Thuringia

Sources from old books

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

THVRINGIA, or the Landgraviate of DVRINGEN. (Book Thuringia)

The Nobilitie and state of this Countrie are yet unknowne unto me: I have onely found out the Countie of Glei•hen, 32, 50, 50, 58, &c. and I thinke Kranichfelt, 34, 17, 15, 26, Also the Bishoprick of Mersburg, 34, 17, 51, 26.

The Meridians are mutually distant one from another according to the Proportion of the Parallel 510 to the Aequinoctiall.

THuringia followes after Hassia, commonly called Duringen, being situated between the two Rivers Sala & Werra,* 1.1 the latter on the West-side: the first on the East-side: on the North it hath the wood Hercynia which they call Hartz: and on the South the Forrest called Duringer waldt. The length is equall to the bredth, being 12 miles over. This Countrie hath aboundance of all kindes of fruites and pulse, and hath more store of Corne than any other part of Germanie. So that George Agricola calleth it the fatte of Germanie. Heere is great stoare of that hearbe,* 1.2 which Plinnie calleth Glastum, is now called Guadum and Pastillum, and commonly Weedt Pastell; which maketh a blew colour, which to the great benefit of the inhabitants is transported into other Countries: so that a famous Poet writeth thus:

Herba Thuringorum celeberrima crescit in agris,Hanc Isatim Graecus sermo vocare solet.Ponderis haec magni est, & multo venditur are:Hac etenim tingi lana parata solet. A famous hearbe doth in Thuringia grow,In Greeke call'd Isatis, and named so.It is weighty, and much gaine is made thereby,For with it they their wooll doe use to die.

Concerning which Plinnie Lib 21. cap. 1 Simile plantagini Glastum in Gallia vocatur: quo Britan•orum conjuges nurusque toto corpore oblitae, quibu••am in sacris nudae incedunt, Aethiopum colorem imitantes. That is, in France there is an hearbe called Glastum which is like a Plantaine, wherewith the wives in Brittaine doe paint their bodies, and in some sacrifices doe goe naked, coloured like Ethiopians or Indians. There is also great store of provision and fruites, except win•, which is brought thither from other places. There are also Mines of gold and Silver and rich salt-pits. It was heretofore a Kingdome, but now it is a Landgraviate. Thuringia and Hassia were united together, and governed by the Kings of France 366 yeares,* 1.3 untill the time of Charles the Great, and Henry Auceps. At length the Emperour Charles the Grosse made Ludovicke Duke of Thuringia; his Nephew Burchardus was slaine in Hungarie, and dyed without issue. So that the Emperour Henry Auceps tooke possession of Thuringia, and it is now subject to his successors, being Princes of Saxonie. For albeit after William the sonne of the Emperour Otto the first, who being Archbishop of Moguntinum, did possesse Thuringia by his fathers permission, his successors the Archbishops of Moguntum, did challenge and arrogate to themselves the government of all Thuringia, and of the Cittie Erford, which they doe yet hold; whose substitute or Vice-gerent was sometime Ludovicke Barbatus in the reigne of the Emperour Conradus Salicus: yet afterward the Barbatians did yeeld up Thuringia with the title of Landgrave to the right heyres. Vntill at length about the yeare of Christ 1250, it came into the hands of the most illustrious Henry the sonne of Theodoricke, and Nephew to Hermann Landgrave of Thuringia, and Marquesse of Misnia, being descended from the posteritie of Widekind the Saxon. After whom succeeded his base sonne Albert, and his sonnes after him Fredericke, Admorsus, and Theodoricke, who were made heires by their Vncle Theodoricke Marquesse of Misnia. They report that the Sorahians did heretofore inhabit this tract of ground, whom Eginhart and Ammoinius doe mention. Peucerus doth now call the remainder of them Sorbec and Sernestein, betweene the Rivers Albis and Sala. Reyneckius, in his booke of the originall of the Misnians, supposeth that these Tyringetians are as it were the Tyringotians, and from thence they imagine that the Cittie was called Gotha. Ortelius writeth that it was reported unto him by Hugo Brinckhorst an Englishman, and a Cittizen of the Cittie of Erford, that there are in this Countrie though it be small, twelve Counties, and as many Abbies, which they call Gefurstete Abtien, 144 Citties, and as many small Townes, commonly called Merckt steken: 2000 Villages, and an 150 Castles. Erdfurdia or Erdford, called aunciently Erphesfurdia, and Erdfesfurt, is a chiefe Cittie of Thuringia, which was so called from Erft the first founder thereof. For he being a miller placed his mill by the River Gera, and so afterward the Cittie began to be builded, about the beginning of the reigne of Arcadius and Honorius: afterward it was much enlarged and beautified by Clodoveus King of France, in the yeare of Christ 438: and in the yeare 1066, it was encompassed with such large walls, so that now it is held to be one of the greatest Citties of Germanie, and the Thuringians doe call it Nicht •ine Stadt, or Sondern ein Gantzes Land. The River Gera doth water it and keepe it sweete and cleane. It was heretofore a Bishops seate, but afterward it was translated to Moguntiacum. It hath a flourishing Schoole, which Pope Boniface the ninth did adorne with priviledges, in the yeare 1392. The soyle round about this Cittie is very fruitefull, having pleasant Meddowes, and great store of the hearbe Isatis▪ Henry the fourth did much impoverish this Cittie by laying a taxation of Tenthes upon it, having alwaies enjoyed a freedome & immunitie from such impositions. So that when the Saxon warre began, they chose rather to defend their auncient libertie with the sword, than to submit unto the Vniversall taxation of Tenthes; and that with so great courage, that they brought Augustus to a great straite. This Cittie as if fortune an enemie to greatnesse, meant to triumph over it, was oftentimes burnt, so that no other great Cittie in Germany, was ever burnt so often as this: the last time that it was burnt, which was in the yeare 1472, it sustained much losse, especially in the Churches of the Virgin Marie and Severus, so that a third part almost of the Cittie was burned downe. This was a terrible fire, which began by some that were hired to set it on fire, of whom the chiefe was a Dominican. Two Collegiate Churches, as they call them, together with the Bridge, and a great part of the Cittie were all burnt downe. In the yeare of our Lord 1509 there arose a greivous sedition betweene the Senate and the Cittizens of Erford, occasioned by those unusuall impositions which the Senate laid upon the Common people. For the Commons gathering together, would needes know how much the Cittie was indebted. The Senate giving way to the tumultuous furie of the people, endeavoured to appease them with faire and gentle words, telling them, that in convenient time they would bring in an account of their receipts and expenses; which words quieted the Cittizens for a while. But when the day appointed came, they assembled themselves together, and desired the Senate to bring in their account. But then one more insolent than the rest, spoke sharpely unto those whom the Cittizens had sent to the Senate, which did much provoke and exasperate the Cittizens. And when the Cittizens saw that they prevailed nothing, but were put off with delayes: they put downe the Senate and chose a new. In briefe, from hence there arose a grievous sedition, contention and warre. But the Bishop of Herbipolis, and the Emperour Maximilian endeavoured to appease this sedition, and to bring them to concord and agreement. Weimara is a faire Towne, having formerly a Countie belonging unto it, but now the Dukes of Saxonie keepe their Court in it, having a faire Pallace there, nea•ely built of square freestone, and an Orchard curiously planted with all kind of trees, and watered with the River Ilma, which doth runne at length into Sala. There is also the Cittie Iena, so called from Ianus: but hee was not worshipped in Germanie. And therefore Stigellius singeth more probably.

