In search of the Lode-Werner chronicle manuscripts in Riga and Uppsala

The project member Kaarel Vanamölder visited Riga on 4–7 June 2024 to search for and take photos of the so-called Lode-Werner chronicle manuscripts preserved in the local libraries and archives.

Compiled by or on the initiative of the Estonian nobleman Gustav von Lode (1633–1705), the Lode-Werner chronicle is an account of Estonian and Livonian history from the last quarter of the 17th century (1677). It was probably an influential document at the time, elucidating history from the perspective of the nobility or a noble family. Although never printed, several transcripts in German and Latin have been preserved in Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Russia, Germany, Poland and Denmark. In Riga, the copies are conserved both in the Latvian State Historical Archive and in the University of Latvia Academic Library.

On 11–13 July 2024, Kaarel Vanamölder visited Uppsala University Library for the same purpose, taking photos of three manuscripts of the Lode-Werner chronicle. One of them turned out to be particularly valuable, as in November 1690 Gustav von Lode personally gifted it to Crown Prince Karl, the future King Karl XII. Until now, these specimen has been unknown in Estonian or German language research.

To date, the project members have collected 15 different transcripts of the chronicle from from countries across Europe – a necessary step to prepare an annotated critical edition of the Lode-Werner chronicle for the first time since its creation.