A German Miscellany

Overview

This is a manuscript collection of miscellaneous writings from a German man names Hans Schwartz. It was written in the mid-to-late 1500s as noted by two dates on one of the introductory pages-1r (1568 and 1593). There are 11 “works” or different entries followed by four business entries about payments and purchases. It's a manuscript that appears to be the personal journal of Hans Schwartz that he kept for more than 20 years.

Historical Context

14th Century Europe

This miscellany was written in Rothenburg ob Tauber in the southern region of Bavaria, Germany. From the middle ages to the late 1800s this city was considered a "free imperial city" which means it was only subordinate to the Holy Roman Emperor rather than a territorial prince or ruler. This distinction gave the city more autonomy than most during this time period.

Manuscript Culture in Early Modern Europe

In order to fully understand the context in which this book sits it's important to look at the history and culture of manuscripts in 14th century Europe. The period of 1568-1593 situates itself solidly in the European Renaissance period. Despite the boom in book-printing in Germany during this time, Schwartz chose to write this manuscript. This is due to the nature of the book he was producing. Instead of a novel or history book, Schwartz used his blank book as a catch-all for information he thought was important at the time. Because of this, there is no real cohesion or order to it.

Contextual Analysis

Entries 1-11

There are 11 “works” or different entries followed by four business entries about payments and purchases. Entry 1 seems to be an introduction to basic math with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. Entry 2 focuses on agriculture and has multiple short pieces on gardening and the medicinal use of herbs and plants. Schwartz seems to have borrowed writings from Johannes Mesue to talk about barley and rhubarb in this same section. Entry 3 is a group of witty rhymed verses that were probably used in an educational function, and range in topic from religious to civic or patriotic. Entry 4 describes a peasant uprising and beheadings in 1525 in a small town in Bavaria. Historians believe this entry was part of a larger body of work because it appears to be missing the beginning and end. Entry 5 is a straightforward Christian prayer that describes core beliefs. Entry 6 is a poem written by Hanns Weber of Nuremberg that details a two-week flood and tells Christians to be ready for judgment day. Entry 7 is a history of events that are relevant to Rothenburg ob Tauber, the town where this book was presumably written. Entry 8 is similar to entry 4 in that it gives an account of the same peasant uprising but looks at how it affected Rothenburg and gives a list of names of fugitives who escaped the town. Entry 9 is a song about the peasant revolution but names it the “Franconian Peasant War” and describes the events that lead to the uprising. Lastly, entries 10 and 11 concern the marriage of the author (Hans Schwartz) to Margaretta Wolffen. They contain writings from the local deacon (Niclaus Schmidt), a guest list, and business statements from the inn the couple stayed at.

Material Analysis

It contains 86 leaves of paper that were presumably once white but have aged and browned over time. A new, modern library cover has been placed over the leaves so no conclusions can be drawn about form or function from the cover. The edges of the paper are ripped, torn, and worn down leading me to assume this book was frequently used by Schwartz over the 25 years. The original text was written by Schwartz in German with black ink in flowery cursive handwriting but throughout the book, other handwriting and marks can be identified. There is pencil underlining certain words and was also used to make small marginal notes/words and to add page numbers to the upper right corner of pages. These marks are more modern given their use of pencil and most likely were added by a library or collector decades after Schwartz wrote in it.