1552 Munster Leaf Denmark Schleswig St.Ansgar

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1552 Description of Denmark from "Cosmographia" by Sebastian Münster
Lombards, Viking Age, St. Ansgar, Schleswig
Two Woodcut Pictures

Single authentic woodcut leaf from "Cosmographia" by Sebastian Münster. Latin edition; Basel printing house of Sebastian Heinrich-Petri 1552. Book IV ("De regnis Septentrion"), pages 817/8.

Sebastian Münster (1488-1552) was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and Hebrew scholar whose Cosmographia (1544; "Cosmography") was the earliest German description of the world and a major work - after the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493 - in the revival of geographic thought in 16th-century Europe. Altogether, about 40 editions of the Cosmographia appeared during 1544-1628. Although other cosmographies predate Münster's, he is given first place in historical discussions of this sort of publication, and was a major influence on his subject for over 200 years.

In nearly all works about Münster, his Cosmographia is given pride of place. Despite this, we still lack a detailed survey of its contents from edition to edition, during the years 1544 to 1628, and an account of its influence on a wide range of scientific disciplines. Münster obtained the material for his book in three ways. He used all available literary sources. He tried to obtain original manuscript material for description of the countryside and of villages and towns. Finally, he obtained further material on his travels (primarily in south-west Germany, Switzerland, and Alsace). Cosmographia contained not only the latest maps and views of many well-known cities, but included an encyclopaedic amount of detail about the known - and unknown - world and undoubtedly must have been one of the most widely read books of its time. Aside from the well-known maps and views present in the Cosmographia (including the first separate printed map of the Western Hemisphere), the text is thickly sprinkled with vigorous woodcuts: portraits of kings and princes, costumes and occupations, habits and customs, flora and fauna, monsters and horrors. Münster divided his material into six books. Book I is a useful summary of astronomical-mathematical and physical geography. Book II deals with England, Spain, France, and Italy. Book III deals with Germany and surrounding lands. Book IV embraces northern, eastern, and south-eastern Europe. Books V (Asia and America) and VI (Africa) are of modest proportions.

This authentic leaf from the early Latin edition of Cosmographia deals with Demark and N Germany. Page 817 (first part) talks about the Lombards (Longobardi) - one of the Germanic tribes which originally came from Denmark. By the end of the 5th century they had moved into the area roughly coinciding with modern Austria north of the Danube River. Thereafter follows description of the Viking period. The text mentions Harald I Bluetooth (911-986), who unified all Denmark, conquested Norway, and Christianized the Danes. Münster writes about St. Ansgar (Anschar), called the Apostle of the North, first archbishop of Hamburg, and the patron saint of Scandinavia.

Page 818 talks about Schleswig - a historic and cultural region occupying the southern Jutland Peninsula north of the Eider River and now encompassing the northern half of Schleswig-Holstein Land in northern Germany and Sonderjylland amtskommune in southern Denmark. Schleswig became a Danish duchy in the 12th century and remained a fief associated with Denmark until it was forcibly annexed by Prussia in 1866. The text mentions Henry the Fowler - German king and founder of the Saxon dynasty (918-1024), whose last campaign, an invasion of Denmark (934), added Schleswig to the German state. His son, Otto I the Great required Harold I to recognize him as lord protector of the Danish church. The Danes replied to this demand with a declaration of war. The devastating expeditions, which were pushed as far as the Lymfjord, enabled the emperor to beat down all opposition (972), and to compel Harold not only to conclude peace but to accept baptism.

The leaf contains two woodcut pictures:

• Royal regalia (crown and sceptre)
• Otto I

Page measures 8.25 x 12.25 inches. Wide margins suitable for framing. Printed on laid paper. The leaf is in very good condition. Imperfections: browning; minor staining in margins. Will look great with a mat and frame.

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