bavarikon4URudolf von Ems, Weltchronik (World Chronicle)
Cgm 8345 is the oldest completely preserved manuscript of the "Weltchronik" among more than 100 text witnesses. Written by several scribes in simple writing towards the end of the 13th century in Freiburg im Breisgau, the "Weltchronik", a body of text with 33,478 verses, is the last of Rudolf von Ems' (ca. 1200 - ca. 1250) works; the entire late medieval world chronicle in German dates back to this. The main sources were the Bible and the "Historia scholastica" by Petrus Comestor (died 1179).
The "Weltchronik" is divided into six ages. Although the history of salvation from creation to Solomon forms the main strand, important events in secular history are also touched on: as the history of the rulers, it leads from the kings of the Old Testament via the history of Troy and Rome to the Hohenstaufen empire. Rudolf links its relevance to the present day with a song of praise for King Conrad IV. (1250-1254), who commissioned him to write the "Weltchronik".
The codex images, 65 unframed drawings in the margins, are particularly interesting: as the only one of the world chronicles that was illustrated, it contains profane images of praise for the Rhine towns and the Hohenstaufen genealogy. A leaf in front of the chronicle is decorated with two large opaque miniatures.
