Von Aventin - Annalium Boiorum - 1554

First Edition - Ducati, Bavarian Chronicles and Legends: History as a Political Weapon
First edition of the first significant history of a region in Germany, which preserves some ancient texts that would otherwise have been lost, although some critical passages regarding the papacy were deleted. Aventino (1477-1534) was commissioned by Guglielmo IV of Bavaria to write a history of Bavaria, and although the text was completed in 1521, it was only printed in 1554, twenty years after his death.
The book was included in the Index of Forbidden Books in 1564 and was criticized by Cardinal Baronio.
A masterpiece of sixteenth-century German historiography, the Annales Boiorum by Joachim von Aventin represent one of the earliest major attempts at a comprehensive history of Bavaria, from its mythical founding to the early sixteenth century. Published in Ingolstadt in 1554, these seven books recount the origins and deeds of the Bavarian people with an extensive, learned, and humanistic style, under the protection of the emperor. The edition is of great typographic and political significance, granted with a ten-year privilege and printed by the heirs of one of the most important workshops in the German region.
Market value
The first edition of the Annales Boiorum is rare and highly sought after by collectors of Germanic historiography and historical humanism. Estimated at auction between GBP 5,000 and GBP 7,000. Copies with contemporary binding and significant provenance can fetch higher values, especially if complete and well preserved. Interest focuses on the combination of historical significance and typographic quality.

Physical description and condition
Beautiful pigskin leather binding on wooden boards, with cold-pressed frames and plates, six-section back with missing parts and signs of wear, decorated brass clasps, present and intact. Frontispiece with a poetic composition by Abraham Löscheri. Portrait on the first pages. Marginal signs of wear, reinforcements on the spine, and small wormholes in some pages, overall well preserved. Woodcut initials. Pages (2); 60 numbered pages. 835.

Full title and author
Joachim von Aventin
Seven books of Annalium Boiorum by Ioanne Aventino.
Ingolstadt, Alexander & Samuel Weissenhorn, 1554

Context and Significance
The Annales of Aventin are one of the foundational works of modern German historiography. Written in classical Latin according to humanist standards, the seven books describe the history of ancient and medieval Bavaria, with references to genealogy, military deeds, institutions, and religion. Aventin constructs a historical identity for the Bavarians, linking them to ancient Germanic tribes and offering a patriotic yet cultivated view of their evolution. The work was conceived in a context of reevaluating regional autonomies within the Holy Roman Empire and demonstrates a strong focus on using historiography as a political tool.

Author Biography
Joachim von Aventin (1477–1534), born Johann Turmair, was one of the most important historians and humanists of 16th-century Germany. He studied in Ingolstadt, Vienna, Kraków, and Paris, later becoming the official chronicler of the Dukes of Bavaria. In addition to the Annales, he wrote pedagogical and genealogical works. Although his work faced resistance due to his independent positions regarding the Church and the Empire, he was celebrated for the accuracy and elegance of his prose. After his death, the manuscript of the Annales was published only twenty years later.

Printing history and circulation
Printed in December 1554 in Ingolstadt by the brothers Alexander and Samuel Weissenhorn, the work was published posthumously thanks to the support of humanist circles and ducal authority. This first edition received the imperial privilege for printing, granted for ten years. Subsequent editions followed in the 17th and 18th centuries, but the edition princeps remains the reference for scholars and collectors.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
VD16 A 4291
Adams A 2295
Graesse I, 260
Brunet I, 578
Biographical Dictionary of German Humanists
Franz Bosbach, Aventinus and Bavarian historiography, Munich, 1980.