Johannes Trithemius. Eyn schone Cronica vo[m] Erstem urspru[n]ck u[n]d ufwachsen der Fra[n]cken wie Sie in Deutsch Landt komen (A Compelling Story of the First Emergence and Development of the Franks as They Came into the German Land).
[Speyer: Johans Eckhart, 1522]. 

Folio. [8] + 119 + [5] pages. 295 x 204 mm. Modern binding covered with early printed pages.

This handsome book is a German translation by Jacob Schenk of Trithemius’ De origine gentis Francorum compendium (Compendium on the Origin of the Frankish People), written in 1514 but not printed in its original Latin until 1574. Trithemius’ approach to history was highly traditional in that he did not hesitate to bolster the credibility of his narrative by inventing sources and making outrageous claims. Much of this work is allegedly based on the chronicle of Hunibald, a product of Trithemius’ own fertile imagination. He follows earlier historians in alleging the Trojan origins of the Franks, extending the argument to suggest a Trojan lineage for the Hapsburg monarchs. Shown here is the title page with its hand-colored woodcut featuring Frankish kings.