Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) - Cosmographia Universalis - I Cavalieri Teutonici e Guerre in Prussia e Polonia - 1550

This original sheet is a precious Renaissance page taken from the inner sections of the third book in the Latin edition of 1550 of Sebastian Münster's Cosmographia universalis, printed in Basel by the publisher Heinrich Petri. The front of the page (which bears at the top the heading LIBER III and page numbering p. 929) dives into the cruel and prolonged military campaigns in the Prussian territories. The Latin text retraces the deeds of the Teutonic Knights, describing the founding of Königsberg (Kunigsperg) under King Ottokar of Bohemia (regis Octocari) and the subsequent, very hard uprisings of the Prussians who rejected Christianity (abiecto Christianismo). Münster narrates in meticulous detail the siege of various strongholds and the misdeeds perpetrated by Duke Swantopolk of Pomerania (Suandepolcus), harshly condemned for his impiety. The visual composition of the front is enriched by two splendid woodcuts: the first showing in full figure the solemn figure of a warrior in traditional dress armed with a scimitar, while the second depicts a dramatic clash between armored knights. Of extraordinary collecting interest are the typographical notes and contemporary marginal glosses (Regius mons, Abiciunt Pruteni Christianismum, Suandepolci impietas, Stratagema) aimed at highlighting the crucial turning points of the narrative. Turning the page, the back bears the header DE GERMANIA (p. 930) and continues the development of the dense military chronicle tied to the Teutonic Order. The text examines the relocation of the magistral seat to Marienburg and the succession of the Grand Masters (Curia magistri fratrum Teutonicorū), mentioning also the fate of the Knights Templar and the Hospitalers after the loss of Acre (Templarijs redeunt à terra sancta). The narrative culminates in the in-depth description of the wars against the Lithuanians under King Kęstutis (Rex Kinstut euadit) and, above all, in the famous and devastating Battle of Grunwald in 1410 (Bellum anno 1410), which pitted the frontal clash between the imposing Teutonic armies and the Polish-Lithuanian forces supported by the Tartars. The page is solemnly enriched by important typographical marginal glosses that guide the reader through the strategies of warfare, the complex dynastic balances of eastern Europe, and the profound changes of the peoples of the Earth through the centuries.

Dimensions 30 x 20 cm
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