Von dem Teutschen Landt. Contrafehtung der Statt Nürnberg.

Title

Von dem Teutschen Landt. Contrafehtung der Statt Nürnberg.

Depiction of the city of Nuremberg around 1550 in Franconia. The coat of arms of Nuremberg below.

ca. 1550

Artist

Münster (1489-1552)

Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) was a leading Renaissance cosmographer. His most famous work, the Cosmographia (1544), was a comprehensive description of the world with 24 maps, based on research dating back to 1528. Continuously revised, the 1550 edition already included many new maps. It was the first scientific yet accessible world description published in German, illustrated with numerous woodcuts by artists such as Hans Holbein the Younger. Between 1544 and 1650, the Cosmographia appeared in 46 editions (27 in German) and was translated into several languages. Münster’s work combined the knowledge of scholars, artists, and travelers and remained influential long after his death.

Historical Description

Nuremberg is an independent city in the administrative district of Middle Franconia in the Free State of Bavaria. When the city was founded is not handed down, it could have been between 1000 and 1040 in the course of securing the border area between Saxony, Bavaria, East Franconia and Bohemia at the intersection of important roads. With the Great Letter of Freedom, King Frederick II made Nuremberg a Free Imperial City in 1219. Many emperors liked to choose Nuremberg as their place of residence, including Charles IV, who issued the Golden Bull in Nuremberg in 1356. In 1423, King Sigismund gave the imperial regalia to the city, which kept them until the beginning of the 19th century. The years between 1470 and 1530 are generally considered the city's heyday - despite recurring feuds and conflicts with knights such as Götz von Berlichingen and Conz Schott von Schottenstein, which were, however, stopped after 1512 by the army of the Franconian Imperial Circle. Many emperors liked to choose Nuremberg as a place to stay, including Charles IV, who issued the Golden Bull in Nuremberg in 1356. In 1423, King Sigismund gave the imperial regalia to the city, which kept them until the beginning of the 19th century. The years between 1470 and 1530 are generally considered the city's heyday - despite recurring feuds and conflicts with knights such as Götz von Berlichingen and Conz Schott von Schottenstein, which were, however, stopped after 1512 by the army of the Franconian Imperial Circle. The wealth of the city came from the excellent craftsmanship as well as the favorable location as a trading center in the middle of Europe. During the Thirty Years' War, the area around Nuremberg was the scene of a war of position between the warring parties that lasted for several years. In 1792, the Kunstverein Nuremberg, Germany's first art association, was founded. From 1796 to 1806, after pressure from the Prussian administration in neighboring Ansbach, Nuremberg finally submitted to Prussian rule. The treaty was not executed because Prussia was deterred by Nuremberg's debts. In 1803, Nuremberg nevertheless initially continued to remain independent until French troops occupied Nuremberg after the signing of the Treaty of the Confederation of the Rhine and the end of the Old Empire.In 1806, the French army finally handed the city over to the Kingdom of Bavaria, which immediately installed a civil administration and administratively incorporated the city into the kingdom. In 1806, the Kingdom of Bavaria took over the exorbitant debts of the Imperial City of Nuremberg as part of the overall Bavarian national debt and thus ensured their consolidation and repayment. With Count Montgelas in 1817, Nuremberg again received its own magistrate and mayor in May 1818.