet)
A mortising chisel...

Now, if you really want to get fancy and do things like round the edges of the boards, remove saw marks and stuff like that, you can add a medium to fine toothed rasp to the pile... Step the Second:

Well, to start off with you'll probably want to decide just how big you want your table to be. Now, for me, I've got this plank of cottonwood out in the corner of the shop that's 15.5" wide by 48" long... but, if you don't happen to have such a plank sitting around, it is fairly easy to edge join two narrower boards together to make a wide board... or you skip all that doweling and edge gluing stuff and simply get a couple of flat boards and lay them side by side.

Let see... you'll also need three boards 32" long by 1" (or there about) thick by about 7" wide. These will be cut to make the six legs for your table.

You'll need a couple of boards about 17 - 18" long by about 2" thick (the ol' 1.5" stuff works well but if you can find some real 2" boards they work better) by about... oh, say, 7" or so wide. The length of these boards should be an inch or two more than the width of your table top. These will be the top of the trestle that the plank top will rest on.

You've probably noticed that these dimensions aren't particularly exact. That's because it isn't really necessary. Make the table size according to what you need. There really is only one critical dimension in this project and that will be noted in a following step. The picture shows one completed trestle. Although the legs look straight they are actually tapered from bottom to top.

Step the Third:

Take one of the 32" boards and lay out a line that runs from 2.5" from one end (along the line of the width of the board) diagonally across the length of the board to a point 2.5" from the other end (along the line of the width of the board. (Aw, heck... look at the picture in Shop Note 1). Cut the board length wise along this line... You now have two legs. Repeat this process on the other two 32" boards. [You should now have six legs. If you have any more or any less than this number you have done something seriously wrong and should start reading through these instructions again...] You may use the rasp at this point, assuming you chose to use a rasp in the first place, to round the edges and smooth the saw marks on the legs.

Step the Fourth:

Take the 2" material and lay out lines where you plan to cut the mortises that will hold the legs of your table. The mortises should be laid out in a pattern similar to that in Shop note 2. The easiest way I've found to mark the mortises is to set the end of the leg on the board where you want to go and, using the edge of the mortising chisel, scribe around the leg. This is that critical measurement I told you about... the better the mark and the closer you can cut to it the better the leg will fit and the less "play" you'll have in the legs of your table. Then, using the mallet and the chisel cut each mortise to a depth of about 2/3's of the thickness of the material. When you're cutting the mortises the cuts should be made in a two step process. First, cut the mortises with straight sides to the appropriate depth. After the mortise has been cut, angle the long inside edge of the mortise back so that the base of the mortise is larger than the top of the mortise. Shop note 3 shows the first step as dashed lines and the second step as dots. This angled cut will allow the leg to kick out at the base and spread the weight better. The angled cut should only go back about a quarter to 3/8".

Step the Fifth:

O.k... assemble the table.

Hummm... good question. I've never actually seen the underside of a table constructed this way. All of the pictures I've seed show flat legs disappearing under a thick plank or a table top of some sort... so the details of how the mortises are cut is really the only piece of conjecture. The angled undercut on the base of the mortise comes from my own experimentati on. I found that the undercut adds a small amount of rigidity to the structure (if the mortises are cut tightly to the leg). Taking a small (matching) wedge shaped piece off of the end of each leg where it inserts into the mortise will also help a bit. Ya' know... looking at the picture, I think I need a longer table top... wonder what I have laying around in the other corner of the shop???
Have fun... make stuff -

Taking Apart Images - Part 8.6 - Children of the Planets: Mercury and His Children - Clothing Male

2011-10-07T11:51:00.010-05:00

Now onto the male clothing, of which I know even less. Bare with this post, it's rough and will be fleshed more as time allows.

First, Mercury... a little research indicates that his head wear is (most likely) called a bag hat, which can also be found in an Italian fresco of Farinata degli Uberti by Andrea del Castagno (c1448), in the Dortmunder Altar, Left Panel by Derik Baegert (c1475) [image below], and Center Panel [image below]. Is there a more technical term for this hat? I have no idea.

I've been able to deduce that Mercury is wearing a schaub over his 'tunic'. His 'tunic' has been loosely identified as a houppelande, but I'm still working on verifying this. Mentally I can't seem to rectify the amount of material normally associated with a houppelande with this 'tunic'. This tunic is also worn by the older man in Dürer's The Ill-Assorted Couple (c1496) and the goldsmith in this drawing. My assumption is that this style was likely old-fashioned by this point in history and worn by the older generations. Until further notice, it's a furred tunic.

Dortmunder Alter, Left Panel by Derik Baegert (c1475) - Bag Hat Detail

Dortmunder Alter, Center Panel by Derik Baegert (c1475) - Bag Hat Detail

Tangent houppelande research! (Yes, I know, pre-period for this research...)

A houppelande as defined by Dictionary.com:

1350–1400; Middle English hopeland < Middle French < ? - (in the Middle Ages) a robe or long tunic, belted or with a fitted bodice, usually having full trailing sleeves and often trimmed or lined with fur.

I can identify two out of the three in Mercury's ensemble, namely the long tunic and the fur around the collar and cuffs, but he definitely does not have full trailing sleeves. Is this the transition between houppelande and the more fitted styles of this period? Quite possibly, as the word origin of houppelande appears to date to the end of the previous century and I seriously doubt the goldsmith is that old. :D But from images I found on 15th Century Female Flemish Dress: A Portfolio of Images, it appears as if from 1380 - ~1450 the sleeves became a bit more fitted and less full. Therefore, I can say that this outfit has some of the characteristics of a houppelande, but sadly, I can't find many representations of the typical full sleeved houppelande in many Germanic artwork from 1300-1450. Was it possible that this was not a style practiced in the Holy Roman Empire? I find some representations in France and Burgundy, as well as modern drawing representations in Costume 1066-1966: A Complete Guide to English Costume Design and History by John Peacock (1986), but that's about it. I'm beginning to wonder if the full sleeved houppelande was not as widespread as I've seen claimed on various websites and was perhaps centered in France & England. In any case, since Mercury's outfit does not match the definition for a houppelande, I have no idea what his outfit would be called. I'll use 'furred tunic' until I find something more suitable.

Tangent over!

The clockmaker... this hat appears to be what some call an acorn wool cap that is likely pinned into the shape being worn (this cap is also on the teacher). Or could this be a cap with 'hair fringe' where the fringe is pinned inside the cap since both men are occupied with work whereas the diner at the bottom of the image is no longer performing an occupation? It would account for why these are standing tall and the diner's hat is not and it would answer the question concerning the pins. His tunic is collared, like the male diner, which means that this tunic is likely what the male diner is wearing under his over-tunic. It is hard to determine whether his sleeves are laced, but considering how narrow the sleeves are, it's a viable assumption that they are laced from at least the elbow. The clockmaker is also wearing an apron.

The organ maker's assistant... A little research indicates that his head wear is called a chaperon. According to Buckingham's Retinue,

"...the Chaperon is very popular from about 1400 to 1450 and changes very little in style over this period. However, as you get nearer to 1500 it becomes old-fashioned and is something only the old would wear."

A few of the men in this drawing are wearing this type of head wear, both young and old. The definition for what a chaperon is comes from Dictionary.com:

1350-1400; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French: hood, cowl, equivalent to chape cape + -eron noun suffix

What it may have been called in the Germanic countries I have yet to determine, but suffice it to say, this was a common practice throughout most of Western Europe at this point in history. He is also wearing what looks like a buttoned tunic.

The organ maker... chaperon or bag hat or something else entirely...? with split sleeves, narrow-waisted short over-tunic or a coat of some type.

The artist... laced sleeves that go from the back of the upper arm to the end of the sleeve, loose girtle (belt), narrow-waisted short tunic.

The teacher... Possible acorn hat or pinned fringe cap. I'm uncertain what his robes would be called, but I know I've seen them before today.

The goldsmith... wearing a chaperon and a furred tunic similar to Mercury and The Ill-Assorted Couple., though the goldsmith's and the Ill-Assorted Couple's example are shorter than Mercury's furred tunic.

The man over the body on the table... with chaperon, laced sleeves similar to the Maid (elbow to cuff), narrow-waisted short over?-tunic and poulaines. This is the only male over?-tunic that exhibits the 'strapped' construction similar to the lady diner at the table. From this angle it appears as if his sleeves are laced into whatever is under his over?-tunic.

Sleeve Tangent Alert!

This does make me curious as to the origin of 'separate' sleeves. What was the point and how did they come to be? After personally refashioning a massively large wool houppelande that neither my husband nor I were ever going to wear into a still rather massive cloak, it makes me wonder if perhaps some of these 'fashions' began as reusing sleeves from previous garments? At least until they became a fashion in and of themselves, because I have these horrendously large sleeves from the houppelande that I have no idea what to do with, but I could see cutting them down and making more than one set of removable sleeves from them. I mean, really, whatever became of all the fabric from previous era fashions (houppelandes the primary example)? I have found that wools and linens are more robust than modern fabrics, so it would stand to reason that clothing would be reused until it obviously couldn't any longer. We may live in a disposable society, but it hasn't always been this way and it would stand to reason that period fabric wouldn't have been wasted even after it had been used to make a garment unless it simply couldn't be (massive wear and tear).

Tangent over!

The male at the dining table... fringed cap similar to the man from Mechenem's Couple Playing Cards, collared tunic with laced sleeves (likely from the elbow) and an over-tunic (uncertain of name).

Taking Apart Images - Part 8.5 - Children of the Planets: Mercury and His Children - Clothing Female

2011-10-06T10:00:00.005-05:00

I fail miserably when I attempt to name most clothing types, therefore, I will do my poor best at wading through those represented in this piece. Let's start with the women first... Before I go into detail about each of the women, I find it interesting that each of these women are wearing a completely different ensemble. We have a woman with no head covering, one with a wreath or coronet (of sorts) and one with wulsthaube and steuchlein. We also have one with a shortened kleid (overdress), one with a long-sleeved kleid and one with a 3/4 sleeved hemd (underdress or underwear) with a sleeveless kleid over it, yet none of them show the "pregnancy" pleats that were considered common at this point in time. In any case, on to the detailed analysis.

In the upper right corner is a representation of the Maid. Her head is uncovered except by a type of coronet and her hair flows freely behind her. She appears to be wearing a kleid (overdress) that laces up the front with a loose girtle (belt) (likely made of cloth and not leather) around her waist from which hangs a pouch or purse. The sleeves in this image are laced tightly from elbow to wrist, though I have seen others images that show the lacing from the upper arm to the wrist. The Maid was the representation of beauty and vanity under Mercury.

The lady standing over the artist at middle right... I like how you can see her hair ties at the back of the head. There are very few representations that show the back of the head uncovered by a wulsthaube and steuchlein. She is wearing the loose girtle with a barely discernible pouch or purse and it is interesting to note that her sleeves are not tight, which leave me to conclude that these sleeves likely did not have lacing. Also, her kleid is short. It does not appear to be tucked up under her girtle or any other piece of her outfit, therefore, it's unique in my current research.

The lady at the bottom right of the drawing... Wears the basic wulsthaube and steuchlein combination over her hair. She appears to be wearing a sleeveless kleid that laces up the front and is covergin a long sleeved (rolled up?) or 3/4 sleeved hemd.

