Project F1

Literary Culture and Historical Tradition in the Late Middle Ages

Director: Prof. Dr. Peter Johanek

The project is concerned with the functions of written historical tradition within social groups and institutions during the late medieval period. Based upon the manuscript tradition, common forms of usage and embodiement of historiographical texts will be elaborated. The work concentrates on:

1. the different types of authors of historiography that can be assigned to the different institutions: court, town, monastery, school, etc.
2. the various forms of historical tradition in their respective function: political and legal argumentation, political propaganda, aristocratic self-representation, scholarly discussion with the historiographical tradition.

The focus lies on the Flores temporum, a papal-imperial chronicle from the end of the 13th century that served as wide-spread handbook of universal history. The exemplary study of the manuscript tradition of a text such as this allows an analysis of the recipients as well as of the various interests and circumstances of usage.