Hinc placet Hebraeo nobis hanc nomine dici,Vt vetus a Iajin nomen Iena tenet.Cur ita crediderim, nisi mentem vocula fallit,Certa hujus ratio nominis esse potest.Quippe vocat Iajin Solimae pius incolaterrae,Hoc quod nos Latio dicimus ore merum.Quae caput in medijs urbs fertilis erigit vuis

Hanc quisquam a vino nomen habere nega•▪

Hence from an Hebrew word at first it came,As we cold Iena doe from Iajin name;And unlesse we b• deceived in the word,We may some reason for this name afford.For the holy inhabitant of PalestineCalleth that Iajin which we doe call wine.So this Cittie standing in the midst of Vines,May well be named from the fragrant Wines.

Thus much Stigellius.

It hath a publicke Schoole which was erected in the yeare 1558. G•tha was so called from the Gothes. And hence Ritha•merus in his description o• the world, writeth, that the Turingians were originally de• from the Goathes, because the Gothes builded a Cittie in this Co•••, which they called Gotha, about the yeare 723. It had a wonderfull strong Castell called Grimmenstein, which is now levell with the ground. And this was the cause that it fell to ruine: William Grunbach, a nobleman rather by descent than vertue, in regard of his many enormous attempts, whereby he endeavoured to depose the Emperour, and to introduce a new forme of Empire, was declared and pronounced to be guilty of conspiracie with all his associates, and was condemned and banished, both by the Emperour Ferdinand, and the Emperour Maximilian his son: and the Emperour and the other States of the Empire, with one consent did commit the execution of this sentence, to the most illustrious Prince Elector of Saxonie. Which banishment he contemned, trusting to himselfe, and his Protector Iohn Fredericke the second, Duke of Saxonie. Who after many admonitions from the Prince, did still persist in defending the rebells, so that the most illustrious Duke of Saxonie and Prince Elector, enforced by necessitie, beseiged the Cittie, and tooke it by surrender. And then Grunbachius, with foure more of the conspirators, for their treason against Caesar were put to death, the Castle was razed to the ground, and Duke I•hn Fredericke, was brought prisoner to Vienna. This Countrie is •atered with many Rivers: as Sala or Salza, Werra, Vnstrut, Ilma, Ge•▪ Or, Apselstet, Helbe, and Cling. And Her testifieth that the Mountaines have mines, which have rich Veines of gold and silver, which •d not far from Braitenborn, and Schwartzenburg. This Countrie also is here and there cloathed with woods, which are part of the wood Hercynia: also the Thuringian wood is well knowne, commonly called Thuringer Waldt, Caesar calleth it Baceins, it is a wood in Germanie which divideth the Cheruscians from the Suevians; there are also Hainich, Hainset•e, and Finne with divers others, where there is good hunting of divers kindes of wilde beasts. There are also in this Countrie many Churches, and Monasteries, among which is the Church of the blessed Virgin Marie at Erford, which was built by Bo•••e Bishop of Moguntium. This Church hath a great Bell, which is famous through all Germanie. The people are fierce, hardy, couragio•s against their enemies; the men are large of stature, strong, and well-set.