Taking Apart Images - Part 8.4 - Children of the Planets: Mercury and His Children - Tools and Occupations

2011-10-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

Astrology, as it is seen today, is not something to which I subscribe personally, but during the middle ages and renaissance many areas of life were influenced or affected by astrological information. Many of the Books of the Planets that are found in the later middle ages (15th-16th century) represent the seven 'planets' and the occupations that tended to fall under each of them. The seven planets were the moon (Luna), Mercury, Venus, the sun (Sol), Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Taking from a 15th century Planet Book text, I have the following concerning Mercury's Children:

My children I faithfully instill / With lust for beauty, greed for skill.
No long journey for them too hard, / Strange new knowledge is their reward.
Their faces are full and pale and round, / Their bodies white, their limbs unsound,
Their clocks and organs are the best, / Excellent scribes, they take no rest,
Dextrous goldsmiths, painters good, / People praise them; and they should.
They are a smart, hardworking lot, / When asked for help they give it mor.

Starting at the top and going left to right, we have the clockmaker with his astrolabe quadrant, his charts and spring clock. There is the organ maker with his portative organ...

[Jubilatores contains a sound bite of this type of organ being played, as does How to Build a Portative Organ, though Wolkenstayn Portative contains the size of organ that is likely represented in this drawing.]

...and what looks like a pick axe though I suppose it could be something else related only to organ repair and production.

There is the artist with his easle and brush. This easle is quite similar to the easle in Saint Luke Painting the Virgin.

This next occupation appears to deviate a little from the text. The text describes scribes (and somewhere else I read that Mercury ruled over scholars, though I can't find that reference currently) and this is a representation of a teacher of children. Behind the teacher is his desk. It appears to be permanently open and not like the portable lap desks that can also be found during this period.

Along the bottom can be found the goldsmith with his forge, tongs, anvil and hammer...

...followed by what appears to be a medical professional or possible mortician with a tool at the end of his table.

I am uncertain what the dining table with two people eating is supposed to represent, but it does not appear to be an occupation.

Taking Apart Images - Part 8.3 - Children of the Planets: Mercury and His Children: Convex Mirror

2011-10-04T10:00:00.021-05:00

Here is representation of a convex mirror similar to what was found in Saint Luke Painting the Virgin. I thought this time I might go into a bit more detail on the convex mirrors used at this point in history.

The Antiques Council gives a little information on convex mirrors:

Convex mirror is the generic term for a reflective glass surface that is in a convex, or outwardly rounded, shape. Unlike a "looking glass" that is a flat plane of surface-reflective glass showing a "mirror image," convex mirrors distort the reflected perspective to capture light at angles within a room, allowing a wider field of vision and reflection than a looking glass permits.

Convex mirrors are seen in Dutch paintings as early as the 15th century, and the mirror form is also recorded in documentation from Germany of the same period.

Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911 edition had this to say:

A gild of glass-mirror makers existed at Nuremberg in 1373, and small convex mirrors were commonly made in southern Germany before the beginning of the 16th century; and these continued to be in demand, under the name of bull'seyes (Ochsen-Augen), till comparatively modern times. They were made by blowing small globes of glass into which while still hot was passed through the pipe a mixture of tin, antimony and resin or tar. When the globe was entirely coated with the metallic compound and cooled it was cut into convex lenses, which formed small but well-defined images. .... It was, however, in Venice that the making of glass mirrors on a commercial scale was first developed; and the republic enjoyed a much prized monopoly of the manufacture for about a century and a half. In 1507 two inhabitants of Murano, representing that they possessed the secret of making perfect mirrors of glass, a knowledge hitherto confined to one German glass-house, obtained an exclusive privilege of manufacturing mirrors for a period of twenty years.

Going through other images, I started finding a few more representations, such as the following:

The Seven Deadly Sins: Vanity (or Pride) Detail (c1485) by Hieronimous Bosch
Vanity (c1485) by Hans Memling
Diptych of Maarten Nieuwenhove (1487) by Hans Memling
The Moneylender and his Wife (1514) by Quentin Massys

There is also a collection of images with convex mirrors in this blog and more images on Larsdatter.com. I even found modern representations for these mirrors, but $129 for the small size is a bit pricey for me.

Taking Apart Images - Part 8.2 - Children of the Planets: Mercury and His Children by Meister Hausbuch

2011-10-03T10:00:00.006-05:00

The Clock and the Astrolabe Quadrant

This section of Mercury and his Children (c1475-85) needed a post by itself, because I found doing the research on the history of clocks and the quadrant to be fascinating and somewhat distracting.

A method for keeping time has been around for thousands of years. I'm not going to go into too much depth on the history of clocks, but I do want to touch on what this clock most likely is. Let's start with a quote from Abbott Payson Usher's A History of Mechanical Inventions, Pg 209 (1988):

By 1500, few towns were without some tower clock, but domestic clocks, though widely diffused among the wealthy, were not common in Europe as a whole until a later period. Later writers imply that clockmaking was so highly developed in Nuremberg in the fifteenth century that domestic clocks came into more general use in central and southern Germany than elsewhere in Europe. These German clocks of the fifteenth century were among the first made to indicate minutes and seconds, and some use was made of them by astronomers. Waltherus, Landgrave of Hesse, a pupil of Regiomontanus, made use of a clock in astronomical observations as early as 1484, commonly regarded as the earliest application of the mechanical clock to scientific use. We are told that the clock measured accurately the interval between the transits of the sun from noon to noon.

If this is mostly correct, then the dating of Mercury and his Children to somewhere between 1475-85 is pretty close to spot on, since it appears as if the gentleman in this section of the drawing is doing just as Mr. Usher describes at the end of the above quote.

From what little information I can find, the inner workings of the above clock are likely spring related as opposed to weight driven. Weight driven clocks tended to be much larger and a lot less portable. Spring driven clocks were supposedly invented sometime in the early 15th century. Though it may look otherwise, there is most likely only one hand on the clock face, as seen in the following picture of a portable clock of the mid-16th century found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Unfortunately, this is where my foray into clock history ended, because very few other sources gave any information which would actually enlighten this subject further.

On the other hand, I found the astrolabe quadrant used in this drawing and some information on it.

The instrument in the picture is a rare example of especially ingenious medieval European instrument-making (ca. 1325 AD). The sighting arm rotates across a pattern made by folding the circular face of an astrolabe into quarters. The user can not only take star sights as with a quadrant, but make calculations as with a simple astrolabe. Essentially, the circular face of an astrolabe has been "folded over" twice to create a quarter-circle. This instrument could serve as a measuring tool and perform many of an astrolabe's calculation functions as well.

And the reverse...

A little more info on the astrolabe quadrant can be found at The Astrolabe Quadrant.

Taking Apart Images - Part 8.1 - Children of the Planets: Mercury and His Children by Meister Hausbuch

2011-10-02T10:00:00.075-05:00

I knew at some point I was going to pull apart one or more of Meister Hausbuch's drawings, but part of me was dreading it. Pros - There are many objects in his drawings. Cons - There are so many objects in his drawings! This was going to be a major undertaking, but I knew it had to be done at some point. So the first installment of the Children of the Planets series is Mercury (which I'd already used for my Steinzeug-krug post a few weeks ago). I choose it for two reasons, primarily because it had one thing in particular in the drawing, and secondly, because it was one of the 'lighter' object infused drawings. I have no idea what order the Planet drawings are supposed to follow, therefore, I'll do them in whatever order suits my fancy. :D On to the drawing!

I prefer to start with the miscellaneous objects, since searching for 'objects in artwork' tends to be the most difficult search imaginable. I have separated a few sections from this study into separate posts for more detailed study, namely the clock/quadrant section (middle left), the convex mirror (top right) and the clothing.

You find some of the most interesting objects in images when you really make a point of studying them in detail. Take for instance this first detailed image. I knew what it was. I'd seen it before, but for the life of me I couldn't remember it's name, until I did a little research. Come to find out, very few websites attribute hornbooks to Germany at this period in time and yet, this appears to be one. Now it is possible that this is not a typical hornbook. For one, he (she?) is using it upside down and, for another, he appears to be writing on it. Could or would they have written on a horn surface at this point in history? It's also possible that he's defying his teacher while his teacher is distracted disciplining another child.

Next we find a nice, normal drawstring bag... It's nice to find something simple.

Eyeglasses - This is why I chose to study this drawing. Using the Wayback Machine I was able to pull up a London pair of rivets specs. At The On-line Museum and Encyclopedia of Vision Aids. I found a pair from Florence, Italy dated to after 1450 that are very similar to these (image culled below) The caption on the image states that they are made of bone.

Is this next image a lamp or another type of container?

And a nice stoneware mug...

Dining Table - I like the design of the round table with all the two place settings. In fact, I particularly love the scrollwork on the legs and the details in its construction. It appears as if the tablecloth is made specifically for this table and that the place settings have small sauce cups for the goose?/gander? in the middle of the table. There also appear to be only knives on the table, but these diners do not hold any food within their hands.

Unterhosen Construction - Part 1: Analysis of Extant Unterhosen and Pattern

2011-09-30T10:00:00.013-05:00

Using the images I've gathered thus far on unterhosen (braies) from c1480-1507, I have come up with an idea about construction. They look fairly simple from the image on Dürer's The Men's Bath and for someone with more sewing experience, they likely are old hat, but I had to do some hard thinking about this one. Sad, I know... it kept me awake for hours! :D

In any case, here's what I did... I decided to make a mock-up of the unterhosen for my daughter in cotton, but I needed to make sure I knew what I was doing first, therefore...

Instead of relying on my sleepless cogitations that were formed from all kinds of weird assumption, I decided to pull out the trusty extant unterhosen picture from Harpfe and have a good long study. I have determined the following from the image:

It appears as if the thin ties used to connect the loincloth together from front to back are short sections of fabric sewn into a tube. It is not one long piece of fabric encircling the entire waist.
It appears as if the main section of the loincloth is a single piece of fabric. My erroneous assumption was that it was two pieces of fabric sewn together for thickness and comfort, but I have yet to find a seam that would actually support this.
It appears as if the edges of the loincloth are finished with a rolled hem. Check along the edge of the back left and right leg sections. Near the top of the left leg is a section where the hem looks to be unraveling.
It appears as if the fabric used to making these unterhosen was a fairly tight weave of a reasonably heavy thread, but I am not a fabric expert by any means, so I could be way off. I can only say for certain that it is a reasonably heavy weight of fabric and you can't see through it.
These were worn and repaired numerous times if the knots on the front left and back right are any indication along with the reparations made to the front of the loin cloth area.
The front of the unterhosen was likely worn lower than the back, which, considering how they are depicted in artwork, would make sense.

With all of this in mind, I made a mental pattern for what I needed to do. Wider in the back, narrow in the crotch and a little wider in the front -- a bottom heavy hour glass, if you will. Then I took the measurement of my daughter's groin from where the unterhosen would rest around her hips, front to back, then however wide she was going to need them to be across the front (between the hips), across the back and between her legs. Seemed fairly straight forward. To these I added hem allowances on all four sides to make sure I had enough material. I always believe in "It's easier to make smaller, than larger." after the material is cut. (Btw, the leftover material from my daughter's hemd worked great for this!)

Next time I'll show you how it all came together, hopefully...

The Golden Bull of Charles IV 1356

2011-09-29T10:00:00.001-05:00

[WARNING: This post is very long.]

I've been attempting to track down transcriptions of original law documents for medieval Germany and I finally found the Golden Bull of Charles IV (1356). This transcription was found in A Source Book for Mediaeval History (1905) by Oliver J Thatcher and Edgar H McNeal, pgs 283-305 with additions from Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages by Ernest Flagg Henderson, pgs 220-261 (1892). Both of these books can be found on Google Books for free download.

