EONRAD
691
E0NSA6
the Premonstratensian Order, and in 1220 became
Abbot of the monastery of Ursperg in Bavaria, where
he died. For a long time he was reputed the sole
author of the so-called "Chronicon Urspergense ",
which narrates the history of the world from King
Ninus to A. D. 1229. But critical investigation has
shown that the work consists of several parts, of dif-
ferent authorship. The first part, to 1125, was writ-
ten, in part at least, by Ekkehard of Aura (q. v.); a
continuation, from 1126 to 1225, was added by Abbot
Burchard (d. 12:i0), Konrad's predecessor as Abbot of
Ursperg. Then Konrad continiied the work to 1229
and made the final redaction. Later continuators like
Kaspar Hedio brought the chronicle down to 15o7.
The first edition was brought out by Miller anrl Foeni-
seca at Augsburg (1515) from a copy in the posses.sion
of Konrad Peutinger. Another edition by Melanchthon
and Mylius appeared at Basle (1569). It was this
edition that erroneously attributed the sole author-
ship of the chronicle to Konrad. The last edition was
printed at Strasburg in 1609. The "Chronicon" was
edited by Abel and Weiland in the " Mon. Germ. Hist.:
Script." , XXIII, 333-83 ; separate edition at
Hanover, 1S74.
Gronau, Die Ursprrgerchronik und ihr Vcrfasser (Berlin, 1890). For critical .lis. u.-i,,,, :,n,\ I .i! li. .arr,|.li\ m,- W.tiTEN- BACH. DeutschUinds f;. . ' ' ' , ,. ". U '■.'., 1 1 (6th cd.,
Berlin, 1893). 450; 1'..m,m-!, /; '• ■ii:,.n II. /,,,,, M,,Jii .Evi (Berlin, 1S96), s. %t. /;^, * ;,-/,> ,|., 17^.. , l,r..i.i,„n Ursper- gense (p. 296), anil Ekkdwrdus L:rau!nt-niis (p. 4UUJ.
Arthur F. J. Remt.
Konrad of Marburg. See CoNR.-iD of Makburg.
Konrad of Megenberg (Kunr.\t), scholar and WTiter, b. prdliably at .Mainlierg, near Schweinfurt, Bavaria. 2 Feliruary, 1M09; d. at Ratisbon, 11 April, 1374. The dates of birth and death are not absolutely certain, and Konrad himself calls his native place Megenberg. He studied at Erfurt and Paris; at the latter university he obtained the degree of Master of Arts, and he taught philosophy and theology there for several years. In 1337 he was made head of St. Ste- phen's school at Vienna. From 1342 he lived at Ratis- bon, where he was first a parish priest, proving himself to be an able preacher. Later he became a cathedral canon, and member of the town council. In 1357 he made a journey to the Curia at Avignon. Konrad is one of the most prolific German writers of the four- teenth century. His best-known and most ■nndely read work is his "Buch der Natur", which is still of importance for the history of culture. According to his own statement he was engaged in writing it in 1349. A Latin work, "De naturis rerum", of the Dominican Thomas of Cantimpre (d. 1263), .served as model. Konrad, however, prepared his book with considerable freedom; much of the original was omitted, his own observations were introduced, cor- rections were made, and so on. His work gives a survey of all that was known of natural history at that time and is, besides, the first natural history in the German language. It was widely read up to the six- teenth century, and numerous manuscript copies of it are still extant, eighteen being at Munich. The first printed edition with a date is of 1475, and was issued at .\ugsburg from the shop of Hans Bamler, under the title of " Puch der Xatur". It was printed at least si.x times before 1500; some of the editions were illus- trated, all are now rare incunabula. A new edition of the original text was issued by Franz Pfeiffer (.Stutt- gart, 1861 ), with an introduction; an edition in modern German was edited by H. Schuiz (Greifswald, 1897).
