Transcription Guidelines
The present transcription is based on an initial copy of the text from LBC, Ms. Cas. 9–11, produced under a work contract commissioned by the Landesbibliothek Coburg. Volumes LBC, Ms. Cas. 9 and 10 were proofread using reader-printer copies, and any uncertain readings were verified against the original manuscripts. For LBC, Ms. Cas. 11, digital facsimiles of the chronicle volumes available in Franconica online were consulted [superseded in 2026 by the new Spalatin portal at www.franconia.online].
The transcription reproduces the text of LBC, Ms. Cas. 9–11 largely verbatim, both in terms of words and letters. Accordingly, the manuscripts’ practices of spacing and word separation have been retained. Only words written separately at line breaks with explicit separation marks have been joined. Since such marks are inconsistently applied in the manuscripts, word elements at the end of a line were joined with those at the beginning of the following line without comment, even if the scribe employed a different convention elsewhere.
The only adjustment to letter forms concerned the distinction between I and J: J is marked by a cross stroke on the typically long, loopless stem, whereas I has a loop at the stem’s end that crosses it.Further rules were applied primarily to capitalization – which exhibits numerous intermediate forms in the chronicle volumes – and to the representation of diacritics.
Capitalization at the beginning of words was generally preserved; within words, it was applied only at the start of compound elements and word stems (e.g., konigRaich, LBC, Ms. Cas. 10, 36v, fifth line from bottom; darInnen, LBC, Ms. Cas. 10, 134v, last line). Capitalization elsewhere was disregarded. For certain letters at word-initial positions, which appear in highly variable forms, the following conventions were adopted:
| c, d, h, p, v, w | Capitalization is determined by the letter’s height. If the body of the letter extends above the midline, it is capitalized; if it remains below, it is lowercase. Exception: letters that extend above the midline but are very narrow are treated as lowercase (e.g., derhalb, LBC, Ms. Cas. 11, 101v, last word of the sixth line from bottom). In ambiguous cases, surrounding capitalizations were decisive. |
| f | Distinguished by form; the minuscule has a straight descender, while the majuscule has a gently (often leftward) curved descender with a small terminal loop. |
| k | Considered capital if a leftward stroke is present at the stem, usually curved. |
| l | Capitalization is based on the stem’s shape; a leftward bulge with a sharp kink indicates a capital, otherwise lowercase. |
| s | All forms reaching the midline and the long "shaft-s" are lowercase; forms extending above the midline are capitalized. |
| z | No distinctive majuscule/minuscule forms are observed; in the manuscripts, z consistently extends above the midline, appearing capitalized. To avoid visual disruption in the transcription, z is rendered lowercase except at the start of paragraphs or sections. |
Diacritics are generally recorded, even if they may only serve to distinguish a letter from a similar form (e.g., the ring in "ů" potentially differentiates u from n). Simplifications include representing one or two dots above u or y as ü or ÿ. For capital letters E and F, a widely offset point at the end of the upper crossbar is possible; this should not be interpreted as a diacritic on the following letter (cf. Eysennach, LBC, Ms. Cas. 11, 69r and 85r, fourth line from bottom).
The few abbreviations present in the manuscripts were silently expanded. Typically, this involved final -n with a nasal stroke or superscripted wavy line expanded to -en (e.g., fůndñ → fůnden, fůrtñ → fůrten, both LBC, Ms. Cas. 11, 86r, last line), as well as final -e extending slightly above the midline with a large downward flourish (e.g., LBC, Ms. Cas. 11, 84r, end of the second line before the heading). The combination Mt with a wavy line above t was expanded to Maiestat.
Christina Meckelnborg, Anne-Beate Riecke, November 2011
Editorial revision: December 2025