Thomas Kantzow
Encyclopedia
Thomas Kantzow was a chronicler in the Duchy of Pomerania
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....

. He studied at the universities of Rostock
University of Rostock
The University of Rostock is the university of the city Rostock, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.Founded in 1419, it is the oldest and largest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area...

 and Wittenberg, and was a secretary of the Pomeranian dukes
House of Pomerania
The House of Griffins or House of Pomerania, , also known as House of Greifen; House of Gryf, was a dynasty of Royal dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637, after their power was temporarily derivated to Prussian Royal House...

. His manuscripts, rediscovered in 1729, 1832 and 1973, are written in Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...

 and Standard German
Standard German
Standard German is the standard variety of the German language used as a written language, in formal contexts, and for communication between different dialect areas...

 language, and were printed in the 19th and 20th centuries. They contain a Low German and three Standard German chronicles covering the history of Pomerania
History of Pomerania
The history of Pomerania dates back more than 10,000 years. Settlement in the area started by the end of the Vistula Glacial Stage, about 13,000 years ago. Archeological traces have been found of various cultures during the Stone and Bronze Age, of Veneti and Germanic peoples during the Iron Age...

 until 1536.

Biography

Kantzow was born in Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...

. His year of birth is uncertain, a date around 1505 is suggested by Kosegarten
Johann Gottfried Ludwig Kosegarten
Johann Gottfried Ludwig Kosegarten was a German Orientalist who was born in Altenkirchen on the island of Rügen. He was the son of ecclesiastic Ludwig Gotthard Kosegarten ....

 (1842) and in the ADB
Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie
Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie is one of the most important and most comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language....

. No reports about his parents and his childhood survived.

The earliest report of Kantzow is in the University of Rostock
University of Rostock
The University of Rostock is the university of the city Rostock, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.Founded in 1419, it is the oldest and largest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area...

's matriculae
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...

. This entry covers a matriculation period from 29 September 1525 to 1 April 1526 and reads "Thomas Cantzouw [de] Szundensis". Kantzow's matriculation was accordingly dated to "ao.
Anno
-People:*Anno II , Archbishop of Cologne from 1056–1075*Anno, a Japanese surname**Hideaki Anno , Japanese animation and video director**Masami Anno, Japanese voice actress...

 1525" by Kosegarten, to "probably 1525" in the ADB, to 1526 in the NDB
Neue Deutsche Biographie
Neue Deutsche Biographie is a biographical reference work published in German by the Historical Committee at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities and printed by Duncker & Humblot in Berlin. It is the successor to the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie...

 and to "verifiably 1526" by Berger (2001). In Rostock, he probably graduated as a magister of theology before he is reported as a secretary of the Pomeranian dukes
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....

 in 1528 and thereafter. Until 1532, Kantzow was secretary of the dukes Barnim IX and George I
George I, Duke of Pomerania
George I of Pomerania was a Duke of Pomerania from the House of Griffins.- Life :George was the eldest son of Duke Bogislaw X of Pomerania and his second wife Anna Jagiellonica, a daughter of King Casimir IV of Poland. He was named after his uncle and godfather, Duke Georg the Bearded of Saxony,...

 at the court in Stettin (now Szczecin), but followed Philipp I to the court in Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...

 after the duchy was partitioned
Partitions of the Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was partitioned several times to satisfy the claims of the male members of the ruling House of Pomerania dynasty. The partitions were named after the ducal residences: Pomerania-Barth, -Demmin, -Rügenwalde, -Stettin, -Stolp, and -Wolgast. None of the partitions had a...

 between Barnim IX and Philipp I, nephew of the deceased George I. As a ducal secretary, Kantzow participated in the implementation
Pomerania during the Early Modern Age
Pomerania during the Early Modern Age covers the History of Pomerania in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.Throughout this time, Pomerelia was within Royal Prussia, a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with considerable autonomy...

 of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...

 in Pomerania.

In the spring of 1538, Kantzow was matriculated at the University of Wittenberg, probably as a member of Pomeranian count Ludwig von Everstein's entourage. In Wittenberg, Kantzow was instructed by rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems...

 while upholding contacts to Pomerania. He continued to hold several prebendaries
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...

 and benefices
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...

