Bavaria

Sources from old books

1635. Historia mundi: or Mercator's atlas. London. by Gerhard Mercator.

THE DVKEDOME OF BAVARIA. The second Circle of the Empire. (Book Bavaria) WE come now to Bavaria, which were so called by the addition of one letter from the Avarians the remainder of the Hunnes,* 1.1 who having droven out the Noricians seated themselves in that Countrie, and also Bojaria from the Bojans a people of Gallia Cis•lpina, who sometime dwelt heere: it is commonly called Beyeren. It hath on the East A•stria, on the West Sucvia: on the South 〈◊〉 Rhetian A•pes:* 1.2 and on the North Franconia. The length is 29 Germane miles. The breadth five and twentie. The ayre is very wholesome,* 1.3 and the Countrie very pleasant: and generally very fruitefull, but yet it hath no great store of Wine nor Corne: but in some places it hath a ••••e of shar•e hedge Win.* 1.4 The richer Wines are brought thither out of Alsaia, Franc••to, and Austria. There is great store of Cor•e about Ra•ispon and Landshat. Moreover, it hath abundance of S•l•, fruite, Iron, Cattle, Fowle, wil •e beasts, and all things necessarie to life. It doth breede great store of Sw••e, which feede on •cornes and crabbes,* 1.5 so that as Hungarie fur•isheth other Countries with Oxen, so this Countrie furnisheth most parts of Europe with Swine. And besides Beares, Boares, and other kindes of wilde beasts, it hath great heards of Deere, which they cannot hunt without the Princes leave. In the yeare 1562, on the 22 day of August, there was a Hart taken in Bavaria, of so large a body, that it weighed 625 pound. The Nariscians, Vindelicians, and Noritians were formerly seated here. The Nariscians, whom Aventinus calleth Nortgew, and Melanchton Narcaw, are divided from the rest by the River •anubius. The Vindelicians according to the auncients Description, are situated betweene the Rhaetians and Noricians. Rhaetia is twofold, the one is larger containing the Vindelicians, the Noricians, and the Rhaetians, the other is lesser. The River Lycus doth separate the Vind•l•cian from the Rhaetians, if we beleeve Ptolomie; but if we follow Strabo they are separated by the Rhene, and the Brigantine Lake, which we have shewed in our description of Helvetia. Danubius doth part them from Germ•nie, and the Alpes f•om Italie. Marcus Velserus hath rightly observed out of Ricardus the name of the Vindelicians.

Respicit & lase fluvios Vindam{que} Lycum{que}Miscentes undas, & nomina littoris, undeAntiquam gentem, populum{que} urbem{que} vocaruntVindelican• — It sees the Rivers Vinda and Lycus flowMingling their names and waters as they goe;Whence the Countrie, and the people it containd,And Cittie too were Vindelicians nam'd.

It may be gathered out of Plinnie and Ptolomie, that there were certaine Countries, and Citties belonging to the Vindelicians. Augustus sent to conquer them Tiberius Claudius Nero, and Nero Claudius Drusus, who were both the Emperours sonnes in Law, who having quickly dispersed and dissipated the Barbarians forces, did easily overcome them, and reduc'd them to subjection. See Paterculus Lib. 2. Dion. Lib. 53. and Horace Lib. 5. Odar. The Noricians do begin from the River Oenus; and so bend South East even to Hungarie and Italie. They were alwayes great souldiers, and being accustomed to warre, they did often invade the bordering Romanes. As appeareth by the Norician sword which Horace celebrateth. And also by an inscription which is found on this side Danubius to this effect, and in these words:

DIS MANIBVS ET MEMORIAE LEGIONVM. ET MEMORIAE MISERRIMORVM, VINDELICIS PRAEFECTIS MOCENIANIS ET VICTORI ET AVRELIO FILIIS VINDELICIS SVRINVS INFELIX PATER F. C.

