Gründliche mit unverwerfflichen Documenten aus den ostfriesischen Landes Verträgen und Praejudiciis demonstrirte und befestigte Anweisung der vielfältigen Neuerungen des jetztlebenden ostfriesischen Hoffgerichts und dass S[eine]r hochfürstl[ichen] Durchl[aucht] zu Ostfriessland, in Sachen die Regierung und ihre von kaijserl[licher] Maij[estät] habende und in denen Landes Verträgen bestätigte Regalia und Jura betr[effend] von dero im Lande bestelten Hoffgericht nicht institiabel, sondern in solchen Sachen Ihro kaij[serlichen] Maij[estät] derselben innige ordentliche Obrigkeit seije : in dreijen Theilen abgefastet: 1. in einer gründlichen Ablehnung der Beschuldigung des fürstl[ichen] Ministerii und Anweisung der Neuerungen des jetzlebenden Hoffgerichts, 2. in einer gründl[ichen] Demonstration, dass das Hoffgericht in vorgedachten Sachen keine Jurisdiction über den Landes Fürsten Jurisdiction habe, 3. in einer gründlichen Beantwortung der von dem Hoffgericht in Ihren Exceptionibus dawieder eingebrachten Argumentation, worbeij zu gleich auch die Absurditäten eines so genandten illustrirten Bericht von Beschaffenheit der ostfriesischen Cantzelleij und des Hoffgerichts incidenter gezeiget worden.

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Author/Creator:

Mensshengen, Franz Wilderich von, 1663-1723.

Contributor:

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, 1685-1740.

Language:

German

Latin

Subjects (All):

Harkenroht, Jacobus Isebrandus, 1676-1736.

Harkenroht, Jacobus Isebrandus.

Ostfriesland (Germany). Hofgericht.

Ostfriesland (Germany).

Censorship--Holy Roman Empire.

Censorship.

Ostfriesland (Germany)--History.

Ostfriesland (Germany)--Politics and government.

Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts)

government records

legal documents

Manuscripts, German.

Manuscripts, European.

Penn Provenance:

Formerly owned by C. Oldenhove (e bibl. C. Oldenhove, Ms. VI; f. 1r).

Sold by Gerstenbergsche Buchhandlung (Hildesheim, Germany), 1965.

Physical Description:

371 leaves : paper ; 201 x 155 (170 x 118) mm bound to 209 x 168 mm

Production:

[Ostfriesland], 1719.

Language Note:

German, with interspersed passages in Latin (quotations from Livy, f. 6r-v; and from Johannes Althusius, 277r-280v).

Biography/History:

Imperial counsel (Hofrat) under Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.

Summary:

Copy of a legal argument and accompanying documentation concerning a court case in the principality of Ostfriesland, prepared by imperial counsel (Hofrat) Franz Wilderich von Mensshengen, dated 6 July (Communicentur replica sub termino duorum mensium, ex consilio imperiali aulico, Frantz Wildrich v. Menshengen; f. 3r, 369v), and submitted (insinuiret; f. 2r) 15 July 1719. The work was occasioned by the case of the imperial prince of Ostfriesland vs. the Landestände (estates), the Hofgericht (court of law associated with the estates), and Pastor Jacob Isebrand Harkenroht of Larrelt, a village within the district of Emden (f. 2v). Harkenroht had apparently published a book that was forbidden by the censor (f. 3v). At issue are questions about the proper jurisdiction of the Hofgericht vis-à-vis the chancellery of the imperial prince. The writer is defending the interests of the emperor and the prince in the case by refuting the argumentation of an exception issued by the Hofgericht; he also takes the opportunity to discount a report (so genandten illustrirten Bericht) recently issued by the Hofgericht in which it had sought to define the respective jurisdictions of itself and the princely chancellery. The 3 parts (dreijen Theilen) spelled out in the subtitle (f. 2r-v) describe a line of argumentation but do not seem to correspond to specific structural divisions within the text. Structurally, the manuscript consists of 2 main parts: a narrative text (f. 3v-215r); and an appendix (f. 218r-365r) of 47 numbered excerpts, references to which are noted in the margins of the preceding narrative. The narrative is divided into 128 paragraphs or sections (also noted in the margins); it makes its argument with support of citations from documents such as laws, court documents, and imperial decrees, dating as far back as 1588 (f. 44v). It begins with an introduction (Eingang; f. 3v), followed by a part 1 (Erster Theil, Antwordt auf die Vorrede in den Exceptionibus; f. 7r), and a part 2 (Zweijter Teil von der Hauptsache; f. 34r). The dates of the documents excerpted in the appendix range from 1589 (f. 291v) to 1718 (f. 365r); included are items authored by several ruling princes of Ostfriesland: Rudolph Christian (1602-1628; f. 325r, 338r, 340r), Christian Eberhard (1665-1705; f. 322r, 361r), and the prince at this time, Georg Albrecht (1690-1734; f. 324v).

Notes:

Ms. codex.

Title from title page (f. 2r-v).

Related manuscripts, designated Ms. German 62, Ms. German 63, and Ms. German 64, which contain copies of documents about the government of Ostfriesland dating from the first half of the 18th century and most likely in the same hand as this one, are found bound with printed material under call number GC 6F8578 662g, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Pennsylvania.

Foliation: Paper, i + 369 + i (f. 216-217, 366-368 are blank). Modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto. Catchwords on both the recto and verso of f. 4-214, and on the verso only of f. 3, 218-364.

Layout: Written in 19-23 long lines.

Script: Written in a German cursive hand.

Binding: Contemporary calf (Zacour-Hirsch).

Origin: Written in Ostfriesland, Germany, in 1719 (Zacour-Hirsch).

Cited in:

Described in Hirsch, Rudolf. Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University of Pennsylvania to 1800: Supplement A(1). Library Chronicle 35 (1969), p. 30 (Ms. German 65).

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 1171

OCLC:

227180539