Of Konrad's numerous other writings there should be mentioned: the " Sphaere", a small compendium in German of astronomy and physics, prepared from the Latin work of Joannes a Sacrobosco; the poem " Planc- tus ecclesia' in Germania" (1337); a hymn in praise of the Virgin, and other poems; a work on morals, "Speculum felieitatis humana>" (1348); "De errori- bus Begehardorum et Beguinarum"; " De translatione
imperii" (1355); the large work " CEconomica", writ-
ten between 1353 and 1363; "Tractatus contra mendi-
cant es ad Papam L'rbanum V"; several biographies
of saints, and some historical treatises, chiefly dealing with the local history of Ratisbon. In his writ-
ings Konrad shows himself to be a strong adherent of
the pope, an opponent of the philosophy of Occam,
and a stern critic of the moral failings of his age and of
the clergy.
Pfeiffer and Schulz, see above; Braunmuller in Kir- chenlcx., s. V. Konrad von Megenbero: Allgemeine-Deutsche Bio- graphic, XVI (Leipzig, 18S2); Chevalier, B!o-6t6/., gives the date of death incorrectly a3 1.39S: Lorenz. Dcutschlands Geschichtsguellen im Mittelalter, I (3rd ed., 1S86).
Joseph Ro.mpel.
Konrad of Wiirzburg, a Middle High German poet, b. about 1230; d. at Basle, 1287. He was the most important of the romancers that followed the three great masters of the Middle High German epic. His especial model was Gottfried von Strassburg. He Uved mostly at Straslnirg and Basle. Like Gottfried he was of burgher rank and hence is called Mcistpr, not Her. His poems consist of metrical romances, minnesongs, and Spriiche or saj'ings. Among his epics liis " Schwan- ritter" is a version of the well-known Lohengrin leg- end. It is preserved only in fragmentary form and is based indirectly on the French poem "Chevalier au Cygne". In this version the Grail does not figure at all. Other short narrative poems are " Otto mit dem Barte" (Otto with the Beard), the story of the knight Heinrich von Kemjjten, and the famous "Her- zemare" (Tale of a Heart), a fantastic tale of knightly lo,yalty and love. A more ambitious effort is "Engel- hart", one of those extravagant stories of friendship so popular in the Mitldle .\ges. For his lengthy epics Konrad used French sources. The "Partonopier", written probaljly aliout 1277, is based on the French romance of Denis Pyramus, and has for its subject the loves of the knight Partonopeus and the fairy Meliur. The bulky epic on the Trojan \\'ar is based on Benoit de St-More's " Roman de Troie", with additions from Ovid. It contains upwards of 50,000 verses, but not all of them are Konrad's o^ii. The costumes and atmosphere are not at all antique but thoroughly medieval. Besides these epics Konrad WTote also poems of allegorical or legendary content. "Der Werlte Lon" (The World's Reward) is an allegory showing the vanity of things worldh'. From Latin sources Konrad composed epics on the legends of St. Alexius, Pantalcon, and Pope Sylvester, also stories of asceticism and martjT-dom. His most im- portant religious poem is in honour of the Blessed Virgin, entitled " Die goklene Schmiede" (The Golden Forge). The poet conceives himself as a smith who is working a precious ornament for the Virgin out of epithets and attriliutes. Another allegorical poem in strophes, called " Klage der Kunst" (Complaint of Art), laments the decay of taste for poetry. There is little originalit}- in Konrad's work; its chief merit lies in its technical perfection. The "Partonopier", to- gether with songs and saj-ings, was edited by Bartsch (Vienna, 1874); the "Schwanritter" by Roth (Frank- fort, 1861); "Kaiser Otto" and "Herzemare" by Lambel in his "Erzahlungen und Schwanke" (2nd ed., Leipzig, 1883); "Der Werlte Lon" by Roth (Frankfort, 1843); "Engelhart" by Haupt (Leipzig, 1844); "Die goldene Schmiede" by W. Grimm (Ber- lin, 1840); "Silvester" by the same (Gottingen, 1841); the "Trojanischer ICrieg" by A. von KeUer (Stutt- gart, 1858).
See the introduction to Grimm's edition of Die goldene Schmieden also Vogt, Geschichte der mitteViochdeutschen Literatur in Paul, Grujidris9 der germanisrhcn Fhilotoffie (2nd ed., Str.as- burg, 1906), 219-23; Piper. Hr.fische Epik. pt. Ill, in Deutsche National-liUeratitr. ed. Ki'USCHNER. IV', 16.5-344.
Arthur F. J. Re.my.
Konsag, Ferdinand, German missionary of the eighteenth century, b. 2 December, 1703, at Waras-