While putting together this post, I realized that transcriptions and translations are interesting subjects. I was making some comparisons between the 1905 book and the 1892 book. There are just enough differences that it shows the vagaries of the individuals who originally translated/transcribed the information, especially since each claim to have come from a German text called Ausgewlhlte Urkunden by Altmann and Bernheim. It shows what was important to that particular individual, because neither of these appear to be complete interpretations. I only say this, because each has information that the other does not, therefore, which is the most accurate?

[283]

160. The Golden Bull of Charles IV, 1356.

Altmann und Bernheim, no. 29.

Various things had led the emperors to follow the policy of conferring crown rights upon their princes. In order to carry out their Italian policy the Hohenstaufen had sacrificed the power of the crown in Germany (see nos. 110-112, 136, 138, 139), and after the interregnum the electors pillages the crown at every opportunity (see nos. 149, 153). The result was that the crown was stripped of authority, while the princes had developed almost complete sovereignty in their lands. Charles IV, in the Golden Bull, attempted to fix as in a constitution the actual rights and status of the princes. He saw that Germany was no longer a monarchy, but a federation of princes.

Although from 1273 the number of electors was fixed at seven, it was not always clear who these seven were. Thus in 1313 two men claimed to possess the electoral vote of Saxony, and two others, that of Bohemia. Charles IV made provisions to prevent the recurrence of such a situation by attaching the electoral vote to the possession of certain lands (see chaps. VII, XX, and XXV).

[284] Charles IV was himself king of Bohemia, and, knowing that it was hopeless to attempt to restore the German kingship, he exerted himself in the Golden Bull to secure for Bohemia all the advantages possible.

[Select Historical Document provided the following prior to the Chapters.]

Eternal, omnipotent God, in whom the sole hope of the world is,

Of Heaven the Maker Thou, of earth, too, the lofty Creator:

Consider, we pray Thee, Thy people, and gently, from out Thy high dwelling
Look down lest they turn their steps to the place where Erinis is ruler;
There where Allecto commands, Megaera dietetic the measures
But rather by virtue of him, this emperor Charles whom Thou lovest
O most beneficent God, may'st Thou graciously please to ordain it
That, through the pleasant glades of forests ever in flower,
And through the realms of the bless'd, their pious leader may bring them
I nto the holy shades, where the heavenly waters will quicken
The seeds that were sown in the life, and where the ripe crops are made glorious
Cleansed in supernal founts from all of the thorns they have gathered.
Thus may the harvest be God's, and great may its worth be in future
Heaping a hundred fold the corn in the barns overflowing..

In the name of the holy and indivisible Trinity felicitously amen. Charles the Fourth, by favour of the divine mercy emperor of the Romans, always august, and king of Bohemia; as a perpetual memorial of this matter. Every kingdom divided against itself shall be desolated. For its princes have become the companions of thieves. Where fore God has mingled among them the spirit of dizziness that they may grope in midday as if in darkness; and He has removed their candlestick from out of His place, that they may be blind and leaders of the blind. And those who walk in darkness stumble; and the blind commit crimes in their hearts which come to pass in time of discord. Tell us, pride, how would's" thou have reigned over Lucifer if thou had'st not had discord to aid thee? Tell us hateful Satan, how would'st thou have cast Adam out of Paradise if thou had'st not divided him from his obedience ? Tell us, luxury, how would'st thou have destroyed Troy, if thou had'st not divided Helen from her husband? Tell us, wrath, how would'st thou have destroyed the Roman republic had'st thou not, by means of discord, spurred on Pompey and Caesar with raging swords to internal conflict ? Thou, indeed, oh envy, host, with impious wicked ness, spued with the ancient poison against the Christian empire which is fortified by God, like to the holy and indivisible Trinity, with the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, whose foundation is happily established above in the very kingdom of Christ. Thou hast done this, like a serpent, against the branches of the empire and its nearer members; so that, the columns being shaken, thou Slightest subject the whole edifice to ruin. Thou Last often spread discord among the seven electors of the holy empire, through whom, as through seven candlesticks throwing light in the unity of a septiform spirit, the holy empire ought to be illumined.

Inasmuch as we, through the office by which we possess the imperial dignity, are doubly-both as emperor and by the electoral right which we enjoy-bound to put an end to future danger of discords among the electors themselves, to whose number we, as king of Bohemia are known to belong: we have promulgated, decreed and recommended for ratification the subjoined laws for the purpose of cherishing unity among the electors, and of bringing about a unanimous election, and of closing all approach to the aforesaid detestable discord and to the various dangers which arise from it. This we have done in our solemn court at Nuremberg, in session with all the electoral princes, ecclesiastical and secular, and amid a numerous multitude of other princes, counts, barons, magnates, nobles and citizens; after mature deliberation, from the fulness of our imperial power; sitting on the throne of our imperial majesty, adorned with the imperial bands, insignia and diadem; in the year of our Lord 1356, in the 9th Indiction, on the 4th day before the Ides of January, in the 10th year of our reign as king, the 1st as emperor.

PART I.

(Published at Nürnberg, January 10, 1356.)

CHAPTER I.
Escort and safe-conduct for the electors.

1. We decree and determine by this imperial edict that, whenever the electoral princes are summoned according to the ancient and praiseworthy custom to meet and elect a king of the Roman and future emperor, each of them shall be bound to furnish demand an escort and safe-conduct to his fellow electors or their representatives, within his own lands and as much farther as he can, for the journey to and from the city where the election is to be held. Any electoral prince who refuses to furnish escort and safe-conduct shall be liable to the penalties for perjury and to the loss of his electoral vote for that occasion.

2. We decree and command also that all other princes who hold fiefs from the empire by whatever title, and all counts, barons, knights, clients, nobles, commoners, citizens, and all corporations of towns, cities, and territories of the empire, shall furnish escort and safe-conduct for this occasion to every electoral prince or his representatives, on demand, within their own lands and as much farther as they can. Violators of this decree shall be punished as follows: Princes, counts, barons, knights, clients and all other of noble rank, shall suffer the penalties of purjury, and shall lose the fiefs which they hold of the emperor or any other lord, and all their other possessions; citizens and corporations shall also suffer the penalty for purjury, shall be deprived of all the rights, liberties, privileges, and graces which they have received from the empire, and shall incur the ban of the empire [285] against their persons and property. Those whom we deprive of their rights for this offence may be attacked by any man without appealing to a magistrate, and without danger of reprisal, for they are rebels against the state and the empire, and have attacked the honor and security of the prince, and are convicted of faithlessness and perfidy.

3. We also command that the citizens and corporations of cities shall furnish supplies to the electoral princes and their representatives on demand at the regular price and without fraud, whenever they arrive at, or depart from, the city on their way to or from the election; those who violate this decree shall suffer the penalties described in the preceding paragraph for citizens and corporations. If any prince, count, baron, knight, client, noble, commoner, citizen, or city shall attack or molest in person or goods any of the electoral princes or their representatives, on their way to or from an election, whether they have safe-conduct or not, he and his accomplices shall incur the penalties above described, according to his position and rank.

4. If there should arise any enmity or hostility between two electoral princes, it shall not be allowed to interfere with the safe-conduct which each is bound to furnish to the other on the occasion of the election, under penalty of being declared guilty of perjury, and being deprived of his vote for that occasion, as described above.

5. If any other princes, counts, barons, knights, clients, nobles, commoners, citizens, or cities are at war with any electoral prince or princes, they shall nonetheless be bound to furnish to them and their representatives escort and safe-conduct for the journey to and from the election, under the same penalties. In order to render the observance of the above demands more certain, we desire and instruct all electoral and other princes, and all counts, barons, nobles, cities, and corporations to bind themselves by oaths and written promises to observe them. If anyone refuses to do this, he [286]shall incur the penalties above described, according to his rank and station.

6. If any electoral prince violates any of the above or following laws of the empire, he shall be excluded by his fellow-electors from their body, and shall be deprived of his vote and his electoral dignity, and of his right to hold fiefs of the empire. If any other prince of any rank or station, or any count, baron, or noble who holds fiefs of the empire, or any of their successors to their fiefs, is guilty of a similar crime, he shall not be invested with the fiefs which he holds of the empire, nor be able to receive a fief from any other lord, and he shall incur the above penalties, according to his rank.

7. The above rules apply to escorts and safe-conduct in general, but we have thought it well to indicate also the neighboring lands which should furnish escort and safe-conduct in each separate case to each elector.

8. To the king of Bohemia, the chief cup-bearer of the empire, the following should furnish escort and safe-conduct: the archbishop of Mainz, the bishops of Bamberg and Würzburg, the burggrave of Nürnberg, etc.

9. To the archbishop of Cologne, archchancellor of the empire for Italy, the archbishops of Mainz and Trier, the count palatine of the Rhine, the landgrave of Hesse, etc.

10. To the archbishop of Trier, archchancellor of the empire for Gaul and the kingdom of Aries, the archbishop of Mainz, the count palatine of the Rhine, etc.

11. To the count palatine of the Rhine, the archbishop of Mainz.

12. To the duke of Saxony, archmarshall of the empire, the king of Bohemia, the archbishops of Mainz and Magdeburg, the bishops of Bamberg and Würzburg, the margrave of Meissen, the landgrave of Hesse, the abbots of Fulda and Hersfeld, the burggrave of Nürnberg, etc. These shall also furnish escort and safe-conduct to the margrave of Brandenburg, the archchamberlain of the empire.

[287]13. We wish and command that each electoral prince should give due notice to those from whom he intends to require safe-conduct, of his journey and of the route by which he intends to go; and he should make a formal demand upon such persons for safe-conduct, in order that they may be able to make fitting preparations.

14. The above decrees concerning safe-conduct are to be understood to mean that any person, whether expressly named or not, from whom safe-conduct is demanded on the occasion of the election, must furnish it in good faith within his own lands, and as much farther as he can, under the penalties described above.

15. It shall be the duty of the archbishop of Mainz to send notice of the approaching election to each of the electoral princes by his messenger bearing letters patent, containing the following: first, the date on which the letter should reach the prince to whom it is directed; then the command to the electoral prince to come or send his representatives to Frankfort on the Main, three months from that date, such representatives being duly accredited by letters bearing the great seal of the prince, and giving them full power to vote for the king of the Romans and future emperor. The form of the letter of notification and of the credentials of the representatives are appended to this document, and we hereby command that these forms be used without change.

16. When the news of the death of the king of the Romans has been received at Mainz, within one month from the date of receiving it the archbishop of Mainz shall send notices of the death and of the approaching election to all the electoral princes. But if the archbishop neglects or refuses to send such notices, the electoral princes are commanded on their fidelity to assemble on their own motion and without summons at the city of Frankfort within three months from the death of the emperor, for the purpose of electing a king of the Romans and future emperor.

[288]17. Each electoral prince or his representatives may bring with him to Frankfort at the time of the election a retinue of 200 horsemen, of whom not more than 50 shall be armed.

18. If any electoral prince, duly summoned to the election, fails to come or to send representatives with credentials containing full authority, or if he or his representatives withdraws from the place of the election before the election has been completed, without leaving behind substitutes fully accredited and empowered, he shall lose his vote in that election....

