Zimmern Chronicle

The chronicle is an eminent historical source of information about 16th century nobility in South-West Germany, its culture and its values.

The purpose of the work is probably twofold: Firstly, Froben Christopher wanted to prove the nobility of his family and to preserve that knowledge to posterity.

While the link between the Cimbri and the Zimmern family is fictional and only induced by the similar-sounding name, Froben recounts several episodes woven into a stream of historical information to prove it.

Historical evidence is entered with the first actually known family member, Konrad von Zimmern, abbot of Reichenau Abbey from c. 1234 to 1255.

Starting with the early 14th century, the genealogical and historical parts of the Zimmern Chronicle are finally reduced to facts.

Two manuscripts were written by secretary Johannes Müller at Froben Christopher's chancellery at Meßkirch Castle: With the Zimmern family expiring with the death of Froben Christopher's only male heir Wilhelm von Zimmern as early as 1594, the work never materialized as the memorial and textbook that it was originally intended to become.

The chronicle manuscripts eventually wound up in the possession of the counts of Fürstenberg, probably via Appolonia von Helfenstein, a daughter of Froben Christopher's.

The books were stored for nearly four centuries in the Fürstenbergische Hofbibliothek at Donaueschingen, until that library was sold and scattered by the princes of Fürstenberg for financial reasons in 1993.

However, Barack did not retain the original sequence of the manuscript and wove Froben Christopher's addenda into the main text, thus giving the lively tale an air of verbosity.