, which he had obtained from the Pomeranian dukes for his secretary services. In 1542, he left Wittenberg due to an illness and on 25 September died on his way home in Stettin, where he was buried in St. Mary's church.

Chronicles

In contrast to Johannes Bugenhagen
Johannes Bugenhagen
Johannes Bugenhagen , also called Doctor Pomeranus by Martin Luther, introduced the Protestant Reformation in the Duchy of Pomerania and Denmark in the 16th century. Among his major accomplishments was organization of Lutheran churches in Northern Germany and Scandinavia...

, who in 1518 based his Latin Pomerania on a limited amount of sources from abbeys and printed sources, Kantzow also had access to the extensive ducal archives, where he gathered most of the information for his chronicles, and further derived historiographic information from archeological remnants, inscriptions, coins, folklore, eyewitness accounts and own experiences. The table below provides an overview of the major chronicles written by Kantzow:
Manuscripts Print editions
Manuscript title Year written Language Archive Print edition title Online
Fragmenta der pamerischen geschichte before 1538 Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...

Fragm. I Von Löper (Loeper) Collection
Archiwum Panstwowe w Szczecinie (1948-)*
Böhmer, Wilhelm (ed.): Thomas Kantzows Chronik von Pommern in niederdeutscher Mundart sammt einer Auswahl aus den übrigen ungedruckten Schriften desselben, Stettin 1835. Böhmer (ed.) (1835) at books.google.com
Gaebel, Georg (ed.): Des Thomas Kantzows Chronik von Pommern in niederdeutscher Mundart, Stettin 1929.
Böhmer, Wilhelm (ed.): Thomas Kantzows Chronik von Pommern in niederdeutscher Mundart sammt einer Auswahl aus den übrigen ungedruckten Schriften desselben, Vaduz/Walluf 1973 (unchanged reprint of the 1835 edition).
Ursprunck, Altheit vnd Geschicht der Volcker vnd Lande Pomern, Cassuben, Wenden vnd Rügen before 1538 Standard German Fragm. III Von Löper (Loeper) Collection
Archiwum Panstwowe w Szczecinie (1948-)*
Medem, Fr. L. B. (ed.): Thomas Kanzow's Chronik von Pommern in hochdeutscher Sprache, Anklam 1841. Medem (ed.) (1841) at books.google.com
Gaebel, Georg (ed.): Des Thomas Kantzow Chronik von Pommern in hochdeutscher Mundart, vol. II, Stettin 1898. Gaebel (ed.) (1898) at Kuyavian-Pomeranian Digital Library
Ursprunck, altheit vnd geschicht der volcker vnd lande Pomern, Cassuben, Wenden vnd Rhügen before 1542 Standard German Mildahn codex (Cod. Mild.)
= Codex Putbussensis
Putbus (1842-?) Gaebel, Georg (ed.): Des Thomas Kantzow Chronik von Pommern in hochdeutscher Mundart, vol. I, Stettin 1897. Gaebel (ed.) (1897) at Kuyavian-Pomeranian Digital Library
Schwartz codex (Cod. Schw.) University of Greifswald (1729-) Kosegarten, Ludwig (ed.): Pomerania oder Ursprunck, Altheit und Geschicht der Völcker und Lande Pomern, Caßuben, Wenden, Stettin, Rhügen, Greifswald 1816. Volume I of Kosegarten (ed.) (1816) at Kuyavian-Pomeranian Digital Library
Volume II of Kosegarten (ed.) (1816) at Kuyavian-Pomeranian Digital Library
Pomerania, Ursprunck, Aldtheitt vnd Geschicht der Volcker und Lande Pommern, Cassuben, Wenden, Stettin vnd Rugenn before 1542 Standard German Gaebel, Georg (ed.): Pomerania. Eine pommersche Chronik aus dem sechzehnten Jahrhundert, Stettin 1908.
Thott 644 Fol. Danish National Archives
Danish National Archives
Danish National Archives is the National archive of Denmark. The primary purpose is to collect, preserve and archive historically valuable records from central authorities, such as ministries, agencies and national organisations and make them available to the public...