CHAPTER II

The Election of the King of the Romans

1. (Mass shall be celebrated on the day after the arrival of electors. The archbishop of Mainz administers this oath, which the other electors repeat:)

2. "I, archbishop of Mainz, archchancellor of the empire for Germany, electoral prince, swear on the holy gospels here before me, and by the faith which I owe to God and to the holy Roman empire, that with the aid of God, and according to my best judgment and knowledge, I will cast my vote, in this election of the king of the Romans and future emperor, for a person fitted to rule the Christian people. I will give my voice and vote freely, uninfluenced by any agreement, price, bribe, promise, or any thing of the sort, by whatever name it may be called. So help me God and all the saints."

3. After the electors have taken this oath, they shall proceed to the election, and shall not depart from Frankfort until the majority have elected a king of the Romans and future emperor, to be ruler of the world and of the Christian people. If they have not come to a decision within thirty days from the day on which they took the above oath, after that they shall live upon bread and water and shall not leave the city until the election has been decided.

4. Such an election shall be as valid as if all the princes [289]had agreed unanimously and without difference upon a candidate. If any one of the princes or his representatives have been hindered or delayed for a time, but arrives before the election is over, he shall be admitted and shall take part in the election at the stage which had been reached at the time of his arrival. According to the ancient and approved custom, the king of the Romans elect, immediately after his election and before he takes up any other business of the empire, shall confirm and approve by sealed letters for each and all of the electoral princes, concessions, ancient customs, and dignities, and whatever else the princes held and possessed from the empire at the time of the election; and he shall renew the confirmation and approval when he becomes emperor. The original confirmation shall be made by him as king, and the renewal as emperor. It is his duty to do this graciously and in good faith, and not to hinder the princes in the exercise of their rights.

5. In the case where three of the electors vote for a fourth elector prince, his vote shall have the same value as that of the other to make a majority and decide the election.

CHAPTER III

The Location of the Seats of the Archbishops of Trier, Cologne, and Mainz.

In the name of the holy and undivided Trinity, amen. Charles by the grace of God emperor of the Romans, Augustus, and king of Bohemia.... To prevent any dispute arising between the archbishops of Trier, Mainz, and Cologne, electoral princes of the empire, as to their priority and rank in the diet, it has been decided and is hereby decreed with the advice and consent of all the electoral princes, ecclesiastical and secular, that the archbishop of Trier shall have the seat directly opposite and facing the emperor; that the archbishop of Mainz shall have the seat at the right of the emperor when [290]the diet is held in the diocese or province of Mainz, or anywhere in Germany except in the diocese of Cologne; that the archbishop of Cologne shall have the seat at the right of the emperor when the diet is held in the diocese or province of Cologne, or anywhere in Gaul or Italy. This applies to all public ceremonies: court sessions, conferring of fiefs, banquets, councils, and all occasions on which the princes meet with the emperor for the transaction of imperial business. This order of seating shall be observed by the successors of the present archbishops of Cologne, Trier, and Mainz, and shall never be questioned.

CHAPTER IV

The Location of the Seats of the Electoral Princes.

1. In the imperial diet, at the council-board, table, and all other places where the emperor or king of the Romans meets with the electoral princes, the seats shall be arranged as follows: On the right of the emperor, first, the archbishop of Mainz, or of Cologne, according to the province in which the meeting is held, as arranged above; second, the king of Bohemia, because he is a crowned and anointed prince; third, the count palatine of the Rhine; on the left of the emperor, first, the archbishop of Cologne, or of Mainz; second, the duke of Saxony; third, the margrave of Brandenburg.

2. When the imperial throne becomes vacant, the archbishop of Mainz shall have the authority, which he has had from of old, to call the other electors together for the election. It shall be his peculiar right also, when the electors have convened for the election, to collect the votes, asking each of the electors separately in the following order: first, the archbishop of Trier, who shall have the right to the first vote, as he has had from of old; then the archbishop of Cologne, who has the office of first placing the crown upon the head of the king of the Romans; then the king of Bohemia, who has the priority among the secular princes, [291]because of his royal title; fourth, the count palatine of the Rhine; fifth, the duke of Saxony; sixth, the margrave of Brandenburg. Then the princes shall ask the archbishop of Mainz in turn to declare his choice and vote. At the diet, the margrave of Brandenburg shall offer water to the emperor or king, to wash his hands; the king of Bohemia shall have the right to offer him the cup first, although, by reason of his royal dignity, he shall not be bound to do this unless he desires; the count palatine of the Rhine shall offer him food; and the duke of Saxony shall act as his marshal in the accustomed manner.

CHAPTER V

The Rights of the Count Palatine and of the Duke of Saxony.

1. During the vacancy of the empire, the count palatine of the Rhine, archseneschal of the empire, by reason of his principality and office, shall exercise the authority of the future king of the Romans in the Rhine lands, in Suabia; and in the region of the Frankish law; this includes the right to present to ecclesiastical benefices, to collect revenues and incomes, to invest with fiefs, and to receive the oath of fidelity in the name of the emperor. All of these acts, however, must be confirmed and renewed by the king of the Romans after he is elected. The count palatine shall not have the right to invest the princes of the empire with fiefs which are called Fahnlehen,[*] the investiture and conferring of which is reserved to the king of the Romans in person. The count palatine is expressly forbidden to alienate or mortgage the imperial lands during the period of his administration. The duke of Saxony, archmarshal of the holy empire, shall exercise the same authority during the vacancy of the empire for the region of the Saxon law, under the same conditions as expressed above.

* In the investiture of a vassal with a fief certain symbols were used. Among other articles that were used in this way when investing the secular tenants-in-chief was the spear, to which it became customary to affix a small standard or flag, as a symbol of the regalia which were conferred with the fief. Eventually this was the only symbol used in such cases, and hence the secular fiefs which were held directly from the king came to be called "Fahnlehen," or "flag fiefs."

2. The emperor or king of the Romans must appear before the count palatine of the Rhine, when he ia cited by [292]anyone, but the count palatine shall try such cases only at the imperial diet when the emperor or king is present.

CHAPTER VI.

(Repeats the statements about the priority of the king of Bohemia among the secular princes.)

[Select Historical Documents transcription follows for Chapter 6.]

We decree that, in holding an imperial court, whenever in future one shall chance to be held, the aforesaid prince electors, ecclesiastical and secular, shall immutably hold their positions on the right and on the left-according to the prescribed order and manner. And no other prince of whatever standing, dignity, pre-eminence or condition be may be, shall in any way be preferred to them or anyone of them, in any acts relating to that court; in going there, while sitting or while standing. And it is distinctly declared that especially the king of Bohemia shall, in the holding of such courts, in each and every place and act aforesaid, immutably precede any other king, with whatsoever special prerogative of dignity he may be adorned, no matter what the occasion or cause for which he may happen to come or to be present.

CHAPTER VII.

The Succession of the Electoral Princes.

1. ...It is known and recognized throughout the world, that the king of Bohemia, the count palatine of the Rhine, the duke of Saxony, and the margrave of Brandenburg, by virtue of the principalities which they possess, have the right to vote in the election of the king of the Romans along with their coelectors, the ecclesiastical princes, and that they with the ecclesiastical princes are the true and legal electoral princes of the holy empire. In order to prevent disputes arising among the sons of these secular electoral princes in regard to the electoral authority and vote, which would be productive of delays dangerous to the state and other evils, we have fixed the succession by the present law which shall be valid forever. On the death of one of the secular electoral princes his right, voice, and vote in the election shall descend to his first-born son who is a layman; if the son has died before this, to the son's first-born son who is a layman. If the first-born lay son of the elector has died without legitimate lay sons, by virtue of the present law the succession shall go to the elector's next oldest lay son and then to his heirs, and so on according to the law of primogeniture. In case the [293]heir is under age the paternal uncle of the heir shall act as guardian and administrator until the heir comes of age, which shall be, in the case of electoral princes, at eighteen years. Then the guardian shall immediately surrender to him the electoral vote and authority and all the possessions of the electorate.

2. When any electorate falls vacant for lack of heirs, the emperor or king of the Romans shall have the power to dispose of it, as if it reverted to the empire, saving the rights, privileges, and customs of the kingdom of Bohemia, according to which the inhabitants of that kingdom have the right to elect their king in case of a vacancy.

CHAPTER VIII.

The Immunity of the Kingdom of Bohemia and its Inhabitants.

Our predecessors, the emperors and kings of the Romans, have conceded to our ancestors, the kings of Bohemia, and to the kingdom and crown ... that no prince, baron, noble, knight, client, citizen, or other person of the kingdom, of any station, dignity, rank, or condition, should be cited, haled, or summoned before any tribunal outside of the kingdom, or before any judge except the king of Bohemia and the judges of his court. We hereby renew and confirm this privilege, custom, and concession by our royal authority and power, and decree that no one of the aforesaid, prince, baron, noble, knight, client, citizen, or peasant, or any other person, shall be required to appear or answer' before any tribunal outside of the kingdom of Bohemia, in any case, civil, criminal, or mixed. ...

CHAPTER IX.

Mines of Gold, Silver, and Other Metals

We decree, by this present law, that our successors, the kings of Bohemia, and all the electoral princes, ecclesiastical and secular, shall hold and possess with full rights, all mines [294]of gold, silver, tin, copper iron, lead, or other metals, and all salt works, both those already discovered and those which shall be discovered in the future, situated within their lands, domains, and dependencies. They shall also have authority to tax Jews, the right to collect tolls already in force and all other rights which they or their predecessors have possessed to the present day.

CHAPTER X.

Coinage.

1. We also decree that our successors, the future kings of Bohemia, shall possess and exercise in peace the rights of coinage of gold and silver, in all parts of their dominions and of the lands belonging to their subjects, in such form and manner as they may determine: a right which is known to have belonged to our predecessors, the former kings of Bohemia.

2. We also grant to the future kings of Bohemia forever the right to buy, purchase, or receive as gift or in payment, any lands, castles, possessions, or goods from any princes, magnates, counts, or other persons; such lands and property to remain, however, in their former legal status, and to pay the customary dues and services to the empire.

3. We extend this right by the present law to all the electoral princes, ecclesiastical and secular, and to their legal heirs, under the same conditions and form.

CHAPTER XI.

The Immunities of the Princes.

1. We decree also that no count, baron, noble, vassal, burggrave, knight, client, citizen, burgher, or other subject of the churches of Cologne, Mainz, or Trier, of whatever status, condition, or rank, shall be cited, haled, or summoned to any authority before any tribunal outside of the territories, boundaries, and limits of these churches and their [295]dependencies, or before any judge, except the archbishops and their judges.... We refuse to hear appeals based upon the authority of others over the subjects of these princes; if these princes are accused by their subjects of injustice, appeal shall lie to the imperial diet, and shall be heard there and nowhere else. ...

2. We extend this right by the present law to the secular electoral princes, the count palatine of the Rhine, the duke of Saxony, and the margrave of Brandenburg, and to their heirs, successors, and subjects forever.

CHAPTER XII.

Assemblies of the Princes

... It has been decided in the general diet held at Nürnburg with the electoral princes, ecclesiastical and secular, and other princes and magnates, by their advice and with their consent, that in the future, the electoral princes shall meet every year in some city of the empire four weeks after Easter; this year they are to meet at that date in the imperial city of Metz; on that occasion, and on every meeting thereafter, the place of assembling for the following year shall be fixed by us with the advice and consent of the princes. This ordinance shall remain in force as long as it shall be pleasing to us and to the princes; and as long as it is in effect, we shall furnish the princes with safe-conduct for that assembly, going, staying, and returning. ...

