Summary:
The Excellente Cronike van Vlaenderen is a history on the county of
Flanders and the lives of its rulers, written by Anthonis de
Roovere (d. 1482), city poet of Bruges. It is a continuation of
earlier historiographical genealogical writings that run until the
1420s, and was extended and rewritten several times during the
tumultuous fifteenth century by members of the elite in the major
Flemish cities, suspicious of the growing power of the dukes of
Burgundy. This copy contains the so-called Bruges redaction,
running up until the 1480s. The text is presented in two columns
per page and written in a cursive script. Initials are mainly in
red, occasionally in blue, and red ink is also used to underline
titles, add rubrics, and emphasize initials. The upper margin has
been cropped to such extent, that it is nearly completely missing.
In between the text the heraldic coats of arms of the several
Flemish counts and countesses can be found. Four full page drawings
have been added to the more recent events, showing (f. 361v) Mary
of Burgundy on horseback, surrounded by the coats of arms of her
principalities; (f. 378r) the capture of Cambrai by the French in
1477, with the imperial coat of arms above the city gate being
replaced by the French; (f. 384r) Maximilian courting Mary; and (f.
400v) Maximilian being admitted to knighthood. The binding is
modern and consists of parchment over cardboard. The manuscript was
owned by the Bruges collector Willem Deys (1760-1828), and after
his death acquired by the Public Library Bruges at an auction.
[Summary by Dr. Mark Vermeer] Title:
[Excellente cronike van Vlaenderen en Gedicht op de bijeenkomst van
Frederik III en Karel de Stoute] Topic general subdivision:
Geschiedenis Material:
Artikelen Extent:
409 ff. + xx
26 x 19 cm Script:
romein
grieks
Karolingische minuskel Genre/form:
Geschiedschrijving
