The Tournament and its Role in the Court Culture of Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519)

21 
 
 
In order to do this, Maximilian surrounded himself with men of letters who would 
unquestioningly assist him in his cause. Manfred Holleger, one of Maximilian’s modern 
biographers, cites figures like court secretaries Joseph Grünpeck and Marx Treitsauerwein 
(who assisted in producing some of the most well-known works of Maximilian: Weißkunig and 
Theuerdank) as the primary contemporary biographers of Maximilian.
15
 Although, of course, it 
is difficult to establish how much truth may be found in these works, as Maximilian himself 
had a heavy hand in supervising and editing the texts. This makes these depictions of 
Maximilian of particular interest when studying the emperor, as they represent a hybrid of the 
author’s voice and Maximilian’s own input. This is due to the fact that Maximilian took a keen 
interest in what went into these biographies, and, while it was not his hand that held the pen, 
he took on a supervisory role that went beyond the normal level of involvement. This included 
highlighting those traits he wanted emphasised and cutting out those which he did not, which 
was done by annotation and direct marking on the manuscripts.
16
 It is fascinating to examine 
the picture of the emperor which emerges from these accounts. And it is unsurprising that 
accomplishments of the physical variety are frequently highlighted, as becomes evident below. 
 
Joseph Grünpeck, for example, is perhaps the most frequently cited in any discussion 
of Maximilian’s biographers. A humanist and biographer of both Maximilian and his father, 
Frederick III, Grünpeck’s most famous work is his Die Historia Friderici et Maximiliani (c. 1515). 
Grünpeck served Maximilian from 1497 to 1501, and his Historia is highly favourable to his 
lord and patron, who oversaw its production. The work divides Maximilian’s life into three 
                                                 
15
 Hollegger, Maximilian I. (1459-1519): Herrscher und Mensch einer Zeitenwende, p. 244. 
16
 An example of this may be seen in one of Grünpeck’s images showing Maximilian consulting 
his astrologers while a fantastic array of symbols, including a sword, crosses, a comet, and even two 
jousting knights, are spread out across the heavens. Maximilian has emphatically expressed his dislike of 
the image by means of a large X through the centre: Bensch and Auer, eds, Die Historia Friderici et 
Maximiliani, fol. 85/p. 127. 

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22 
 
stages: his childhood, his life actively campaigning as a young man and his military exploits, 
and, finally, his years as an elder statesman and patron of the arts.
17
  
 
In his writings, Grünpeck highlights several of the key attributes of Maximilian’s 
personality which many other chroniclers also addressed, but which would divide them into 
opposing schools of thought. Grünpeck’s account takes a positive outlook on all aspects of his 
employer’s character. In describing Maximilian’s childhood, Grünpeck portrays him as the 
perfect student in every respect. He relates how Maximilian excelled in all games, lessons, 
orations, and particularly memorisation.
18
 He also writes of the young ruler’s famously 
boundless energy in all pursuits. Maximilian apparently saw to every department of his 
household, inspected his stables, and would then sacrifice sleep to pursue hunting and 
hawking, another well-known passion of his.
19
 Grünpeck says that, as a child, Maximilian 
would chase barnyard fowl around the castle courtyard, much to his father’s annoyance. As a 
man, Maximilian hunted at all times of year and in all weather, always wishing to make the final 
kill unassisted.
20
 
Given this portrayal, it is little surprise that the emperor is also described as highly 
physically fit and powerfully built as a result of his training in knightly exercises – something 
pursued since his childhood. The young Maximilian even apparently used to hide from his 
teachers in order to play at jousting, and Grünpeck describes him as growing up adept at all 
tournament-related games. In general, Grünpeck seems to focus far more on the physical 
training elements of Maximilian’s childhood rather than his academic pursuits. His strength 
and athletic prowess are the qualities used to denote him as a noble man and one destined to 
                                                 
17
 Benecke, Maximilian I (1459-1519): An Analytical Biography, pp. 7-16. 
18
 Grünpeck, Die Geschichte Friedrichs III und Maximilians I., p. 33. 
19
 Grünpeck, Die Geschichte Friedrichs III und Maximilians I., p. 63. 
20
 Grünpeck, Die Geschichte Friedrichs III und Maximilians I., p. 55. 

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23 
 
become a great ruler. Apparently Maximilian was such a powerfully built man of such great 
physical strength that he could lift a lance of ten ells’ (approximately the length of a man’s arm 
from his elbow to the tip of his middle finger) length with one outstretched hand and carry it 
that way.
21
 Descriptions such as these provide readers with a glimpse of Maximilian’s chivalric 
and knightly powers and paint a picture of him as an almost superhuman exemplar of such 
qualities.  
Maximilian’s knightly qualities were matched, according to Grünpeck, by his military 
prowess (an issue to be much debated by other chroniclers); Maximilian reportedly was both 
popular with and beloved by his soldiers due to his personal bravery and his kindness.
22
 
However, as mentioned above, it is important to note that this work was written with 
Maximilian’s close involvement, making it an undeniably partial account. Yet, at the same time, 
it deserves to be given a large amount of credence, as Grünpeck’s close association and 
frequent interaction with Maximilian give his work an immediacy and realism.  
Another chronicler in Maximilian’s employ was Johannes Cuspinianus. Although 
Cuspinianus also worked for Maximilian, his account of the emperor’s character is more 
practical and less sycophantic than Grünpeck’s. Cuspinianus was a humanist scholar who spent 
some time in the employ of the emperor, although his writings about Maximilian were not 
published until after the emperor’s death, allowing Cuspinianus slightly more literary freedom. 
Thus Cuspinianus, unlike Grünpeck but as many others were subsequently to do, gives an 
account of Maximilian not as a child prodigy but as a rather poor student. It was Cuspinianus 
who perpetuated the myth about the young emperor that he could not speak until he was 
almost fully grown. Cuspinianus even relates an anecdote telling how, at Maximilian’s 
                                                 
21
 Grünpeck, Die Geschichte Friedrichs III und Maximilians I., p. 40. 
22
 Grünpeck, Die Geschichte Friedrichs III und Maximilians I., p. 51. 

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