Sub-project: Romansh manuscripts
May 2017 - March 2019
Status: Completed
Financed by: various foundations and promotion of culture of the canton of Grisons
Project Director: Prof. Dr. emer. Georges Darms
Description: The oldest Romansh manuscripts have been scattered among various mostly private libraries and the archives of individual communities, where they are often difficult to access. Many of them may be listed in various catalogues, but are not yet accessible via a general catalog or a database. A representative selection of these manuscripts, most of them not yet edited and some as yet unknown, will now be made available to science and to a broader public through inclusion in e-codices.
All Libraries and Collections
This manuscript contains the statutes of the community of Bever from 1558 (ff. 1r-5v). After 1560, these were used as the basis for developing new statutes; in the course of this, the articles were sometimes supplemented and crossed out after having been copied, but without any loss of text. The draft of the new statutes was continued on blank pages; a fair copy of this text has not survived.
Online Since: 12/14/2017
This manuscript contains the statutes and the respective lists of land appraisals from 1584 (ff. 1-30), 1589 (ff. 33-58), 1593 (ff. 60-85), 1597 (ff. 88-115) and 1601 (ff. 117-146), occasionally with additional decisions made by the community. These are followed by appraisals for the years 1613, 1617, 1625, 1629, 1637, 1641, 1645, 1649, 1653, 1657 and 1661 (ff.155-186), which provide an overview of the development of the community’s financial circumstances over 70 years.
Online Since: 12/14/2017
This manuscript contains the translation into Puter (the dialect of the Upper Engadine) of the drama “Die zehn Alter dieser Welt.“ As of now, it is the oldest known manuscript of a Romansh drama. At the end, it contains a translation of song number 85 by Durich Chiampel[l]; although the original was not published until 1562, the song is written here after the date at the end of the piece (43r-46r). At the end of the manuscript, barely legible, there is a Decalogue (46v). The scribe signed as bartolomeus ulderici zauarit (42v).
Online Since: 03/22/2018
This manuscript contains the translation into Puter (the dialect of the Upper Engadine) of the Federal Charter of 11 November 1544 (German, StAGR A I/01 Nr. 109), written by Fadry Salis (very probably Friedrich von Salis-Samedan, 1512-1570). It was probably written shortly after the original, and thus it is the oldest Romansh document preserved in the original. The alliance of 1544 is a renewal of the alliance between the Grey League, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions and the League of God's House of 23 September 1524, which is generally considered the founding act of the Free State of the Three Leagues. The dating of the manuscript is uncertain since the date 11 November 1544 refers to the German document, which, however, does not bear the signature of Friedrich von Salis. According to the note of confirmation of 8 February 1605, the manuscript must at least have been written prior to this date.
Online Since: 03/22/2018
This manuscript contains two dramas from the Upper Engadine Histoargia dalg arik huͦm et da lazarus, ff. 1a-18b, completed 1591, and La Histoargia da Joseph (…), ff. 19a-38b, to which the scribe Jacob or Jachiam Ger added the date 1593 several times. He continued his work with a copy of the drama La Histoargia da las dysch Æteds “history of the ten centuries“ (f. 40a-f. 42b), of which only the beginning has survived (verses 1-157). This is the oldest surviving text of the Histoargia dalg arik huͦm et da lazarus.
Online Since: 03/22/2018
This manuscript contains five dramas from the Upper Engadin [La histoargia dalg filg pertz] f. 1a-36a (the beginning is missing, only surviving textual witness); üna historgia da hechastus f. 36a-78b (only surviving textual witness); [La histoargia da Joseph], f. 79b-99a; Vna bela senchia historgia da questa sainchia duonna süsanna (…) f. 100a-136b (oldest manuscript of this text), VNA BELA HISTORGIA dauart la Mur dalg Cchiaualÿr valantin et Eaglantina filgia dalg Araig Papin, f. 137a-164a (only surviving textual witness); f. 164b fragment of a song: Baruns ludat ilg Signer (= Chiampell, Psalm 29). The scribe of this manuscript is Peder Traviers (in various forms). The dating of the individual parts is based on indications by the scribe, which are usually found at the end of the piece.
Online Since: 03/22/2018
This manuscript contains the translation into Romansh of “Jerusalemer Reise“ (Journey to Jerusalem) by the parish priest and later abbot of Disentis, Jacob Bundi (pp.1-122); this is the oldest of the about 25 manuscripts of this translation from 1701 known so far. Following an originally blank page, there is a page with a German alphabet (p. 124), then 88 paginated pages in German script with instructions on planting various plants. According to the end page (p. 212), this is a copy of a work that was “Getruckt zu Cölln / Bey Heinrich Netessem (= Nettesheim) / in Margarden gaßen Im/ Jahr 1601. Geschriben im Jahr 1719 / den 5. Martij / P.C. Berchter“.
Online Since: 03/22/2018
First this manuscript contains the translation into Romansh of the statutes and laws of the district of Bergün in the revision from the year 1614 (pp. V5-V7 and 1–23). On pp. 41-76 follow the laws and statutes of the district of Bergün from 1680, followed by supplements from the years 1690-1724 (pp. 77–86); from 1719 (p. 83) on in a different hand. A new numbering begins on p. 109 with the translation of the Federal Charter of the three leagues in the 1544 version (1-7). This is followed by a table of contents, labeled "Register," to the laws (9-12); the last entries are by a second hand. As conclusion to these texts, there is a 1716 statute for the use of forests (pp. 15f), by the first hand again. Peidar P. Juvalta, ord. 1682, † 1724, signs as scribe; in 1719 he executed a second copy for a different commissioner (StAGR A 51).