CHAPTER XIII.

The Revocation of Privileges.

We hereby decree and determine that the liberties, jurisdiction, rights, honors, and authority of the electoral princes, ecclesiastical or secular, or of any one of them, ought not to be and shall not be in any way diminished by any privileges or charters of rights, graces, immunities, customs, etc., granted or to be granted by us or our predecessors to any person of [296]whatsoever rank, station, or dignity, or to any city, town or territory, even if it is expressly stated in such privileges and charters that they are not revocable. In so far as any such privileges do diminish the liberties, jurisdiction, rights, honors, or authority of the said electoral princes, we hereby revoke them and decree by our imperial authority that they are to be regarded as revoked and void.

CHAPTER XIV.

The Forfeiting of Fiefs

In many regions it is becoming the practice for vassals and feudatories to renounce and resign verbally and without due notice the fiefs and benefices which they hold of their lords, and then to declare themselves free from their allegiance and to seize the fiefs under pretext of war. Therefore we decree hereby that such renunciation shall not be valid unless it is genuine and made with the condition that the fiefs and benefices shall revert immediately to the lords from whom they are held; those who have renounced their allegiance shall never disturb or molest their lords in the possession of these fiefs. Any subject violating this decree shall lose his fiefs and benefices, shall be branded with infamy, and placed under the imperial ban; no one shall ever give him a fief or a benefice, and any grant or investiture made to him shall be void.

CHAPTER XV.

Conspiracies.

We reprobate, condemn, and declare void all detestable and illegal conspiracies, confederations, and societies, which are or shall be made by cities or by persons of any rank or station, under color of any pretext whatever, inside or outside of cities, between city and city, person and person, or city and person, without the consent of the lords of the persons or territories; for it is well known that such [297]conspiracies are declared illegal and void by the laws of our predecessors, the august emperors. We except from this condemnation such confederations and leagues as are entered into by princes, cities, and others for the preservation of the peace of their lands; these shall remain in force until we have decreed otherwise. If any person shall violate this decree and the ancient laws against conspiracies, besides incurring the regular penalties he shall be branded with infamy and shall be fined ten pounds of gold; cities and corporations guilty of a similar crime shall be fined 100 pounds of gold, half of which shall go to the imperial treasury, and half to the lord of the district, and they shall be deprived of the liberties and privileges which they have received from the empire.

CHAPTER XVI.

Pfahlburghers.

The complaint has frequently been made of late that certain citizens and subjects of princes, barons, and other lords, in order to escape from their proper subjection, have had themselves received as citizens in other cities, and thus, while dwelling in the lands, cities, towns, or regions of the lords whom they have deserted, they claim to enjoy the liberty and immunity of the other cities, and to be freed from the lord's authority, because of that citizenship; these are the persons who are called in the vulgar tongue in Germany "pfahlburghers." Now since fraud and deceit cannot constitute a legal defense for any one, we hereby decree by our imperial authority and by the advice of the electoral princes, ecclesiastical and secular, that from this day forth within all the lands of the empire such citizens shall not enjoy the rights and liberties of the cities, unless they have actually moved into them and established their homes there, making their real residence and domicile in the cities and bearing their share of the debts, burdens, and municipal taxes. If any such persons are or shall be admitted into cities contrary to [298]this edict, the admission shall be void of effect, and the persons shall not profit by the laws and liberties of those cities, in spite of any laws, privileges, and customs to the contrary, all of which, as far as they contradict this decree, we declare to be void; and the lords shall retain their rights over the persons and goods of their subjects who have deserted them in this manner. Those who receive the subjects of other lords on these terms contrary to our law, and who do not drive them away within one month after receiving notice of their presence, shall be fined for each such violation, 100 pounds of gold, half of which shall go to the imperial treasury and half to the lords of the deserters.

CHAPTER XVII.

Renunciation of Allegiance.

If any person renounces his allegiance or alliance without due notice and in a place where he does not have his residence, even if he thinks he has just grounds, we declare that he shall not have the right to inflict injury or violence upon those from whom he has in this manner withdrawn. And since fraud and deceit cannot constitute legal defence, we hereby declare that renunciation of this sort from the society or association of any lord or person shall not be valid, and may not be used as pretext for making war, unless the renunciation has been announced to those who are concerned personally or publicly in the place where they have their regular residence, three full days before, and the notification can be proved by good witnesses. Whoever shall make war on another without making renunciation in this form, shall be branded with infamy, just as if he had never made any renunciation, and he shall be punished as a traitor by all judges. We forbid and condemn also all unjust wars and strife, all unjust burning, wasting, and rapine, all unusual and unjust tolls and exactions for safe-conduct, under penalties fixed by the laws of the empire.

[299]

CHAPTER XVIII.

Form of the Letter of Notification.

"To you, the illustrious and magnificent margrave of Brandenburg, archchamberlain of the holy empire, our fellow-elector and dear friend, we give notice by these presents of the approaching election of the king of the Romans, and we summon you according to the duty of your office to come to that election at the regular place within three months from--(date), or to send one or more representatives or agents with sufficient authority, in order to consider with your fellow-electors and agree upon the choice of a king of the Romans and future emperor; to remain there until the election is completed; and to do such other things as are required by the laws of the empire in this matter. Otherwise, in spite of your absence, we shall proceed with our fellow-electors to carry out the aforesaid business, as the authority of the imperial laws empowers us."

CHAPTER XIX.

Form of the Credentials for Representatives or Agents of the

Electoral Princes, sent in Their Behalf to the Election.

We (name), by the grace of God (title), (office) of the holy empire. Be it known to all by these presents ... that we have constituted our faithful subjects (names) our true, legal, and special representatives and agents, to treat with our fellow-princes and electors, ecclesiastical and secular, and to agree and decide with them concerning a suitable person to be elected king of the Romans; to be present, deliberate, name, consent to, and elect the king of the Romans and future emperor in our name and for us; and to take the necessary, due, and accustomed oaths upon our soul, in regard to the aforesaid things; to appoint substitutes to do any and all things which may be necessary, useful, or convenient to the aforesaid consideration, nomination, deliberation, and election, and to do anything which we would be able to do if [300]we were present in person at the election, even if these things be special and peculiar things not mentioned specifically .in the above. We will accept and ratify everything done by the aforesaid representatives or their substitutes.

CHAPTER XX.

This Unity of the Electoral Principalities.

It is known that the right of voting for the king of the Romans and future emperor inheres in certain principalities, the possessors of which have also the other offices, rights, and dignities belonging to these principalities. We decree, therefore, by the present law that the electoral vote and other offices, dignities, and appurtenances shall always be so united and conjoined that the possessor of one of these principalities shall possess and enjoy the electoral vote and all the offices, dignities, and appurtenances belonging to it, that he shall be regarded as electoral prince, that, he and no other shall be accepted by the other electoral princes and admitted to participation in the election and all other acts which regard the honor and advantage of the holy empire, and that no one of these rights, which are and ought to be inseparable, shall ever be taken from him. And if through error or by any other means any decision or sentence is issued by any judge against the present law, it shall be void.

CHAPTER XXI.

The Precedence Among the Archbishops.

We have defined above the location of the seats of the ecclesiastical electors in the council, at the table, and on other occasions, when the emperor meets with the electoral princes, but we have thought it well to indicate also the order of precedence in procession and march. Therefore we decree by the present imperial edict that whenever the emperor or king of the Romans meets with the electoral princes, and the insignia are borne before him in procession, the archbishop [301] of Trier shall inarch directly before the emperor or king, no one being between them except the bearers of the insignia; and when the emperor or king marches without the insignia the archbishop shall immediately precede him. The other two archbishops [of Mainz and Cologne] shall march on either side of the archbishop of Trier, their position on the right or the left being determined by the region in which the ceremony is held, as described above.

CHAPTER XXII.

The Order of Precedence Among the Secular Electoral Princes, and the Bearers of the Insignia.

We also determine by the present decree the precedence among the secular electoral princes as follows: When the electoral princes march in procession with the emperor or king of the Romans in any of the ceremonies of the imperial diet and the insignia are borne before him, the duke of Saxony shall precede the emperor or king, marching between him and the archbishop of Trier, and bearing the imperial or royal sword; the count palatine of the Rhine shall march at the right of the duke of Saxony with the imperial globe, and the margrave of Brandenburg at the left with the sceptre; the king of Bohemia shall follow immediately behind the emperor or king.

CHAPTER XXIII.

Benedictions of the Archbishops in the Presence of the Emperor

When the mass is celebrated in the presence of the emperor or king, the archbishops of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne, or any two of them, being present, the archbishops shall perform the services on the different days in turn in the order of their consecration, each one on his day officiating in the confession which is said before the mass, in the presenting of the gospel to be kissed, in the giving of peace after the Agnus Dei, in the benedictions after the mass and before meals, and in [302]returning thanks after meals. Each archbishop on his day should invite the other archbishops to participate in the services, to set a good example to men by honoring one another.

PART II.

(Published at Mets, December 25, 1356.)

CHAPTER XXIV.

1. If any person shall have joined in a conspiracy or taken oath to join in a conspiracy with any other persons, princes, knights, or private persons, to slay one of the electoral princes of the holy empire, he shall be judged guilty of offence against the majesty of the emperor, and shall be executed, and all his goods shall be forfeited to the royal treasury; for we regard the electoral princes as members of our own body, and visit offences against them with the same severity as against ourself. [The rest of the chapter is devoted to the effects of the confiscation and attainder upon children and heirs of criminals, etc.]

[Select Historical Documents continues this chapter from here.]

2. But his sons, to whom, by special imperial lenity, we grant their life--for those ought to perish by the same punishment as their father, whose portion is the example of a paternal, that is of a hereditary crime--shall be without share in any inheritance or succession from the mother or grandparents, or even from relatives; they shall receive nothing from other people's wills, and shall be always poor and in want; the infamy of their father shall always follow them, and they shall never achieve any honour or be allowed to take any oath at all; in a word they shall be such that to them, grovelling in perpetual misery, death shall be a solace and life a punishment.

3. Finally we command that those shall be made notorious, and shall be without pardon, who shall ever try to intervene with us for such persons.

4. But to the daughters, as many of them as there are, of such conspirators, we will that there shall go only the "falcidia"--the fourth part of the property of the mother if she die intestate; so that they may rather have the moderate alimony of a daughter, than the entire emolument or name of an heir;--for the sentence ought to be milder in the case of those who, as we trust, on account of the infirmity of their sex, are less likely to make daring attempts.

5. Deeds of gift, moreover, made out to either sons or daughters by the aforesaid persons, after the passing of this law, shall not be valid.

6. Dotations and donations of any possessions; likewise, in a word, all transfers which shall prove to have been made, by any fraud or by right, after the time when first the aforesaid people conceived the idea of entering into a conspiracy or union, shall, we decree, be of no account.

7. But the wives of the aforesaid conspirators, having recovered their dowry--if they shall be in a condition to reserve for their children that which they shall have received from their husbands under the name of a gift,--shall know that, from the time when their usufruct ceases, they are to leave to our fisc all that which, according to the usual law, was due to their children.

8. And the fourth part of such property shall be put aside for the daughters alone, not also for the sons.

9. That which we have provided concerning the aforesaid conspirators and their children, we also decree, with like severity, concerning their followers, accomplices and aiders, and the children of these.