, Copenhagen
*Von Löper (Loeper) Collection: Löpersche Sammlung Stramehl (-1834); Gesellschaft für pommersche Geschichte und Altertumskunde Stettin (1834-1855); "Sammlung Samuel Gottlieb Loeper", Provinzialarchiv Stettin (1855-1942); war-time
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 evacuation to Martenthin and West Germany, British Zone (1942-1948); Archiwum Panstwowe w Szczecinie (1948-).

Fragmenta der pamerischen geschichte

The first chronicle written by Kantzow was Fragmenta der pamerischen geschichte, full title: Fragmenta der pamerischen geschichte, vth welcker (so man de tide recht ordent, vnd dat jennige wat vnrecht ist recht maket) men wol einen guden wech tho einer Croniken hebben konde (English translation: "Fragments of the Pomeranian History, from which (if one orders the time properly, and makes right what is not right) one may well gain a good access to a chronicle"). Wilhelm Böhmer, teacher in Stettin and member of the Society for Pomeranian History and Antiquity Studies, rediscovered the handwritten chronicle in landlord von Löper's library in Stramehl
Strzmiele
Strzmiele is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Radowo Małe, within Łobez County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately east of Radowo Małe, west of Łobez, and north-east of the regional capital Szczecin.Before 1945 the area was part of...

 (now Strzmiele) in 1832. In 1835, Böhmer published the transliterated script in a printed book titled Thomas Kantzows Chronik von Pommern in niederdeutscher Mundart sammt einer Auswahl aus den übrigen ungedruckten Schriften desselben (English translation: "Thomas Kantzow's chronicle of Pomerania in Low German tongue including a selection of further unprinted scripts of the same [author]"), which did not alter Kantzow's spelling. In the preface, Böhmer postulates that the chronicle was written after 1531 or 1532, and a few years before 1538, a determination also followed by Berger (2001). In ADB and NDB, a date prior to 1538 is assumed. Kantzow's friend Nicolaus (also Niklaus) Klempzen (also Klemptzen) had added a note to the original manuscript's title reading "by Thomas Kantzow anno 1538", also a second front page was attached to Kantzow's original one, which Böhmer assumed to originate from the ducal chancellory, which read "First volume of fragments, from which deceased Thomas Kantzow has written the Chronicon Pomeraniae", written in Fraktur
Fraktur
Fraktur is a calligraphic hand and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. The word derives from the past participle fractus of Latin frangere...

 letters, with "1538" added in another handwriting.

The chronicle, written in Pomeranian Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...

, covers the history of Pomerania
History of Pomerania
The history of Pomerania dates back more than 10,000 years. Settlement in the area started by the end of the Vistula Glacial Stage, about 13,000 years ago. Archeological traces have been found of various cultures during the Stone and Bronze Age, of Veneti and Germanic peoples during the Iron Age...

 prior to 1536, with the first part beginning with the death of duke Eric II
Eric II, Duke of Pomerania
Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania , , was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1457 to 1474. He was the son of Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast and Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania (Griffins), (between 1418 and 1425 – 1474), was Duke of...

 in 1459 and ending in 1536, and a second and third part beginning in the Slavic period
Pomerania during the Early Middle Ages
The southward movement of Germanic tribes during the migration period had left Pomerania largely depopulated by the 7th century. Between 650 and 850 AD, West Slavic tribes settled in Pomerania. The tribes between the Oder and the Vistula were collectively known as Pomeranians, and those west of the...

 and ending in 1459. While overall the chronicle is not as detailed as later works of Kantzow, it offers a much more comprehensive coverage of the years 1523 to 1536, when Pomerania became Lutheran. Part of the work remains unfinished.

Ursprunck, Altheit vnd Geschicht der Volcker vnd Lande Pomern, Cassuben, Wenden vnd Rügen

The second chronicle written by Kantzow was the Standard German
Standard German
Standard German is the standard variety of the German language used as a written language, in formal contexts, and for communication between different dialect areas...

 variant of the abovementioned Low German chronicle, written before 1538 and also rediscovered by Böhmer in von Löper's library. The title Ursprunck, Altheit vnd Geschicht der Volcker vnd Lande Pomern, Cassuben, Wenden vnd Rügen (English translation: "Origin, oldness and history of the peoples and lands of Pomerania(ns), Cashubia(ns), Wendland (resp. Wends) and Rügen") was proposed by Kosegarten, who derived it from the preface in Kantzow's manuscript.

