Chroniken#

Chronicles, Historical works which can be distinguished into two groups: they either describe world history from the beginnings of history up to the time they were written, mainly seen in relation to the history of salvation, or they deal with the history of a particular ruler, a country or a family. In contrast to Annals, chronicles place more emphasis on connections and links between events than on mere chronological accounts. In Austria, works focusing on salvation include the "Chronicle or History of the Two Realms" ("Chronicon seu historia de duabus civitatibus") by Otto von Freising, a history of the world in seven books (up to 1146), followed by an eighth volume about the end of the world and the Last Judgement. The earliest work belonging to the second group is the "Breve Chronicon Austriae Mellicense" by the abbot of Melk, Konrad I (1177-1203), which presents the history of the Babenbergs adorned with legends. Around 1280, the Viennese citizen Jans Enikel wrote two verse chronicles in German, the "World Chronicle" ("Weltchronik") and the "Book of Princes" ("Fuerstenbuch von Oesterreich und Steier"), a history beginning in pagan times. Around 1318, Ottokar aus der Gael compiled the "Styrian Rhyming Chronicle" ("Steirische Reimchronik"), also in German and in verse form. Commissioned by Duke Albrecht III, the Augustinian monk Leopold Stainreuter wrote the "Chronicle of the 95 Realms", a history of Austria beginning with Noah. Many later works were based on this chronicle, for example the "Chronica Austriae" by Thomas Ebendorfer. From the 14th century, there were also regional chronicles, such as the "Liber certarum historiarum" by Johann von Viktring, the "Chronicle of Austria" and the "Chronicle of Carinthia" by Jakob Unrest, or the "Brief Chronicle of Klosterneuburg" ("Kleine Klosterneuburger Chronik") in Lower Austria. In historical writing of the modern period, the chronicle style gave way to a more factual description. Recently, the chronicle form has experienced a renaissance in works on the history of provinces, municipalities, associations and institutions.

Literature#