10. But in any one of these, at the beginning of the formation of a conspiracy, inflamed by zeal for the right kind of glory, shall himself betray the conspiracy, he shall be enriched by us with reward and honour; he, moreover who shall have been active in the conspiracy, if, even late, he disclose secret plans which were, indeed, hitherto unknown,--shall nevertheless be deemed worthy of absolution and pardon.

11. We decree, moreover, that if anything be said to have been committed against the aforesaid prince electors, ecclesiastical or secular,--even after the death of the accused that charge can be instituted. ["Etiam post mortem rei id crimen instaurari posse."]

12. Likewise in such a charge, which regards high treason against his prince electors, slaves shall be tortured even in a case concerning the life of their master.

13. We will, furthermore, and do decree by the present imperial edict, that even after the death of the guilty persons this charge can be instituted, and, if some one already convicted die, his memory shall be condemned and his goods taken away from his heirs. ["Ut etiam post mortem nocencium hoc crimen inchoari possit." 13 and 15 are an awkward repetition, an explanatory one, it is true, of 11 and 12.]

14. For from the time when any one conceived so wicked a plot from then on he has to some extent been punished mentally; but from the time when any one drew down upon himself such a charge, we decree that he may neither alienate nor release, nor may any debtor lawfully make payment to him.

15. For in this case we decree that slaves may be tortured in a matter involving the life of their master; that is, in the case of a damnable conspiracy against the prince electors, ecclesiastical and secular, as has been said before.

16. And if any one should die, on account of the uncertain person of his successor his goods shall be held, if he be proved to have died in a case of this kind.

CHAPTER XXV.

If it is proper that the integrity of the ordinary principalities should be preserved, for the better securing of justice and peace for the subjects, it is even more important that the great principalities of the electoral princes should be kept intact in their domains, honors, and rights. Therefore we determine and decree by this imperial edict that the lands, districts, fiefs, and other possessions of the great principalities, namely, the kingdom of Bohemia, the palatinate of the Rhine, the duchy of Saxony, and the mark of Brandenburg, should never under any circumstances be separated, divided, or dismembered. In order that they may be preserved in their integrity, the first-born son in each case shall succeed to them, and shall exercise ownership and dominion [303]in them, unless he be incapacitated for ruling by reason of imbecility, or other notorious defect. In that case, he shall not be allowed to inherit, but the succession shall go to the nearest male lay heir on the paternal side.

CHAPTER XXVI.

1. On the day of the imperial diet, all the electoral princes shall proceed to the imperial palace about the first hour, and shall assist the emperor or king in donning the insignia; then they shall proceed on horseback to the place of the diet with the emperor or king, preserving the order of precedence indicated above. The archchancellor of the kingdom in which the diet is held shall bear the seals of the empire or kingdom upon a silver staff; the secular princes shall bear the sceptre, globe, and sword, as indicated above; the German and Lombard crowns shall be borne, in this order, by princes of inferior rank named for this office by the emperor, immediately before the archbishop of Trier, who precedes the emperor, now wearing the imperial crown.

2. The empress or queen, clad in her insignia, shall also proceed to the place of the diet with her officials and ladies, taking her place behind the emperor or king and behind the king of Bohemia, who follows immediately after the emperor or king.

CHAPTER XXVII.

The Office of the Electoral Princes at the Diet.

1. After the emperor or king is seated on his throne, the duke of Saxony shall appear before the place of the diet on horseback with a silver staff and a silver measure, each of the value of twelve marks in silver, and shall fill his measure with oats from a heap that has been placed before the building in which the diet is held. This heap of oats shall be as high as the breast of the horse on which he rides. He shall then give this measure of oats to the first servant that [304]approaches. Then he shall thrust his staff into the heap of oats and go away, and the vice-marshal, the count of Pappenheim, or in his absence the marshal of the court, shall distribute the oats. After the emperor or king has taken his place at the table the ecclesiastical electors, supported by other prelates, shall stand before the table and one of them shall pronounce the blessing, according to the order of precedence established above; after the benediction the chancellor of the court shall present the seals to the archbishops, and they shall bear them to the emperor, all three touching with their hands the staff on which they are suspended, the archchancellor of the kingdom in which the diet is held marching in the middle and the other two on either side of him. They shall lay the seals reverently before the emperor or king, who shall immediately return them to the archbishops. The archchancellor of the kingdom in which the diet is held shall wear the great seal of the empire about his neck during the dinner and until he returns to his abode. The staff, which shall be of silver of the value of twelve marks, and the seals, shall be handed over to the chancellor of the court. The archbishop who bears the great seal shall return this also to the chancellor of the court by one of his own servants, mounted on a horse which shall be presented to the chancellor of the court as a perquisite of his office and as a token of the love of the archchancellor.

2. The margrave of Brandenburg, the archchamberlain of the empire, shall approach on horseback, bearing water in silver basins of the value of twelve marks, and a beautifully embroidered napkin, and shall dismount and offer the emperor or king water to wash his hands.

3. The count palatine of the Rhine shall approach on horseback, bearing four silver dishes, each of the value of three marks, filled with food, and shall dismount and carry them in and place them on the table before the emperor or king.

[305]4. Then the king of Bohemia, the archccupbearer of the empire, shall ride up, bearing a silver cup or goblet, of the value of twelve marks, filled with wine and water mixed, and shall dismount and offer the goblet to the emperor or king to drink.

5. When the offices have been performed by the secular electoral princes, the vice-marshal, the count of Falkenstein, shall receive the horse and the silver basins of the margrave of Brandenburg; the master of the kitchen, the count of Nortemberg, shall receive the horse and the dishes of the count palatine of the Rhine; the vice-cupbearer, the count of Limburg, shall receive the horse and the goblet of the king of Bohemia; the vice-marshal, the count of Pappenheim, shall receive the horse, the staff, and the measure of the duke of Saxony. If these officials are not present, the ordinary officials of the court shall receive these gifts in their places.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

(Description of the banqueting table, etc.)

[Select Historical Documents: Chapter 28 as it was not transcribed in the Source Book.]

Moreover the imperial or royal table ought so to be arranged that it shall be elevated above the other tables in the hall by a height of six feet. And at it, on the day of a solemn court, shall sit no one at all except alone the emperor or king of the Romans.

But the seat and table of the empress or queen shall be prepared to one side in the hall, so that that table shall be three feet lower than the imperial or royal table, and as many feet higher than the seats of the prince electors; which princes shall have their seats and tables at one and the same altitude among themselves.

Within the imperial place of session tables shall be prepared for the seven prince electors, ecclesiastical and secular,--three, namely, on the right, and three others on the left, and the seventh directly opposite the face of the emperor or king, as has above been more clearly defined by us in the chapter concerning the seating and precedence of the prince electors; in such wise, also, that no one else, of whatever dignity or standing he may be, shall sit among them or at their table.

Moreover it shall not be allowed to any one of the aforesaid secular prince electors, when the duty of his office has been performed, to place himself at the table prepared for him so long as any one of his fellow prince electors has still to perform his office. But when one or more of them shall have finished their ministry, they shall pass to the tables prepared for them, and, standing before them, shall wait until the others have fulfilled the aforesaid duties; and then, at length, one and all shall place themselves at the same time before the tables prepared for them.

CHAPTER XXIX.

1. We have learned from records and traditions, that it has been the custom in the past to hold the election of the king of the Romans in Frankfort, the coronation in Aachen, and the first diet in Nürnberg; therefore we decree that in the future these ceremonies shall be held in these places, unless there shall be some legitimate obstacle. ...[Select Historical Documents to end of chapter 29.] and not able to come when summoned to the imperial court, shall send an envoy or procurator, of whatever dignity or standing,-that envoy, although, according to the mandate given him by his master, he ought to be admitted in the place of him who sends him, shall, nevertheless, not sit at the table or in the seat intended for him - who sent him.

Moreover when those matters shall have been settled which were at that time to be disposed of in any imperial or royal court, the master of the court shall receive for himself the whole structure or wooden apparatus of the imperial or royal place of session, where the emperor or lying of the Romans shall have sat with the prince electors to hold his solemn court, or, as has been said, to confer fiefs on the princes.

CHAPTER XXX.

The Rights of the Officials of the Court When the Princes of the Empire Receive Their Fiefs.

(Special fees paid by the princes to these officials.)

[Select Historical Documents for this chapter.]

We decree by this imperial edict that the prince electors, ecclesiastical and secular, when they receive their fiefs or regalia from the emperor or king, shall not at all be bound to give or pay anything to anybody. For the money which is paid under such a pretext is due to the officials; but since, indeed, the prince electors themselves are at the head of all the offices of the imperial court, having also their substitutes in such offices, furnished for this by the Roman princes, and paid,-it would seem absurd if substituted officials, under cover of any excuse whatever, should demand presents from their superiors; unless, perchance, those same prince electors, freely and of their own will, should give them something.

On the other hand, the other princes of the empire, ecclesiastical or secular,-when, in the aforesaid manner, any one of them receives his fiefs from the emperor or king of the Romans,-shall give to the officials of the imperial or royal court 63 marks of silver and a quarter, unless any one of them can protect himself by an imperial or royal privilege or grant, and can prove that he has paid or is exempt from such, or also from any other, payments usually made when receiving such fiefs. Moreover the master of the imperial or royal court shall make division of the 631 marks as follows: first reserving, indeed, 10 marks for himself, he shall give to the chancellor of the imperial or royal court 10 marks; to the masters, notaries, copyists, 3 marks; and to the sealer, for wax and parchment, one quarter. This with the understanding that the chancellor and notaries shall not be bound to do more than to give the prince receiving the fief a testimonial to the effect that he has received it, or a simple charter of investiture.

Likewise, from the aforesaid money, the master of the court shall give to the cupbearer, him of I`imburg, 10 marks; to the master of the kitchen, him of Northemburg, 10 marks; to the vice-marshal!, him of Pappenheim, 10 marks; and to the chamberlain, him of Falkenstein, 10 marks: under the condition, however, that they and each one of them are present and perform their offices in solemn courts of this kind. But if they or any one of them shall have been absent, then the officials of the imperial or royal court who perform these same offices, shall carry off the reward and the perquisites of those whose absence they make good, individual for individual, according as they fill their place, and bear their name, and perform their task.

When, moreover, any prince, sitting on a horse or other beast, shall receive his fiefs from the emperor or king, that horse or beast, of whatever kind he be, shall be the due of the highest marshal-that is, of the duke of Saxony if he shall be present. otherwise of him of Pappenheim, his vice-marshal!; or, in his absence, of the marshal! of the imperial or royal court.

CHAPTER XXXI.

(Requiring the Secular Electors to Learn the Italian and Slavic languages.)

[Select Historical Documents: Chapter 31]

Inasmuch as the majesty of the holy Roman empire has to wield the laws and the government of diverse nations distinct in customs, manner of life, and in language, it is considered fitting, and, in the judgment of all wise men, expedient, that the prince electors, the columns and sides of that empire, should be instructed in the varieties of the different dialects and languages: so that they who assist the imperial sublimity in relieving the wants of very many people, and who are constituted for the sake of keeping watch, should understand, and be understood by, as many as possible. Wherefore we decree that the sons, or heirs and successors of the illustrious prince electors, namely of the king of Bohemia, the count palatine of the Rhine, the duke of Saxony and the margrave of Brandenburg--since they are expected in all likelihood to have naturally acquired the German language, and to have been taught it from their infancy,--shall be instructed in the grammar of the Italian and Slavic tongues, beginning with the seventh Year of their age. so that, before the fourteenth year of their age, they may be learned in the same according to the grace granted them by God. For this is considered not only useful, but also, from the aforementioned causes, highly necessary, since those languages are wont to be very much employed in the service and for the needs of the holy empire, and in them the more arduous affairs of the empire are discussed. And, with regard to the above we lay down the following mode of procedure to be observed it shall be left to the option of the parents to send their sons, if they have any--or their relatives whom they consider as likely to succeed themselves in their principalities, --to places where they can be taught such languages, or, in their own homes, to give them teachers, instructors, and fellow youths skilled in the same, by whose conversation and teaching alike they may become versed in those languages.