* 1.6Bavaria was heretofore governed by a King of its owne, even to the time of the Emperour Arnulp: and as the Parthians called their King Arsaces, the Aegyptians Ptolomie, so they called their King Cacannus. Afterward it had Dukes as it hath now. Bavaria is divided into the higher and lower. The higher lyeth Southward by the Alpes. It is full of Moores, violent Rivers, and darke thicke woods. It is onely fit for pasturage, and feeding of Cattle. The Lower Bavaria is more fertile, and fruitfull, and more inhabited, having Vines all along the sides of the Rivers Danubius, Isara, and Lavarus. And thus Bavaria is divided naturally. It is divided Politically into the Countie of Bavaria, and the Palatinate. The Countie is described in this Table, and the Palatinate in the Table following.* 1.7 The Citties of the higher Bavaria are Monachum commonly called Munchen, being situated on the bancke of the River Isara, and built by Henry Duke of Bavaria, in the yeare 772, in the time of the Emperour Otho the first. It is the pleasantest Cittie of all Germanie: being seated betweene the Rivers Oenus and Lycus, betweene the Citties Wassenburg, Augusta and Frisinga, and betweene the fishie Lakes, among which the Duke hath a faire Garden, full of curious knotts, hearbes, and flowers: there is an artificiall fountaine and a Summer house adorned with Pictures and Statues, and about twy-light (which is very wonderfull) a great heard of Deere doth come and graze, every day under the windowes. In the Cittie there are Churches, Towers, Libraries, a Court, and an exchange full of tradesmen and Merchants, and all things necessarie not onely for use, but also for Ornament, and delight. Ingolstadium commonly called Ingolstatt, is situated by Danubius, which was aunciently called Ingelstat, or Angelostadium, from the Suevian Angeli, who first began to build this Cittie with others. It was at first a Towne, but the Emperour Ludovick Bavarus made it a Cittie. There was an Vniversitie instituted for all Arts and sciences in the yeere 1410, and afterward Ludovicke Duke of Bavaria, and Pope Pius the second, did adorne it and endow it with great revennewes and many Priviledges. Trisinga heretofore Fruxinum, as Rhenanus and Munster doe testifie, is thought to have beene built at that time when the Romanes by their Praefects and Lievtenants of Provinces, did possesse and governe that part of Bavaria, which runneth out from the bancke of Danubius to the Alpes. The River Mosa doth glide by it. There are also 22 Townes in it. In the Lower Bavaria there are Ratisbona commonly called Regensperg, situated by the River Danubius, it was built by the third Emperour Claudius Tiberius Nero about the time of our Saviours passion, who called it Tiberina or Augusta Tiberij. Onuphrius writeth that Tiberius is mentioned in an old stone. And Goltzius produces some of Tiberius coyne, with this inscription. Col. Aug. Tib. Simlerus thinketh that this Regensburg is that which Antoninus calleth Regium, and in the register booke it is called Castra Regina; Althamerus reckoneth up many other names which the Barbarians did give unto it, as Regin•burg, Rhaetobonna, Rhaetopolis, Hyaspolis, Imbripolis, Regnipolis, Tetrapolis, Quadrata and Germanisheim. The name of Ritisbone is derived from Navigation. It was formerly the Metropolis of Bavaria, and the seate of the Kings and Dukes of that Country; It hath a stone bridge which was built in the yeare 1115 by the Emperour Henry, over Danubius on twelve Arches, being foure hundered paces long, and 70 broad. There is also Patavium or Patavia, which is called in their owne language Passaw: Velserus thinketh that it is called in the Register bookes Batavas. That which Ptolomie calls Bojodurum, Auentinus, Pyramius, and Lazius doe thinke to be a Cittie of Vindelicia. It is a faire neare Cittie in the lowest part of the lower Bavaria, at the beginning of Austria, in the consines or Frontiers of both Provinces, betweene the meeting, and confluence of Danubius and Oenus, being commodiously, and pleasantly seated in the manner of a Peninsula. It is famous for the Bishops sea, and for traffique and commerce. For it is seated so conveniently by the River both for commerce and trading▪ that as Lions in France, and Gandauum in Flanders doe flourish for merchandising, in regard of the concourse and meeting of Rivers neere unto them: so Patavia in this part of Germanie, doth in this respect excell other Citties. Landshuten, commonly called Landshut, is a famous Cittie, and of chiefe note: being situate by the River Isara, which glideth by this Cittie, to the great advantage and commodity of the Inhabitants. Irenicus out of the fifth table of Ptolomies Europe, supposeth it to be Inutrium, which hath not the same situation. And therefore Ptolomie doth better place it, and maketh Inutrium to be the same with Mittenwaldt a Towne of Bavaria on this side the Alpes. It was built in the yeare 1207 by Ludovicke Duke of Bavaria, having a fruitfull soyle round about it, both for corne Cattle Wine and all kind of fruites. The Cittie hath many faire neate buil•ings, the chiefe whereof is the great Church, which is curiously built of freestone, wi•h a very high steeple. There is also in the lower part of the Cittie the magnificent Pallace of the most illustrious Duke Albert, which was heretofore called the New building. There are many Rivers which doe water and enrich Bavaria,* 1.8 as Danubius the greatest River in all Europe, celebrated by Greeke and Latine writers; also Lava•us, and the River Isara, being pleasant, full of fish, and running violently: also •icetus, Oenus, Lycus, Alemannus, or Alimula, Nabus, Regus, Ambra, Zoysa, Vilsus, Wolfada, Gyssea, and many others. And besides these R•vers it hath many great spacious Lakes; which have severall formes and shapes, and severall sorts of fish in them: as the Lakes Ammersce, Asce, Wirmsee, and Rorsce. It hath divers high Mountaines, which I cannot reckon in particular, but the chiefe are the Paenine Alpes, and the Mountaine Caravancas. There are so many woods which lye scattering about, so that it seemeth to be one wood: For without doubt they are parts of the wood Hercinia, which heretofore did almost cover over all this tract of ground. But these parts of the wood Hercinia have divers names: as Heynerdoch, Schwardtzwalt, Greinwaldt, Zellerwaldt, &c. The people are more addicted to tillage, and breeding of Cattle, than to warfare, neither are they much given to merchandising, but rather to drinking and getting of children, and they doe seldome goe out of their native Countrie. Moreover the Bavarian circle of the Empire doth consist of three orders. In the first are the Bishops: as the Archbishop of Saltzburg; the Bishops of Passaw, of Freisingen, and the Bishop of Ratisbone: the Abbat•sses of Alt Munster, and Ober Munster at Ratisbon. In the second there are the Duke of Bavaria, the Count Palatine of Bavaria, the Landgrave of Luohtenberg: Counte Hage, B. in Stauffen, or Stuaffnegk: the Lord of Rinfels or Rhinfelden, B. Degenberg, Obesultzperg. In the third are Freistet, and Regensperg.