This document was purportedly issued by Rudolf I (1218–91), the first Habsburg to be king of the Holy Roman Empire. Rudolf was elected by the prince-electors in 1273. After Rudolf prevailed over his rival for the throne, the king of Bohemia, Ottokar II Přemysl, he was able to extend his dominion. The Habsburgs, whose origins were in Swabia, received the Austrian lands in 1282 as a fief in common for the dynasty. Two other Habsburgs were to occupy the throne of the Holy Roman Empire in the first half of the 14th century: Albert I (ruled 1298–1308) and Frederick the Fair (ruled 1314–30).
In the Early and High Middle Ages documents were invariably drafted in Latin. It was only in the second half of the 13th century that German language gradually came to be used. In the royal chancellery of the Holy Roman Empire, German was used more frequently beginning in the reign of the Habsburg Rudolf I (ruled 1273–91). The use of the vernacular does not make comprehension of medieval texts easier, however. Latin legal terminology was precisely defined, whilst German equivalents are often not as exact. Moreover, German orthography was not firmly established with the consequence that many alternate spellings for names and words were used.
One of the characteristics of the Holy Roman Empire was that it was an elective monarchy. The throne was not inherited within a single family. Instead, a new king was elected from among the princes of the empire. The group of princes entitled to act as electors was not definitively fixed until the Golden Bull was issued. Only from 1356 was the college composed of seven secular and spiritual prince-electors established: the king of Bohemia, duke of Saxony, count palatine of the Rhine, margrave of Brandenburg, and the archbishops of Mainz, Cologne, and Trier. Election was by a simple majority. The archbishop of Mainz, who held the office of arch-chancellor of the empire, cast the final, and in the event of a tie, deciding vote.
The usual iron gall ink with admixtures of carbon-based ink was used for the text. The initial “W” at the beginning is distinctive, however. It shows up clearly in most of the imaging techniques used. In the x-ray radiography image in addition to a greater absorption, clear particles of brighter appearance can be detected. The material analysis showed that for these initials iron gall ink with an admixture of lead containing material was used. This suggests that the initials were inserted into the document by a second scribe.
The seal that was originally affixed by the multi-coloured cords has not been preserved. Analysis of dyes used to colour the seal cords, undertaken by Maurizio Aceto (Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale, Alessandria, Italy), revealed that a vegetal dye derived from Reseda luteola (weld, dyer’s rocket) was used for the yellow, and orchil, a colouring extracted from lichens, for the red. A double dyeing with blue and yellow pigments produced the green; probably used in this process was indigo blue from the European woad and Reseda luteola for the yellow dye. All these dyes were in common use during the Middle Ages, mostly to colour textiles.
This purported document of King Rudolf of Habsburg (1218–91) is the only piece of the corpus of forgeries written in German. It is the first, which is addressed to the House of Habsburg. It thus does not extend the provisions of the deed of 1156, as do the other documents. Instead, this manuscript was intended to transfer rights and privileges originally granted to the Babenbergs to the Habsburgs as the new ruling dynasty. The Babenbergs died out in the male line in 1246 and were succeeded in Austria by the Bohemian king, Ottokar II (1233–78). Only after the battles of Dürnkrut and Jedenspeigen in 1278, at which Ottokar fell and King Rudolf I emerged victorious, did Habsburg rule in the Austrian lands begin.
King Rudolf I of the House of Habsburg together with the prince-electors confirms to his sons Albrecht and Rudolf of Austria and Styria the enumerated privileges of heathen and Christian emperors and kings.
purportedly Rheinfelden, 11 June 1283 (forgery 1358/59)
Parchment, seal missing, dark red, yellow and green silk cords
Vienna, Austrian State Archives, Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv, AUR 1845