Chronicon terrae Prussiae
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Chronicon terrae Prussiae (Latin for The Chronicle of the Prussian Land) is a 1326 chronicle of the Teutonic Order by Peter von Dusburg.
Peter von Dusburg was a priest of the Teutonic Order, although little is known about him. Initially it was thought he was from Duisburg (now in Germany), and in many texts he is referred to as "Peter of Duisburg". Other research indicates he may have instead come from Doesburg (now in the Netherlands).[1]
The manuscript is the first major chronicle of the Teutonic Order in Prussian lands and Lithuania, completed about 100 years after the invasion of the crusaders into the Baltic territories.
It is written in Latin and consists of four volumes. The first volume gives the background of the Order, while the second and third volumes address Prussia. The fourth volume provides a historical context of other contemporary events in the world. The chronicle is based on local monastery annals, chronicles and reports, diploma, and narrations which Peter "considered reliable".
The chronicle contains a wealth of ethnographic data about the Old Prussians, the indigenous people conquered by the Order, and provides dates and locations of numerous events, as well as numerous chapters in the styles of religious visions, miracles, and hagiography, aimed at the glorification of the mission of the Order.
