The Falkensteinensis Codex, 1166-approx. 1196 | bavarikon
Among the tradition books that have been handed down, the Falkensteinensis Codex assumes a very special position. It not only contains the only tradition book of a noble family, but also the oldest income register of a secular manor, a fief list and other records that are not necessarily to be expected in a tradition codex.
Count Siboto of Falkenstein made his will in the summer of 1166 before setting out on Emperor Frederick Barbarossa’s (1122-1190) fourth Italian campaign. He made arrangements to secure his family’s property and position in case he did not return. He attached particular importance to the record of the so-called "Hantgemals", the family’s ancestral estate in Geislbach ( Erding district), which was to prove his dynasty’s complete freedom. In addition to the ancestral seat, the family also had estates in Chiemgau, Sundergau and Unterinntal. When the family died out around the middle of the 13th century, their legacy fell to the Wittelsbach dynasty.
The manuscript originated in Herrenchiemsee Abbey, whose bailiff was Siboto von Falkenstein, and was later kept for centuries in Weyarn, the house monastery of the Counts of Falkenstein.
Another special feature of the codex are the coloured miniatures and marginal illustrations. The most famous miniature is at the beginning of the codex and shows the author of the manuscript with his family. The marginal drawings illustrate the levies listed in the codex, but also symbolise historical legal processes.
All legal records preserved in the codex are accessible through an edition as part of the "Quellen und Erörterungen zur bayerischen Geschichte" (Sources and Discussions on Bavarian History), published by the Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities). As a result, the manuscript is prepared in such detail that research does not necessarily have to go back to the original; some questions can only be clarified with the help of an edition written according to modern principles.
In the appendix, the edition also includes the only original document issued to the Herrenchiemsee monastery that was preserved by Count Siboto of Falkenstein as the issuer. Siboto, who lived from 1126 to approx. 1200 and held the bailiwick over the monastery from 1158, appears in numerous traditions from Herrenchiemsee as tradent (transferor), witness or trustee (warrantor). At the age of about 70, which was quite old for that time, he transfers a sum of money to the monastery for the purchase of a vineyard near Krems in the Wachau as an annual donation for himself and his deceased wife as well as property in Ratzenberg in the district of Mühldorf for the maintenance of a nightly light in the Agatha chapel belonging to the collegiate church. The document is not dated; however, the dating can be deduced on the basis of two clues. Siboto’s wife, Hildegard of Mödling, was already deceased at the time of the transfer of ownership; the date of her death can be determined exactly to 29 March 1196. The upper dateline results from the end of the reign of Provost Siboto of Herrenchiemsee, who sealed the document together with Count Siboto. Therefore, the transfer took place between 29 March 1196 and 27 February 1198, shortly before the death of the tradent.
>> This collection is part of the holdings of the of the Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv (Bavarian Main State Archive) and the Generaldirektion der Staatlichen Archive Bayerns (Directorate General of the Bavarian State Archives).
Literature:
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Elisabeth Noichl, Codex Falkensteinensis. Die Rechtsaufzeichnungen der Grafen von Falkenstein (Quellen und Erörterungen zur bayerischen Geschichte N.F. 29), München 1978.
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Peter Johanek, Zur rechtlichen Funktion von Traditionsnotiz, Traditionsbuch und früher Siegelurkunde. In: Recht und Schrift im Mittelalter (Vorträge und Forschungen Bd. 23), Sigmaringen 1977, S. 152-153.
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Werner Rösener, Codex Falkensteinensis. Zur Erinnerungskultur eines Adelsgeschlechts im Hochmittelalter. In: Ders. (Hg.), Adelige und bürgerliche Erinnerungskulturen des Spätmittelalters und der Frühen Neuzeit (Formen der Erinnerung 8) Göttingen 2000, S. 35-55.
- Birgit Gilcher, Die Traditionen des Augustiner-Chorherrenstifts Herrenchiemsee (Quellen und Erörterungen zur bayerischen Geschichte N.F. 49/1), München 2011.