While the Low German chronicle was not structured, the Standard German chronicle is divided into eleven books, the sixth of which is missing in the manuscript. It is not simply a translation of its Low German counterpart, but is more comprehensive, while lacking information about the period after the death of Bogislaw X
Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislaw X of Pomerania, the Great, was Duke of Pomerania from 1474 until his death in 1523.Bogislaw was born in Rügenwalde into the House of Pomerania . His father was Eric II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, his mother was the duchess Sophia of Pomerania, both distant relatives of the House of...

 in 1523. Standard German was chosen over Low German to reach a wider audience, and because the court of Philipp I, who had been raised in High German
High German languages
The High German languages or the High German dialects are any of the varieties of standard German, Luxembourgish and Yiddish, as well as the local German dialects spoken in central and southern Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg and in neighboring portions of Belgium and the...

-speaking Palatinate, adopted Standard German as its official language at about the same time the chronicle was written.

An edition of the manuscript was first printed by Baron von Medem in 1841 as Thomas Kantzows Chronik von Pommern in hochdeutscher Sprache (English translation: "Thomas Kantzow's chronicle of Pomerania in Standard German language"). In the edition, von Medem changed Kantzow's spelling to resemble the contemporary one, and filled incomplete parts with fragments of other chronicles of Kantzow.

Ursprunck, altheit vnd geschicht der volcker vnd lande Pomern, Cassuben, Wenden vnd Rhügen

The chronicle Ursprunck, altheit vnd geschicht der volcker vnd lande Pomern, Cassuben, Wenden vnd Rhügen (same translation as above) was written between 1538 and 1542 and consists of 14 books. Though in part identical with the first Standard German chronicle, it is more comprehensive, has an abundance of sidenotes, yet is also unfinished. Kantzow's manuscript was discovered in 1729 by Albert Schwartz, professor at the University of Greifswald, in Zudar, where it was in the possession of the children of deceased pastor Joachim Wildahn. Schwartz made a copy which was stored in the library of the university, In 1816, Hans Gottfried Ludwig Kosegarten published a printed edition of Schwartz's copy titled Pomerania oder Ursprunck, Altheit und Geschicht der Völcker und Lande Pomern, Caßuben, Wenden, Stettin, Rhügen. Mildahn's original had disappeared before 1835, but was rediscovered by Kosegarten in 1836 in the archives of Putbus
Putbus
Putbus is a small town on the southeastern part of the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Germany. The town has 4,741 inhabitants and is a significant tourist destination with numerous seaside resorts....

. In 1897, a largely unchanged transcription of the Putbus manuscript was printed by Georg Gaebel in Des Thomas Kantzow Chronik von Pommern in hochdeutscher Mundart (English translation: "Thomas Kantzow's chronicle of Pomerania in Standard German tongue"), vol. I.

Vom alten Pomerland

The book Vom alten Pomerland (English translation: "Of the old Pomerania") was an incomplete work written in Wittenberg, with seven writings constituating preparatory works for the eighth one, of which a ninth one is largely a copy written by someone else but corrected by Kantzow. The manuscripts were part of Kantzows handwritings discovered in the abovementioned von Löper's library, and published by Böhmer together with the abovementioned Low German chronicle.

Pomerania, Ursprunck, Aldtheitt vnd Geschicht der Volcker und Lande Pommern, Cassuben, Wenden, Stettin vnd Rugenn

After Kantzow's death, Nicolaus von Klempzen compiled this chronicle from Kantzow's legacy, and published it in four books known either as Kantzow's or Klempzen's Pomerania. A corresponding manuscript was discovered only in 1973 in the archives of Copenhagen
Danish National Archives
Danish National Archives is the National archive of Denmark. The primary purpose is to collect, preserve and archive historically valuable records from central authorities, such as ministries, agencies and national organisations and make them available to the public...

("Thott 644 Fol."), proving that Klempzen was merely publishing, not re-organizing Kantzow's chronicle, as was assumed before. A transcription of this chronicle was published as print edition in 1908, before the discovery of the Copenhagen manuscript, by Georg Gaebel, titled Pomerania. Eine pommersche Chronik aus dem sechzehnten Jahrhundert (English translation: "Pomerania. A Pomeranian chronicle from the 16th century").
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