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A remarkable discovery at Heidelberg University Library has brought a medieval manuscript back into the spotlight. The fifteenth-century codex, acquired from an antiquarian bookseller in 1937, has been identified as part of the Bibliotheca Palatina – the most important German library of the Renaissance, whose holdings are now located mainly in the Vatican Apostolic Library in Rome and Heidelberg University Library. Because this connection was not recognized at the time of purchase, the codex initially entered the manuscript holdings of Heidelberg University Library. The connection between the manuscript and the Bibliotheca Palatina has now been established.
Press Release
Heidelberg, 15 May 2026
Previously Unrecognized Manuscript from the Bibliotheca Palatina Rediscovered
Fifteenth-century codex has been part of the University Library’s holdings since 1937
A remarkable discovery at Heidelberg University Library has brought a medieval manuscript back into the spotlight. The fifteenth-century codex, acquired from an antiquarian bookseller in 1937, has been identified as part of the Bibliotheca Palatina – the most important German library of the Renaissance, whose holdings are now located mainly in the Vatican Apostolic Library in Rome and Heidelberg University Library. Because this connection was not recognized at the time of purchase, the codex, which has an elaborately decorated binding, initially entered the manuscript holdings of Heidelberg University Library. Dr Karin Zimmermann, Head of the Department of Historical Collections, has now been able to establish the manuscript’s connection to the Bibliotheca Palatina.
“The manuscript was probably written in Constance and Basel for a certain Johannes Zeller, who held a number of offices in the dioceses and prince-bishoprics there in the fifteenth century,” explains Dr Thorsten Huthwelker, a member of staff in Historical Collections, who has undertaken a more detailed study of the manuscript. The fact that Johannes Zeller also advised the Bishop of Constance is reflected in the selection of texts collected in the codex. Among other works, it contains the “Tractatus de iuribus regni et imperii Romanorum” by the legal scholar Lupold of Bebenburg, written between 1338 and 1340 in the context of the conflicts between emperor and pope. According to Dr Huthwelker, the text argues that the elected Roman king possesses full authority over the kingdom and empire even without papal confirmation. The codex is supplemented by further texts of constitutional significance.
The codex’s ornate binding can be traced back to Elector Ottheinrich of the Palatinate (1502 to 1559), who resided in Heidelberg – an indication that the manuscript was already part of the Bibliotheca Palatina by the mid-sixteenth century. In 1623, during the Thirty Years’ War, this book collection was taken to the Vatican as spoils of war. In the Vatican’s 1798 inventory, the codex is listed as missing. The manuscript later resurfaced in the book collection of the English aristocrat Frederick North (1766 to 1827). After passing through several further hands, the codex was apparently acquired by the Heidelberg-born painter Wilhelm Trübner (1851 to 1917). Through his estate, the manuscript came into the possession of a Munich antiquarian bookshop, which sold the codex to Heidelberg University Library in 1937.
The codex has now been given the new shelfmark “Cod. Pal. lat. 778” and is therefore once again part of the Bibliotheca Palatina. The manuscript has also been digitized and integrated into the “Bibliotheca Palatina – digital” portal, which virtually brings together the holdings from Rome and Heidelberg.
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The cover of the rediscovered codex from the Bibliotheca Palatina
Quelle: UB Heidelberg
Copyright: Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg
Sample page from the rediscovered codex from the Bibliotheca Palatina
Quelle: UB Heidelberg
Copyright: Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg
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Geschichte / Archäologie, Kulturwissenschaften, Religion, Sprache / Literatur
überregional
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The cover of the rediscovered codex from the Bibliotheca Palatina
Quelle: UB Heidelberg
Copyright: Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg
Sample page from the rediscovered codex from the Bibliotheca Palatina
Quelle: UB Heidelberg
Copyright: Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg
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