The Frisians as a Chosen People

Abstract

Abstract Five late-medieval historical chronicles from Frisia present a series of legends about the Frisians, concerning their origin and the acquisition of their freedom. Each of these legends opens with a concrete parallel from the history of the Jewish people, making it clear that the Frisians, too, enjoyed God’s exceptional protection. This article tries to establish when and why these works were written. The many divergences between the five texts demonstrate that many more versions and copies were once in circulation. In particular, the chronicles were intended to reach the inhabitants of Frisia west of the Lauwers. It can be shown that the base versions of the vernacular editions were written between 1464 and 1479. One of the places where editing of these took place was the Cistercian abbey of Klaarkamp. However, the author of the Latin base text, the Historia Frisiae, does not seem to have been a monk given that his work has a more militant character than the popular versions. Nevertheless, all of the texts were intended to reinforce of the patriotic awareness of the Frisians at a time when their political autonomy was threatened by the dukes of Burgundy.