The Zimmern Chronicle - Nobility, Memory, and Self-Representation in Sixteenth-Century Germany

The Zimmern Chronicle: Nobility, Memory, and Self-Representation in Sixteenth-Century Germany brings the history of the Zimmern family to English readers for the first time. In it the author not only offers a new solution to the problem of the text''s authorship, but examines the chronicle in the context of broader current debates, including the problem of the relationship of the early modern German nobility to the state; memory studies; and self-representation. The Zimmern Chronicle is arguably the most famous noble family chronicle to come out of sixteenth-century Germany. Unlike other noble chronicles that appeared at the same time, this work is distinctive in that it represents the collective memory of the Southwest German nobility. Not content to give voice only to their own ancestry-and by extension their own existence-the Zimmern authors included the voices of their noble contemporaries. By memorializing relationships within their community, they drew attention to the increasing