Online Since: 03/29/2019
This manuscript contains a systematic collection of 45 sermons, each of which consists of six to seventeen pages. In the beginning, there are 20 sermons in Lower Engadine (pp. 1-281), followed by a sermon in German (pp. 282-297). The remaining 24 sermons are in Upper Engadine (pp. 298-570). The book concludes with a “Register Dels Texts trattos in quaist Cudesch” (Register of [Biblical] texts treated in this book) (not pag., pp. 571-574). The latter takes up the passages from the Bible cited as topic at the beginning of each sermon. The number 33 was skipped, therefore the total number is 46. Two bookmarks (p. 399-s1.2 and p. 475s1.2) identify “Herr Präses Ulrich Vital Sins” (= Johann Ulrich Gosch Vital, Sent; 1781-1868) as the owner of this manuscript. A comparison with an autographic letter, as well as with the orthography of his published works, shows that he was the scribe and author of the texts as well.
Online Since: 03/29/2019
This manuscript contains the civil statutes (ff. 1-128), criminal statutes (ff. 130-163), and marriage statutes (ff. 165-170) for the Upper Engadine district from 1665, with supplements up to 1762; the supplements for 1762 are written in another script. Next is a translation of the Federal Charter from 1524 (ff. 172-177) and of the testamentary agreement with the Counts of the Tyrol from 1518 (ff. 178-185). The statutes conclude with a register (ff. 187-197). This is followed by a list of officials of the Upper Engadine district from 1563-1729 (ff. 210v-226r).
Online Since: 03/29/2019
This is the oldest surviving copy of Gian Travers’ epic verse report about the events of the Musso War of 1525/1526, written in 1527. This report is the oldest known Romansh (bünderromanische) text. Johan Schucan from Zuoz signed as scribe; at the time of this copy, he was Protestant pastor in Zernez.
Online Since: 12/14/2017
This is the oldest copy of Gian Travers’ drama “Joseph”, performed in Zuoz in 1534. The manuscript was produced three years after the death of Travers and makes use of spellings that were no longer in use at the time the copy was made. The scribe is Conradin Planta, probably a relative: Gian Travers was married to Anna Planta. The manuscript is bound incorrectly: the text begins with ff. 9-13, then there is a leaf missing, f. 14, f. 1, f. 5, f. 3, f. 4, f. 6, f. 2, f. 15, a missing leaf, f. 7, f. 16. Folio 8r, originally the final page, contains a cautionary poem; f. 8v was left blank. The front flyleaves are made of a large parchment sheet, originally from a 12th century parchment manuscript with a text by Constantine the African, De febribus, chap. 3-5.
Online Since: 12/14/2017
This manuscript contains the text of a Lower Engadine version of a drama about Joseph (ff. 1-74), which is based on the play “Ein hüpsch nüwes Spil von Josephen (…)”, attributed to Jacob Ruf and printed in Zurich in 1540. Converging indicators, such as the statements by Chiampell (Placidus Plattner, Ulrici Campelli Historia raetica, Basel, Schneider, T. 2 1890, 353), as well as the orthography and the language of the transcriptions suggest that this is the only surviving copy of the Joseph-drama by Chiampell himself, which was performed in Susch in 1564. At the end of the manuscript, there is a conversation between a Protestant pastor and a sick person (ff. 75-77), as well as several prayers (ff. 78-80), which were translated from the German by the scribe of the text, Baltasar Valantin.
Online Since: 12/14/2017
This manuscript first contains the translation of the Latin statutes of the district of Upper Engadine from 1563, with additions until 1618, in the handwriting of Peider Curtin (ff. 1-245a). Supplements from 1624-1654 in another handwriting are incorporated or added later ff. 245b-254a. This is followed by translations from the German of other important legal texts in Peider Curtin’s handwriting: the Charta da la Lia from 1524 (ff. 262-267), the Articles of Chur from 1523, later of Ilanz in 1524 (ff. 268-271), Artichels da cumoenas Trais Lias from 1527 (ff. 272-278), a contract between the League of God's House cun l’s sett chantuns Schwizers from 1498 (ff. 279-282), and the 1518 “Erbeinigungsvertrag” (testamentary agreement) concerning the Engadin between Emperor Maximilian and the Bishop of Chur (ff. 283-289). Next comes an index of the statutes (ff. 291-295) in Curtin’s hand and an index to the supplements (f. 296) in another hand. The scribe is Peider Curtin; according to a statement on the title page, however, the statutes are the work of the well-known Protestant pastor and notary Lüci Papa.
Online Since: 12/14/2017
This manuscript contains the complete statutes of the community of Sils i.E. from 1591, 1601, 1606, 1617, 1621 and 1626. The corrections and additions to the statutes for the year 1596 were integrated into the statutes for the year 1591, those for the year 1611 were integrated into the statutes for 1606, and those for the years 1631 and 1636 were added on several pages to the statutes of 1626. After each statute, there is a list of property appraisals. The manuscript also contains the community’s annual statement of accounts for 1606-1651, as well as other resolutions of the municipal assembly.
Online Since: 03/22/2018
Register of the assets of the inhabitants of the communities Bergün, Filisur, Latsch and Stuls, compiled by the public notary and chancellor at the time, later Landammann (magistrate) and pastor Tumesch Zeuth; it was updated about every ten years, first in German and, towards the end, also in Romansh. Its significance is not well documented; perhaps originally it served as a basis for financing the communities’ buying their freedom from the Bishop of Chur in 1537, later perhaps it served as a key for distributing the communities’ income from, among other things, the Valtellina districts, from pensions, from tariffs on goods and tolls on roads, etc. Currently this is the oldest known manuscript from Bergün; it is the property of Werner Dübendorfer of Eglisau. The book containing its continuation, probably up to 1799, has been lost.
Online Since: 12/14/2017