Points and Brass Aglets

2011-09-28T10:00:00.009-05:00

Fabulous, I found a site for those troublesome points. They look like this...

I think of them as medieval 'shoe' laces, but ... not for shoes. :D I've been looking recently to find a down-and-dirty how-to and I found one! My only caveat is that I am unable to, at present, find archaeological evidence for the aglets with holes and rivets piercing the brass, therefore, I may not have my husband make them with them. Doesn't mean they didn't exist! ...I just can't find them right now.

Step-by-Step instructions for producing Eyelets, Points and Brass Aglets

The brass is a hubby project, but I'll tackle the cording, which, incidentally, can be handled with finger-loop braids. I've done plenty of these braids in the past. The only drawback is that I tend to hold the cording fairly tight and eventually I cause my fingers to get red and irritated. I really need to learn to moderate that practice.

Also, the points don't have to have aglets, which might actually be a good thing in the long run, but then how do you finish the ends without a big knot? My current assumption is with a whipping knot, like what is used for rope. There are many drawings which show points tied with nothing at the ends of the ties, though I haven't included any of them here. I will as time allows.

Rumtopf and Fermented Fruit

2011-09-27T10:00:00.034-05:00

Another of those wonderful stumbling-around-research accidents dropped me onto a page about period Rumtopf and Fermented Fruit. Fabulous!

Rumtopf, literally translated, is rum pot. According to Journeyman Lynnette de Sandoval del Valle de los Unicornios in her article about Fermented Fruit, fruit could be fermented in two ways, with a sugar/yeast concoction or with spirits (ie, rum, brandy, etc.). This is something I'm going to have to try even if I don't partake myself.

Taking Apart Images - Part 7.2 - Couple Playing Cards by Israhel von Mechenem

2011-09-26T10:00:00.010-05:00

Now for the clothing... First, their hats. On first glance, her's reminds me of an exaggerated pill box design with what almost looks like a band wrapped around the base. Is that a convention of the artist or is this a typical steuchlein/wulsthaub construction that looks more square than normal from this angle? You can see the typical hair braids peaking out from the side, so I'm leaning toward the second idea. She also appears to have a very sheer veil covering the head gear to just above her eyes. Near the back you can just make out her hair fringe.

His head gear... where the hair fringe (if that's what it is called for a male) is very apparent. I've seen this style previously, but for the life of me, I can't find any of the other examples right now.

Her sleeve... where you can just make out the pleats (gathers) at the end of the sleeve and the ties on the back of the arm. Were these sleeves pushed back for card playing or were they designed to be this short? It's hard to tell from this rendering.

His schaub...

Their poulaines... You can even see hers peaking from underneath her skirts.

Taking Apart Images - Part 7.1 - Couple Playing Cards by Israhel von Mechenem

2011-09-25T10:00:00.006-05:00

I determined that since I had already mentioned this drawing in another post, but didn't actually pull the drawing apart, I might as well do so. Couple Playing Cards by Israhel von Mechenem, c1500.

I have some general, and likely irrelevant, questions about this drawing. Where exactly were they playing cards? What room? It's somewhat difficult to determine from the furniture in the room. The bench upon which the gentleman is sitting appears to be stationary and the table upon which they are playing may have been a period portable table with the ringed handle on the side that we can see and the fact that it does not 'flow' with the rest of the bench's back. I believe that the portal at the back of the drawing is leading toward the kitchen of the home, which would lead one to surmise that this was a type of 'living room' or possibly 'dining room', but then it wouldn't make sense that they would be using a small 'card' table instead of the regular dining table. Eventually I hope to nail these questions to the floor, but until then...

Let's start with the kitchen in the background... What exactly is this? I am at a complete and total loss.

Pretty self-explanatory kettle on a hook just outside the kitchen. This is what leads me to believe it might be a dining room, but who knows.

My current assumption based on other images that I've seen is that this is a fruit basket hanging on the wall as seen in Saint Luke Painting the Virgin by Derick Baegert (c1470). I could also be a straw hat, perhaps, but I'm leaning more toward a basket. [Edit: Okay, I believe Sasphyria is correct. It's a window! The tricks our eyes play on us sometimes. I believe I assumed it was something else was due to the perspective used in the room. Is it coming into the room or built into the wall going out? I think his use of perspective failed him in this part of the drawing. :D]

Just outside the kitchen is a curious piece of material hanging on a rod. Is this a towel? Some might argue it's her veil, but she appears to be wearing one currently. More questions...

A quick touch on the furniture and other odds and ends before venturing into their clothing in the next part...

I love the serving pan/pot at the bottom of this drawing. I am willing to surmise it is made of copper.[1] I would like to find something along these lines for our encampment, mostly because I think it looks neat and would help the overall feel of the living quarters. I have yet to find a specific name for it. I have seen pans along these lines at hobby stores being used as cake stands. They are normally in some version of silver (as seen below). You'd have to flip it over, add some handles and put the feet on the bottom. I found something that's supposed to have been from the 18th century, which is at least closer to this one (after silver stand). Now my husband claims that the join marks on the copper pan below are indicative of the normal construction methods used in medieval period for copper pans and pots.

Her chair has a strange construction. I don't know that I've seen many chairs made like this, but unless the representation is due to the artist's whimsy, the chair appears to have legs that are carved at roughly 135 degree angles instead of with straight legs crossed like an X at the hinge.

Playing Cards - Eventually I want a period-esque set of playing cards. I wonder what game they are supposed to be playing... I would hazard a guess that it was a game with tricks.

1 My husband knows way too much about the history of metals and all things that come from the ground, but then, that's what I'd hope a geologist would know. :D

A Young Lady's Hemd - Pattern and Measurements

2011-09-24T10:00:00.054-05:00

To begin with, the pattern I'm using doesn't require too many of my daughter's specific measurements other than her height and width (shoulder to shoulder). There is another possible pattern that I could be using, but I'm afraid it doesn't fit some of the female clothing styles that I've been finding (i.e., Cranach, etc.), therefore, at least for my daughter's hemd, I'm using my original pattern. Her other measurements can be used later as the hemd is in progress, which definitely helps in the production of children's clothing. They don't like to stand around getting measured any more than adults do.

I took a regular white cotton fabric and, using the 45" side (the narrow edge), I measured across the balls of her shoulders from the front and multiplied that by three. This is what I used for the front panel measurement. Then I used the same measurements for the back panel, therefore, making two identical rectangles.

She's getting wide enough in the shoulders that I can't simply fold the 45" fabric in half (as I was wont to do when she was a toddler), but at least I can use the excess left over from cutting the rectangles to make the sleeves and gussets. In fact, with my daughter's current size, I made a front rectangle, two 3/4 sleeves and two gussets from the same length of material. The gusset in the image to the right is larger than what I am actually going to use. I will show by how much in another post. I determined the size of the sleeves by draping the excess fabric over her the top of her shoulder and making sure there was enough room under the armpit that she could move freely. I then added more material that I could adjust later. This was really a guesstimate more than anything.

When cutting out the rectangles, the back panel of her dress left a long rectangular panel of material as excess, but I can use that in another project. I'm not going to waste fabric any more than they would have in period, but I digress. Back to her hemd. After I measured her width, I took the fabric and measured her length from the top of her shoulders to the floor making sure to account for seams and hems (I have it nearly 6 inches extra and pooling on the floor, but I determined it would be easier to make it shorter than longer and the extra length could be let out in the future as she gets taller!)

Btw, some people swear by cutting fabric with scissor and I'm afraid I'm not one of them. I tore the fabric along the 'cut lines' instead of using scissors. All of the lines are actually straight after I tug at them diagonally (on the bias) and bring them back into order. It's more expedient this way without sacrificing the end product. I will say though that the excess 'strings' that come with this method can sometimes be weird, but eventually they don't matter at all.

Oh, and for those of you that don't know (and I had to learn the hard way), there's a 'stretchy' direction on fabric, a non-stretchy direction and a really stretchy direction . If you grab a piece of material that still has the selvage, hold it in your hands so that the selvage is horizontal and give the material a few good tugs. It shouldn't go anywhere and should be tight. Don't just do it on the selvage, move a few inches down and with the fabric in the same orientation, give a few more tugs. It doesn't stretch. Yet if you turn the fabric 90 degrees and do the same tugging, the fabric stretches, even if only a little bit. This is the stretchy length of the fabric. The third direction, where you'd turn the fabric 45 degrees gives you the bias and it's really stretchy this direction. I've been given to understand that the variations in the fabrics stretchiness is based on the warp and weft. Without getting too technical, in weaving the warp threads are on the ones on the loom under great tension and the weft are the threads on the wound shuttle that you put through the warped threads. Therefore, in the fabric the warp refers to the threads that run with the selvage or the non-stretchy length and the weft are the others, the slightly stretchy side. I hope this is clearer than mud. :D

Next time, putting it all together...

... and I found an interesting article on Pleatwork Embroidery's website on a 15th century Pleatwork Hemd by Baroness Rainillt de Bello Marisco (for when I'm feeling adventurous...).

Making Shoes: Part 3.1 - The Last

2011-09-23T10:00:00.004-05:00

I determined while working on my daughter's felt slippers that I needed a last. I know of no one locally that is a wood carver, therefore, this was another skill set I was going to reluctantly attempt. I only say reluctantly, because I feel like I'm starting everything from scratch with next to no available skills and that's a hard road to follow sometimes. I did take a class a few years ago on carving a wooden spoon, so I do understand the mechanics. I have also researched wooden lasts and I came up with a few helpful sites.

Medieval Shoes
Medieval Lasts
Medieval Shoemaking Yahoo Group

I've determined that, even though I started this particular journey with them, poulaines are not my area of interest right now. I would prefer to work on mules, pattens, and Landsknecht cow-mouthed (or so I've seen them termed) shoes. Therefore, I've changed my shoe making focus to produce shoes of these types. It doesn't change the fact that I need a last for each person that needs a shoe. For now, since my feet have stopped growing, I'm going to make a last for my foot and go from there. I'll deal with my daughter's last when I feel more confident with making a last in the first place.

I've been given to understand that it's better to work with reasonably soft wood when making a last. Therefore, I'm going to work slowly through the first site I mentioned (Medieval Shoes) and go from there. This will likely take me quite some time to accomplish, but with the colder months approaching, hopefully I'll have plenty of time to do it.

Albrecht Dürer: Starting His Own Establishment (1495-1499)

2011-09-22T10:00:00.002-05:00

While still in Venice...

