Transylvanian choke angel

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The Transylvanian Würg-Engel by Matthias Miles is one of the few historical works of the Transylvanian Saxons and at the same time the first chronicle written in German (and not in Latin) by a Transylvanian-Saxon scholar. In the historiographical landscape of the Transylvanian Saxons, Miles' work still occupies a special position today. However, the choking angel is only an excerpt from Miles' Transylvania story. The full title is Transylvanian Choking Angel or Chronical Appendix of the 15th Seculi after the birth of Christ, all partly in Transylvania, partly in Ungern and other countries flanking Transylvania for stories that have run. From what not only the most bloody attacks, wars, and newspapers, its multiple enemies, but also the most humorous council conclusions of the Keysers, kings, princes, and Woyvoden can be found out, by which diss oppressed Vatterland partly got into the abyss, partly completely into the abyss Ruin has been overthrown: Also what form alongside the Augsburg Confession the other religions accepted in the country have grown up inside . The book was first published in Sibiu in 1670 .

About the book

Historically, the Würgengel is a typical piece of baroque historiography (already recognizable by the extremely long subtitle) and is found in the company of other no less gloomy titles from the 17th century in Transylvania, such as the Ruina Transylvaniae ( David Hermann ) or the Hydra Transylvanica ( Daniel Wolff ). Miles deals with the events of the 16th century in Transylvania and the surrounding countries. So it goes far beyond the boundaries of the royal floor - which was a specialty in the Transylvanian historiography of the time. For the book itself Miles made use of various chronicles, yearbooks and political (e.g. state parliament speeches) or confessional sources (religious pamphlets, parish books, etc.) of his time.

literature

  • Miles, M. (1670). Siebenbürgischer Würg-Engel , unaltered reprint of the edition Hermannstadt 1670 , with e. Introduction by Adolf Armbruster. - Cologne; Vienna: Böhlau, 1984. ( Writings on regional studies of Transylvania ; Volume 8) ISBN 3-412-01084-7
  • Szinnyei József: Miles Mátyás (2) . In: Magyar írók élete és munkái ( Hungarian ). Arcanum Adabázis Kft, Budapest 2000, ISBN 963-86029-9-6 .