The Annalista Saxo ("Saxon annalist") is the anonymous author of an important

imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

chronicle, believed to have originated in the mid-12th century at Nienburg Abbey in the

Duchy of Saxony The Duchy of Saxony ( nds, Hartogdom Sassen, german: Herzogtum Sachsen) was originally the area settled by the Saxons in the late Early Middle Ages, when they were subdued by Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 772 and incorporated into the C ...

General

The chronicle of the "Annalista Saxo" is a collection of dates and facts about the medieval German monarchs ( Kings of the Romans) and their

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

predecessors, beginning in the year 741 and continued until 1142. The

codex The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...

was created between 1148 and 1152. The anonymous author had more than 100 sources at his disposal, including some which no longer exist. The entries are arranged chronologically by year. The identity of the chronicler, sometimes identified with Abbot Arnold of Nienburg (d. 1166), has not been conclusively established.Nass 2006 The volume contains 237

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves, and goats. It has been used as a writing medium for over two millennia. Vellum is a finer quality parchment made from the skins of ...

pages. The binding is from the 16th century. The book was restored in 1993. The cover is of brown cow's leather, the spine of

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anima ...

, and the content includes 16 ornamental initials. The original of the "Annalista Saxo" is today in the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. It is very fragile and is kept securely; a

facsimile A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, Old master print, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from ...

is on display. It is unknown how the volume came to be in France.

Editions

* Klaus Nass, editor. ''Die Reichschronik des Annalista Saxo'', Munich 2006, new edition with comprehensive registers ( MGH Scriptores 37). *

Georg Waitz Georg Waitz (9 October 1813 – 24 May 1886) was a German medieval historian and politician. Waitz is often spoken of as the leading disciple of Leopold von Ranke, though perhaps he had more affinity with Georg Heinrich Pertz or Friedrich Christo ...

, editor. MGH Scriptores 6 (Hannover 1844
pp. 542-777

References

External links

{{Authority control 12th-century history books 12th-century Latin books 12th-century German historians German chronicles German chroniclers People from Saxony-Anhalt

General

Editions

References

Further reading

External links