bavarikon4UDescription
One of the most magnificent official record books that survives from the imperial city of Regensburg is the Red Book of Privileges. Bound in red leather with metal clasps, the cartulary was created in the 15th century and contains copies of the most important privileges and freedoms in the period from the 12th to the 15th century that were granted to the city of Regensburg, its citizens and its merchants by dukes, kings, emperors and the pope.
More than fifty colourful miniatures, some in gold, indicate how important this cartulary must have been for the image of the city. Almost every ruler has their own portrait. For Ludwig IV the Bavarian (died 1347), for example, there are three miniatures: one simple portrait shows him as duke, a grander one as king and a striking portrait in gold as emperor.
After an extensive table of contents, the book starts with a bull issued by Pope Pius II (1458-1464) on 2 December 1458, which confirms the city's privileges and freedoms. There is then a German translation of the bull followed by further entries.
German translations are included for most of the Latin affirmations of rights copied into the book. At the end of the cartulary are tables of contents for the Schwarzes and Gelbes Stadtbuch (Black and Yellow City Books), both of which are also still extant. The images of those two books represent almost exactly how the originals look.
Author
Astrid Riedler-Pohlers