1616 — Nine volumes in one. Folio. 350 mm. Collation: Engraved title, 10 leaves (the last blank), 62 p. ; 4 leaves (the first blank), pp. 63-94; 9 leaves (the first blank), pp. 95-200; 19 leaves (the first blank), pp. 201-406; 7 leaves , pp. 407-443; 22 leaves, pp. 444-728; 4 leaves, pp. 729-774; 3 leaves (the first blank), pp. 775-793; 4 leaves, pp. 794-827, 6 leaves. Scattered damp stain, heaviest on last leaf (colophon). Early thumb indexes mostly present. German black letter gothic fraktur type; large woodcut initials; and decorative head and tail pieces throughout. Each sectional title bears Maximilian's large (150 x 185 mm) coat of arms. Most impressive too are the six pages with large woodcuts of 10 fish and one lobster. Generally clean and tight. Original full alum tawed pigskin over beveled oak boards binding; nicely tooled in blind; with Maximillian's simple arms, in a circle, within a 2" diamond. Five raised bands. Original brass clasps present. Early manuscript ownerships; Printed paper ownerships of the Kgl. Bezirksgericht Nurnberg in various places. Several stamped Nazi Eagle ownerships of the Oberlandesgerichts Nurnberg. First Edition of the Codex Maximilianus. Bavaria, under Maximilian I (1598-1651), was a country of around 1 million inhabitants, with agriculture and salt production (a ducal monopoly) being the dominant sectors of the economy. It became a key player in the events leading up to the Thirty Years War. In 1608, Bavaria occupied and annexed the hitherto free Imperial and Lutheran city of Donauworth. The action caused the Protestant princes and cities to found the Protestant Union. Bavaria then concluded an alliance with the Austrian and Hungarian Estates. In 1609 Bavaria became the leading force in the newly founded (Catholic) Holy League, an alliance formed against the Protestant Union. Consolidating his governance, Duke Maximilian, in 1616 introduced a new Bavarian Landrecht (Law Code), which was a compilation, reworking, and summation of all the laws and codes. Includes the codes of: Judicial Procedure; Court Laws; State Laws; Police Law; Forestry, hunting, and fishing regulations; Etc. It became a widespread the model for law and legislation for over 150 years. Stobbe II, 366. Very Scarce. Only a handful of copies are recorded in U.S. libraries. **PRICE JUST REDUCED! CHEST 2/1
