Cremona elephant

The elephant of Cremona (13th century, in the literature: Cremona Elephant ) accompanied the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II to his triumphs.

Origin and life

In 1229 the elephant came into the possession of the emperor, as a diplomatic gift of the Sultan Al- Kamil of Egypt. He is said to have accompanied his owner in his undertakings and has enjoyed decades of good health.

Reported in detail the occasion of the visit of Richard of Cornwall, brother of Frederick, in Cremona in 1241, about the Matthew Paris ( 1199-1259 ) in his Chronica Maiora, the chronicler mentions a triumph: When he namely to Cremona approached, seemed to him the residents merry meet and led the beautifully caparisoned elephants of the emperor, who wore a wooden tower in which some leaders of the animal were that blew on horns and funny clapped their hands. Even in the annals of Cremona, which was traditionally loyal to the Emperor, is reported on the use of an elephant, but already in 1237, these reports speak a piece back to the recent history of the city. In 1237 was Frederick II shortly after his victory over the Milanese at Corte Nuova 27-28. November 1237 moved to Cremona. In this case, the feeder elephant had in the city led, pulled the carroccio, the captured flags car with the Lombard insignia was carried tied to the Podestà of Milan.

Later sources are reporting a similar triumphal described with elephant in Milan. In 1238 the Emperor sent a letter to Rome, in which he announced the sending of said flags car. Following the vast literature in the interpretation of the passage in Paris ' Chronica, the Emperor has 1237 repeats the elephant parade in Cremona to receive the brother in law in 1241, apparently.

Importance

The Cremona elephant Abul Abbas is after, the elephant of Charlemagne, and more than 400 years, the first three other European countries occupied by contemporary sources elephant. A second proven in the 13th century copy, the elephant of Louis IX. of France, was in 1255, as soon as he had arrived as a souvenir from the Holy Land in France, once passed by his owner to England. The elephant Frederick II, however, was the only one who has proven foot on the soil of the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages.

Source location

Evidence of an individual name of the elephant does not exist. Since the report by Matthew Paris was quoted repeatedly in the 19th and 20th century, he entered the literature as Cremona elephant. Therefore, the previously known sources can also open the question of whether the mentions of each elephant my same or whether the Emperor is said that he often mitführte on his journeys to revive his triumphal a menagerie, possibly more possessed. Richards visit to Cremona is to certify a festive reception; that the elephant illuminated this, representation is suggested in Paris alone '.

In Matthew Paris ' Chronica the report is added to an illustration, the author obviously never seen the elephant, but hatte.Die rely on his own imagination and the description shown and described in the reports on Frederick triumphal facilities of elephants may have led to him variously regarded as war elephants; fund related operations, there is no contemporary sources.