Peutinger, Konrad

Peutinger, Konrad (kôn`rät poi`tĭng–ər), 1465–1547, German antiquarian, diplomat, politician, and economist. One of the earliest writers in Germany on Roman inscriptions, he introduced the Italian Renaissance spirit into his native land. He is known chiefly as the owner of the Tabula Peutingeriana, or Peutinger Table, an ancient plan of military roads of the Roman Empire, now in the National Library, Vienna.

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Peutinger, Konrad 

Born Oct. 15, 1465, in Augsburg; died there Dec. 28, 1547. German humanist; head of the Augsburg circle of humanists.

Peutinger was a diplomat and adviser at the court of the Emperor Maximilian I. He contributed significantly to establishing German national historiography. He substantiated the importance of studying national history, published sources on German history, collected inscriptions, and was an antiquarian and numismatist. His main works are The Book of Emperors, which covers the period up to the reign of Charlemagne, and Table Talk About Germany’s Remarkable Antiquities; both works bring up the problem of Germany’s southern and western boundaries. Peutinger at first welcomed Luther, but in the light of developments as the Reformation grew he later withdrew from the movement.

REFERENCES

Vainshtein, O. L. Zapadnoevropeiskaia srednevekovaia istoriografiia. Moscow-Leningrad, 1964.
Thoneick, A. C. Peutinger. Münster, 1971.