bavarikon4UDescription
Conrad Grünenberg was an important burgher and knight and a descendant of a patrician dynasty from Konstanz, located on Lake Constance in southwestern Germany. There is no evidence for the exact date of his birth or death. His name first appears when he is mentioned as a builder commissioned by the town of Konstanz in 1442. Grünenberg occupied himself with heraldry and composed an armorial that came to bear his name. Several copies later were produced from Grünenberg's original autograph copy, one of which is this splendid manuscript from the Bavarian State Library. Grünenberg was a member of the town council of Konstanz in 1454-62 and several times was elected mayor. In 1465 he and his brother John were appointed to serve Emperor Frederick III. From 1468 onwards he bore the title of a knight. On April 22, 1486, Grünenberg reportedly left on a pilgrimage to Palestine. The Habsburg medal of Saint George is said to have decorated his coat of arms. Grünenberg's armorial includes illustrations, with explanatory text, of the coats of arms of heroes, Roman kings and emperors, electors, dukes, free cities, European princes, non-European princes and colonies, other high nobility, and tournaments and tournament societies, as well as various legendary coats of arms.