Johann Mechtel was a chronicler; b. 1562 in Pfalzel near Trier (Germany); d. after 1631, perhaps as late as 1653 in Trier. He is often named Pfalzel after his native town where he first studied and then went to the

University of Trier The University of Trier (german: Universität Trier), in the German city of Trier, was founded in 1473. Closed in 1798 by order of the then French administration in Trier, the university was re-established in 1970 after a hiatus of some 172 y ...

, conducted by the Jesuits, where the historian Christopher Brote acquired a lasting influence over him. After his ordination (about 1587), he was appointed pastor at Eltz, near Limburg; in 1592 he became canon at Limburg and as such administered for two years the troublesome parish of Camberg. In 1604 he was appointed dean, but soon got into difficulties with his canons and finally, by request of the elector of Trier in order to restore peace, he resigned, and accepted the canonry at St. Paulinus in Trier. In Limburg as well as in Trier he studied history, and collected documents, records and inscriptions on monuments. Many of his sources are now lost. Of his writings may be mentioned: ''Limburg Chronicle'', the ''Pagus Lohenahe'', and the ''Introductio in Pagum Lohenahe''. His chief work, the ''Limburg Chronicle'', was begun in 1610 and finished in 1612, but it was not edited until 1757 by

Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim (January 27, 1701 – September 2, 1790) was a German historian and theologian. He is remembered as Febronius, the pseudonym under which he wrote his 1763 treatise ''On the State of the Church and the Legitimate Powe ...

in his ''Prodromus historiae Trevirensis'', II, 1046-1166. This edition, marked by many mistakes and omissions, was published in its entirety by Knetsch, in the ''Publications of the Historical Commission for Nassau'', VI (Wiesbaden, 1909). It is a revision and continuation of the old Limburg chronicle, begun by the town clerk, Tilemann, but utilizes also many other sources both printed and unprinted. Mechtel utilizes various accounts which contain information as to social conditions, the price of corn and wine, the cultivation of the vine, climatic conditions and wages. Both his other works are as yet unpublished; Knetsch reviews their contents in his edition of the chronicle X-XVI.

References

;Attribution cites: *, (Wiesbaden, 1909), I-XXV. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mechtel, J 1562 births Chroniclers from the Holy Roman Empire 17th-century German historians Year of death unknown 17th-century German male writers 17th-century writers in Latin