bavarikon4UBaumann, Franz Ludwig: Geschichte des Allgäus und weitere Werke (History of the Allgäu and other Works)
Franz Ludwig Baumann (1846-1915) was an archivist and historian. In addition to important source editions as part of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica (MGH), several fundamental works on the history of Bavarian-Swabia, including the monumental Geschichte des Allgäus (History of the Allgäu), originated with him.
Baumann came from Leutkirch and studied history in Munich. From 1872 to 1895, he worked as Fürstlich-Fürstenbergischer Archivar (princely-Fürstenberg archivist) in Donaueschingen and then moved to the former Reichsarchiv (imperial archive) in Munich, of which he was director from 1903 until his death in 1915. A career at the University of Munich failed several times for political reasons, since Baumann was close to opposition political Catholicism. In 1908, he was raised to the knighthood.
Baumann is still known as the publisher of numerous mediaeval sources and as author of ancillary scientific treatises. In 1912, he published a treatise on the documents of the Benediktbeuern monastery until 1270. He also edited the mediaeval necrologies from the dioceses of Augsburg, Konstanz, Chur, Brixen, Freising and Regensburg as part of the MGH.
Baumann’s History of the Allgäu was published in three volumes from 1881 to 1890, covering the period from protohistory to around 1800. Volume 1 deals with history up to the thirteenth century. In the second volume follow the Late Middle Ages, in the third the Early Modern Period. A fourth volume on the nineteenth century was published in 1938 by Josef Rottenkolber (1890-1970). The Geschichte des Allgäus is still an indispensable older standard work for the Allgäu. Beyond the framework of historical events, Baumann also deals with legal, social, economic, ecclesiastical and art historical questions, i.e. with a remarkably broad spectrum in terms of content. Particularly noteworthy are the numerous illustrations and sketches.
In 1899, Baumann published an anthology entitled Forschungen zur schwäbischen Geschichte (Researches on Swabian History), which combines a number of important essays.
>> This collection is part of the holdings of the Bayerische Staatsbiblitohek (Bavarian State Library).