Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) - Cosmographia Universalis - La Battaglia di Sempach e il Duca Leopoldo III d'Asburgo - 1550

This original sheet is a precious Renaissance page taken from the Latin edition of 1550 of Sebastian Münster's Cosmographia universalis, printed in Basel by the publisher Heinrich Petri and part of Liber III dedicated to Germany. The text and the related woodcut portrait document the fierce 14th- and 15th-century struggles for the independence of the Swiss territories against neighboring feudal powers. The narrative opens with the famous Battle of Sempach of 1386 (Pugna Sempacensis), a turning point in which the Swiss Confederates defeated the Austrian troops; the episode is visually marked by the woodcut portrait of Duke Leopoldo III d'Asburgo (Dux Lupoldus), who lost his life on the battlefield together with numerous nobles of the Habsburg coalition. The chronicle continues by analyzing the subsequent war devastations in the nearby valley of Glarona (Glarani) and the siege of Nidau, before delving into the complex events of the Appenzell Wars (Bellum inter abbatem S. Galli & Abbacellenfes). It describes the long conflict that erupted in 1397 between the Abbot of the powerful monastery of Saint Gall and the shepherds of the Appenzell communities, who, joining in a rebellious league and later forging a tactical alliance with the Swiss Confederation, managed to resist feudal military expeditions and sack the fortresses of the Rhine valley.

Dimensions 30 x 20 cm
Verrà spedito per mezzo di corriere