Conrad Justinger was a 14th-century chronicler who was probably born in
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
.
[Bergier, p. 59.]
Justinger, who had learned the trade of a chronicler in his home town, appears to have moved to the city of
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
in the last quarter of the 14th century.
[Bergier, p. 59.] From 1390 until his death, Justinger served the city of Bern as a magistrate and notary public.
[Bergier, p. 59.]
In 1388, Justinger copied
Jakob Twinger von Königshofen
Jacob Königshofen (more properly Jakob Twinger von Königshofen) (1346 – 27 December 1420) was a German chronicler.
Jacob was born at Königshofen, then a village near, and now a district of, Strasburg, in Alsace, but only a few details of ...
’s treatise ''
Computus Novus Chirometralis
As a moveable feast, the date of Easter is determined in each year through a calculation known as (). Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon on or after 21 March (a fixed approxi ...
''. Justinger’s handwriting furthermore appears in a number of chancellery documents of the city of Bern, such as the ''Udelbuch'' from 1390, the ''Satzungenbuch'' (German: ‘Statutes Book’) from 1398, the ''Freiheitenbuch'' (German: ‘Book of Liberties’) from 1431 as well as a
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
urbarium
An urbarium (german: Urbar, English: ''urbarium'', also ''rental'' or ''rent-roll'', pl, urbarz, sk, urbár, hu, urbárium), is a register of fief ownership and includes the rights and benefits that the fief holder has over his serfs and peasant ...
written after 1415.
[Keeling.] In 1420, Justinger, who was appointed chronicler of the city of Bern around 1400, was entrusted by the Bernese council to chronicle the history of his hometown.
[Müller, p. 758.] This chronicle, which Justinger completed in 1430, is known under the name of ''
Bernese Chronicle
The ''Bernese Chronicle'' (German: ''Chronik der Stadt Bern'') contains information about the early history of the city of Bern, Switzerland.
The ''Bernese Chronicle'' was composed in 1430 by Conrad Justinger from Bern.Zahnd, Urs M. “Erläuteru ...
'' (German: ''Chronik der Stadt Bern'').
[Keeling.]
Conrad Justinger, whose name was frequently omitted in later publications of the ''Bernese Chronicle'', probably died childless in April 1438.
[Müller, p. 758.]
The original is lost, but a copy of the text survives in
Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
. The original may have been illustrated; if so, that would make it the precursor of the late 15th century
Swiss illustrated chronicles
Several illustrated chronicles were created in the Old Swiss Confederacy in the 15th and 16th centuries. They were luxurious illuminated manuscripts produced for the urban elite of Bern and Lucerne, and their copious detailed illustrations allow a ...
.
References
*Bergier, Jean-François. ''Wilhelm Tell: Realität und Mythos''. München: Paul List Verlag, 1990.
*
*Müller, P. L. “Konrad Justinger.” ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' 14 (1881): 758-759.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Justinger, Conrad
14th-century births
1438 deaths
Writers from Strasbourg
Writers from Bern
Swiss chroniclers
15th-century Swiss historians