Arnold von Harff
Arnold von Harff (1471 – January 1505) was a 15th-century German traveller and writer. He made a pilgrimage that took him to the Holy Land and further afield, to present-day Yemen and Socotra, before returning overland via Antioch and Constantinople. He wrote an account of his travels which mixes first-hand experience and stories from other medieval writers like Marco Polo and Mandeville's Travels.
Arnold von Harff
Handschrift 268 der Benediktinerabtei Maria Laach · Rom, jerusalem, santiago-Das pilgerbuch des ritters Arnold von Harrf (1496-98). hg. v. Helmut Brall-Tuchel, Folkert Reichert. Düsseldorf 2007 · Public domain
- Born
- 1471 · Schloss Harff.
- Died
- 1505 · Schloss Harff.
- Occupation
- writer · knight · pilgrim
- Honours
- Knight in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
- Languages
- German
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Documentary summary
Arnold von Harff (1471 – January 1505) was a 15th-century German traveller and writer. He made a pilgrimage that took him to the Holy Land and further afield, to present-day Yemen and Socotra, before returning overland via Antioch and Constantinople. He wrote an account of his travels which mixes first-hand experience and stories from other medieval writers like Marco Polo and Mandeville's Travels.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
The book, which was published in a printed edition in 1860, contains important information about the ethnology and languages of the regions he visited.
Arnold von Harff was born in Schloss Harff, a castle in Bedburg in the present German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. He was the middle son of the nobleman Adam von Harff. In 1496, he went on a pilgrimage to Rome, Sinai, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela. His intent was to also visit Ireland and St Patrick's Purgatory, but he appears to never have reached Ireland. His journey took him from Cologne via Rome to Venice and then by ship to Alexandria. From there he travelled to and Sinai. He then continued south, reached Mecca (but was not allowed to enter) and the Aden and, possibly, Socotra. He returned via the Nile to Cairo, and then went to the Holy Land and visited Jerusalem. By 1499, he had reached Damascus, and then continued overland via Antioch to Constantinople and the Balkans to Spain before returning to Germany. Following his return, he married Margarethe von dem Bongart in 1504 and took up office as hereditary chamberlain at the court of the Duchy of Guelders. He died in 1505.
Writing
Writing
Arnold von Harff wrote an account of his travels. Manuscript copies circulated and were quite widely read by the upper class of North Rhine-Westphalia throughout the 17th century. In 1860 a printed edition was published by Everhard von Groote. Arnold von Harff wrote in a Low Rheinish dialect of German. The style is typical for late-medieval pilgrimage writing and draws heavily upon earlier models such as Marco Polo, Mandeville's Travels and Odoric of Pordenone. Although Arnold von Harff for example claims to also have visited India and Madagascar, it is in the book quite apparent what derives from his own experience and what derives from written sources. The book contains important information about ethnology and languages, including Breton, Turkish, Basque, Hebrew, Arabic, Albanian, Hungarian, Syriac, Amharic, and Armenian.
Identity
Identity
Arnold von Harff is recorded as having received Knight in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
Holzschnittillustrationen nach der originalen Buchmalerei zum Pilgerbuch des Ritters Arnold von Harff (1471-1498)
https: printsec=frontcover dq=arnold+von+harff hl=de#v=onepage q= f=false
Holzschnittillustrationen nach der originalen Buchmalerei zum Pilgerbuch des Ritters Arnold von Harff (1471-1498)
https: printsec=frontcover dq=arnold+von+harff hl=de#v=onepage q= f=false
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1471
Arnold von Harff born at Schloss Harff.
1505
Arnold von Harff died at Schloss Harff.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Helmut Brall-Tuchel (Hrsg.), Folker Reichert: Rom – Jerusalem – Santiago: Das Pilgertagebuch des Ritters Arnold von Harff (1496–1498). 1. Auflage, Böhlau, Köln/Weimar/Wien 2007, ISBN 978-3-412-20026-8, S. 12.
- 2.Das folgende nach: Helmut Brall-Tuchel, Folker Reichert (Hrsg.): Rom, Jerusalem, Santiago: Das Pilgertagebuch des Ritters Arnold von Harff (1496–1498). 1. Auflage, Böhlau, Köln/Weimar/Wien 2007, ISBN 978-3-412-20026-8, mit den entsprechenden Seitenzahlen.
- 3.Hartmut Beckers: Zu den Fremdalphabeten und Fremdsprachenproben im Reisebericht Arnolds von Harff (1496-1498), in: Collectanea philologica, Festschrift für Helmut Gipper, hrsg. von Günter Heintz und Peter Schmitter; Verlag Koerner, Baden-Baden 1985, S. 73–86.
- 4.Helmut Brall-Tuchel, Folker Reichert (Hrsg.): Rom, Jerusalem, Santiago: Das Pilgertagebuch des Ritters Arnold von Harff (1496–1498). 1. Auflage, Böhlau, Köln/Weimar/Wien 2007, ISBN 978-3-412-20026-8, S. 16–18.
- 5.Andreas Amberg: Schriftsteller im Erkelenzer Land. Eine literarische Spurensuche. In: Schriften des Heimatvereins der Erkelenzer Lande e. V., 13,. Erkelenz 1993.
- 6.Arnold von Harff Schule. 20100114225224.
- 7.Andreas Amberg: Schriftsteller im Erkelenzer Land. Eine literarische Spurensuche. In: Schriften des Heimatvereins der Erkelenzer Lande e. V., 13, Erkelenz 1993, S. 5 f.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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