Citation/Reference: New York Public Library. Spencer Collection. Dictionary catalog and shelf list, vol. II, p. 904.
Content: Conrad Kyeser called his composition Bellifortis (Strong in war), a work that was written when Kyser was exiled and imprisoned at an unknown location in Bohemia, which explains the alternate title Das Puch Exulis (The Book of Exile).
Content: This manuscript was interleaved in the 16th century. Original ms. of this text survives in Gottingen, in a codex which Kyeser dedicated to King Rupert in 1405.
Content: Earliest surviving treatise on war produced in Germany. This ms. has the original Latin (dactylic hexameter) and translation into German prose.
Content: Translation is in early form of modern high German, from S. of river Main.
Content: Layout: Up to 26 lines of writing (most pages have miniatures); no visible ruling. Gatherings of twelve.
Content: Decoration: 132 pen and ink drawings, colored and heighted with silver foil (now oxidized), some of which include human and animal figure. Above drawings of weapons etc. 2- and 3-line red initials, rubrics, red slashes as placemarkers.
Content: Paper: Watermark a flower, similar to Briquet 6383, which is ca. 1410-15 and found in Italy/ Netherlands. Interleaves: serpent similar to Briquet 13808; shield with 2 stars similar to Briquet 1013, watermarks date to the 16th or very early 17th c., from Prague & SE Austria.
Preferred Citation: NYPL. Spencer Collection MS. 58
Language: In Latin and German
Ownership: Bookplate ("Ex Libris Liechtensteinianis") of Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein (b. 1906).

Physical Description

Extent: 76 leaves, bound :paper, ink, manuscript, illuminations ;196 x 138 mm
Vellum binding.

Languages

Latin
German

Identifiers

NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b22835636
Photo Order: 64504
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 82dd75f0-0abd-013b-b738-0242ac110002

Rights

The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Type Of Resource

Text

Date Issued

1450

Cite this item

MLA format

Spencer Collection, The New York Public Library. "Das Puch Exulis" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1450. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/82dd75f0-0abd-013b-b738-0242ac110002

APA format

Spencer Collection, The New York Public Library. (1450). Das Puch Exulis Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/82dd75f0-0abd-013b-b738-0242ac110002

Chicago/Turabian Format

Spencer Collection, The New York Public Library. "Das Puch Exulis" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed December 16, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/82dd75f0-0abd-013b-b738-0242ac110002

Wikipedia citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/82dd75f0-0abd-013b-b738-0242ac110002 | title= (text) Das Puch Exulis (1450) | author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library | accessdate=December 16, 2025 | publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>