Noble Venetian [Une Noble Venitienne] (1495)

Virgin and Child before an Archway (1495)

St Jerome in the Wilderness (1495)

"On his return to Nuremberg in 1495, Dürer opened his own workshop (being married was a requirement for this)." [Wikipedia]

Five Landsknechts and an Oriental on Horseback (1495)

Abduction of a Woman (1495)

Female Nude from Behind (1495)

Lobster (1495)

Study of the Christ Child (1495)

The Ill-Assorted Couple or the Offer of Love (c1496)

Study of the Prodigal Son Amid the Swine

Prodigal Son Amid the Swine (c1496)

Study of a Man with a Drill (c1496)

The Men's Bath (c1496-97) - Analysis

Wittenberg Altarpiece: The Seven Sorrows of the Virgins (c1496-97)

Rustic Couple (1497)

Portrait of Dürer's Father, Albrecht (1497)

Self Portrait at 26 (1497)

Portrait of Oswalt Krel - Full Panel (1497)

Young Lady on Horseback with Landsknecht (c1497)

The Walk or Promenade (c1496-98)

The Greater Passion or Large Passion series was created over a period of time starting sometime in 1496-97 until around 1511 with various iterations of publications. This series contained approximately 11 woodcuts in the final production. During the production of this series, he also worked on many other series and projects.

The Greater Passion or Large Passion series: Christ Carrying the Cross (c1498-99)

The Apocalypse: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1498)

The Virgin on the Crescent Moon (1498)

The Rider (1498)

The Three Farmers (c1498)

The Cook and his Wife (c1498)

The Dream of the Doctor (c1498)

The Madonna with the Monkey (c1498-99)

Saint Sebastian on the Column (c1499)

The Drydock at Nuremberg (c1499)

Landsknecht Mule

2011-09-21T10:00:00.002-05:00

Just when you thought there couldn't be any more, there were even mules for those wide Landsknecht shoes, or cow-mouthed shoes. Excellent, no? :D

Recipes from the Kochbuch of Maria Stenglerin 1554 - Part 1

2011-09-20T10:00:00.006-05:00

As stated previously, I have no linguistic background, therefore, this is a very rough translation of a 16th century German cookbook from Augsburg using the help of an online translator, the Meister Eberhard's Kochbuch translation (15th cent) and Sabrina Welserrin's Kochbuch translation (c1553). I have provided the German as well as the English where I have deciphered the words.

Marckkrapffen
1 Item nimb schón mel vnnd ayr mach ain daig darauβ,
well in wol bis er nit mer klebt, darnach walgle ain Runds
pletzlen, Nimb ain marck von aim ochsen, thu klaine weinber
Zucker vnd Rerle darann vnnd lass gemach bachen.

Marrow Dumplings
1 Take flour and eggs. Make a dough,
roll it out well, it should not stick; afterward, it should be a thin flat round,
take the marrow of an oxen, put currant
sugar and cinnamon into it and let slowly bake.

Ain Basteten von kalbflaisch.
2 Item nimb ain stuckh kelberin flaisch, lass ain wal thon,
vnnd nimb ain halb pfund faystin ab dem nieren vom ochsen
hacks klain anainander, und nimb weinber, Imber, pfeffer, und
Saltz, Riers durch ainand, vnnd ain wenig saffren, thus dann
in ain hafen, vnd das helb von harten airn leg darein, vnnd
bestres woll mit Rerle vnd geus ain glesslin mit wein vnd
flaischprie darann vnnd lass allso backen.

A Pastry of Veal (Calf Flesh)
2 Take stuckh? strips of meat, let it come to a boil
and take a half pound fat from the kidney of oxen
chop them together, and take currant, ginger, pepper and
salt, stir it together and a little saffron, put it
in a pot, add to it the yellow of hard eggs and
season? well with cinnamon and pour a glesslin? with wine and
meat broth into it and let it also bake.

This recipe is similar to one in Sabrina Welserin's Cookbook [German / English] #60, which is as follows:

60 Ain pasteten von kalbflesch zú machen

Nempt das kelberin flesch hinden ain diech zú procken
vnnd seuds jn ainem wasser/ vngefarlich so lang man herte
air seudt, darnach nims heraus/ vnnd hack das flesch klain
vnnd nim ain faistin von ainem nieren vnnd schneids klain
vnnd hacks vnnder das kelberin/ vnnd wan es klaingehackt
jst/ so thú es jn ain schissel/ vnnd thú ain wenig ain wein
daran vnnd ain zimlichen schepfleffel voll fleschbrie daran,
pfeffer vnnd ain wenig múscatblie, die gantz seý, erdrucks
ain wenig mit den henden, das es ain wenig klain seý, thú
weinberlen daran vnnd saffern vnnd riers als mitt ainem leffel
dúrchainander, thú rerlach aúch daran vnnd versúchs,
wie dich gut dúnckt.

60 To make a veal pie

Take pieces of veal from the leg and boil them in water, about as long as it takes to hard boil an egg. Afterwards take them out and chop the meat small, and take suet from the kidneys and cut it small and chop it with the veal. And when it is finely chopped, then put it in a bowl and put some wine into it and an ample ladelful of broth , pepper and a little mace, which should be whole. Crush it a little by hand so that it in small pieces, put in it raisins and saffron and stir it all up together with a spoon, put cinnamon in it also, and taste it, however it seems good to you.

Taking Apart Images - Part 6 - Saint Luke Painting the Virgin by Derick Baegert

2011-09-19T10:00:00.013-05:00

Derick Baegert was a North Rhine/Westphalian painter who lived from about 1440-1515. There are estimates that this piece, Saint Luke Painting the Virgin, was produced c1470, while others claim c1485-90. In either case, this should be a reasonable study for this series. I have chosen to pay more attention to the objects within this painting than the clothing, though I will say that Saint Luke's outfit puts me in mind of winter and cold with all of his layers or perhaps he's layered because all the windows are open and they are sitting beside an open doorway.

The details in this painting that I wanted to mention are as follows:

The serving stein or Steinzeug-krug, though I'm uncertain if it would still be called a Steinzeug-krug as it looks to be made of metal, not stoneware.

Above the serving stein are glass containers. I'm uncertain what they would have contained, but considering the other objects on the cabinet, they were likely for wine or oil, perhaps another beverage or liquid used for cooking. There are recreations of these on the Medieval Design website (the image following the artwork detail).

I'm uncertain how to identify this next container, but it reminds me of crocks with lids.

I really liked this cherry basket. I have no idea whether its intention was only for cherries or for whatever fruit may have been in season, but it's a nice addition to the cabinet.

I'm uncertain what this decorative container would be called, but it is conspicuous with Greek lettering around its circumference (or I could be imagining things). Greek in origin?

His painter's palette [~8-9" (~20-23cm) in length and 5" (~12.5cm) in width] is a unique shape that I've never seen before, but then I'm not a painter. :)

A convex mirror [frame is perhaps 10" (~25cm) in diameter] hanging between windows.

Furniture time! What is this cabinet called? I love the lines and the shape of it, whatever it is. :) The scroll work under the upper shelf, the way the door hangs just a little open, the rectangular-cut 'paneling' along the back and sides.

And last, but not least, is his easle. From what little research I've done thus far, as I said I'm not an artist, easels haven't changed all that much since this period in time to now, which is comforting somehow.

Have you ever noticed that the further you get into the detail of a piece, the more questions you end up finding in your unending research list? I have not made an exhaustive study of this piece, but brought out some of the smaller details for later study.

Making Shoes (Poulaines): Step 2 - Felt Slippers

2011-09-18T10:00:00.082-05:00

Continuing from Step 1... now I have another duct taped foot from my always-patient daughter (she actually thought it was fun to make another duct taped foot!), which I stuffed with newspaper to give it the right shape.[1] I wanted to see what would happen if I used my original duct tape pattern to make a poulaine without using the last and what would happen using his methods and making a pattern from the last. I've been given to understand that the shoe is much less accurate without a last and that makes perfect sense, but I like to experiment. So...

Step 2a...

I took my original duct tape pattern and cut out two pieces of regular everyday felt you can buy from just about any hobby/craft store -- the really cheap stuff. I extended the toe on the pattern to make them more 'poulaine' in shape and realized after I was done that the patterns weren't going to line up exactly, but I figured it was felt. It was an easy fix compared to leather. Then I started to sew them together and realized I was sewing them the wrong side out (as you would turned shoes) and the London extant example shows the stitching on the outside, even if none of the artwork depictions indicate the same thing. Somehow I doubt that showing the seams on shoes was all that important to artists (they're only shoes). What's interesting is the site I was using for the construction of these shoes is also using the turned shoe method. Which is correct? According to Footwear of the Middle Ages, in defining a 'welt',

3. After about 1480, this refers to a narrow strip of leather placed outside the upper on a non-turned shoe [not inserted between like above with a turnshoe] and sewn simultaneously around the lasting margin (q.v.) of the upper during Inseaming [q.v.] joining it to the insole edge or to a "rib"(see "holdfast") raised on the flesh side of the insole near the edge. The sole is then stitched to this welt by a second seam. (see Welted Construction) [Thornton/Swann, 1983]. It is sometimes referred to as a "Rand"(2), when folded under after sewing, presenting a rolled edge. This continues into modern shoemaking where the welt refers to the strip that begins approximately at the heel-breast on one side and continues around the forepart, ending approximately at heel-breast on the other, and should not be confused with the Rand, the strip around the heel.

Further down the page when defining 'welt construction', he says,

2. This method of shoe construction appears to have been developed in Germany by around 1480 or so, and introduced to England by c.1500. These techniques formed the basis of all shoe-making well into the modern era, and, although no longer the mainstay of shoe-making in this era of exuded plastics and molds, this path is still followed by an impassioned minority.

So 'inseaming' is period for my era and place. Perfect.

In any case, I continued using the turned-based method (well, not strictly turned; it's material, I made a 1/4" seam). It was a really quick sewing project and before I had the toe completed, I wanted to test out the fit and, go figure, it didn't fit her arch, but then I thought that might be an issue in any case. We are a family of high-arched individuals, BUT it showed me that though freehand works, it's definitely not the most accurate.

Step 2b...

Next, I took more felt and used the duct-taped foot to make a new pattern. You have to be real careful with the duct-taped foot, because it's somewhat squishy. As long as it's not necessary to put a lot of pressure on it or to do anything to the duct-taped foot itself, it maintains its shape fairly well. Making the pattern this way was a bit more tricky. I had to drape the felt around the foot and make sure it was going to fit around the ankle to the heel as well as to the point of the toe without too many wrinkles. I can see why they tack the leather to the last to get this part to work correctly. Unfortunately, smoothing out the felt wasn't the hardest part, it was making the fabric match at the back of the heel and leaving enough for a seem at the bottom edge.

I figured out my pattern and cut out the felt. The upper was definitely larger than my original pattern, which is a good thing and was expected, though I may be over-compensating since I made the last one too small, but at least with the last I can use that to test my felt slipper's size instead of bugging my daughter. :D I sewed the upper and sole together, but, being inconsistent (I didn't sew the seam the same this time), the shoe was definitely larger than her foot, but with a little altering, I could make slippers like this to fit her feet. She could only wear shoes like this around the house, but she appears tickled by that idea.

My current conclusion is that I really need a wooden last if I'm going to make shoes the right way. Duct tape makes the job more difficult than it needs to be. A wooden last would make this job both easier and more consistent. I have very little carving skill, but that's going to have to be my next step if this project is going to move forward.

1. My husband suggested using plaster of Paris to fill the duct-taped foot, but my only concern would be maintaining the shape of her foot while it set. Also, I didn't want to chance the duct tape leaking. Maybe I'll make a third foot to experiment with the plaster, but at this point, I think it would simply be a waste of time.