Offered here are 46 original German cigarette cards of Important Events in Early German History (c. 9 AD to 1500 AD). The cards were issued in 1935 by the Reemtsma Cigarette Co. for the album Rühmesblätter deutscher Geschichte (Glorious Events in German History). Each picture is a painting done by well-known artists of military scenes. Pictured here are: No. 1: The Germanic Tribes are Called to Fight the Romans [Painting by Edmund Herger]. Even at the very beginning of German history the fight to be free from foreign oppression was necessary, as was the need to be united in that fight. Justice and freedom, land and a united country were the driving forces that made the Germanic tribes rise up. No. 2: Germanic Leader Versus the Romans, Hermann the Cherusker, Visits a Prophetess before the Battle of Teutoburger Forest against Roman General Varus (9 A.D.) [Painting by F. Leeke]. Before an important battle Germanic leaders often consulted a prophetess to ask advice for the coming fight. Hermann is told in this picture that he will be victorious and gain the freedom of his people. No. 3: The Battle of the Teutoburger Forest (September 9 to 11, 9 A. D.) [Painting by Friedrich Gunkel]. The destruction of the Roman legions by the Germanic leader Hermann (also called Arminius) represented the final victory over Rome’s attempt to expand east of the Rhine. No. 4: The “Furor Teutonicus” at the Battle of the Teutoburger Forest (9 A.D.) [Painting by Friedrich Gunkel]. Hermann’s plan was a masterpiece. He had a few small tribes cause an uprising in order to attract the Roman army into the forest, where Hermann and his main force laid an ambush. The Germanic warriors surrounded General Varus’s legions and cut them down to the last man. No. 5: The Dying Heroes at the Battle of the Teutoburger Forest (9 A.D.) [Painting by Georg Bleibtreu]. One reason for the bravery of the Germanic warriors against the Romans was their belief in an afterlife in Valhalla if they died in battle. No. 6: Songs of the Skalden in the King’s Hall [Painting by F. Leeke]. During victory celebrations in the Great Hall,  the “Skalden” (poets) sang of the heroic deeds of the brave Germanic warriors in battle. No. 7: The Huns Attack the Goths, Starting the Great Migration (c. 375 A.D.) [Painting by F. Checa]. The sudden attack of the Huns, an Asiatic nomadic people, against the East and West Goths caused these Germanic peoples to flee to the West, beginning the period of the Great Migration. The Huns were finally stopped some time later by a joint Roman and West Gothic Army at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains. No. 8: The Gothic King Alarich I Enters Rome as its Conqueror (August 24, 410) [Painting by Wilhelm von Lindenschmit]. The invasion of the Western Gothic tribes, fleeing the Huns, shook the once powerful Roman Empire whose capital, Rome, was taken in 410. No. 9: Charlemagne Has the Germanic Idol, the Irmen-Pillar, Toppled (772 A.D.) [Painting by Alfred Rethel]. After the fall of Rome the Saxons kept their freedom and their religion for three more centuries. In his desire to convert the pagan Saxons to Christianity, Charlemagne had their holy pillar, which they believed to be the residence of the invisible Germanic god. That started a bitter war between the Franks and the Saxons that lasted some 30 years, until the Saxons were subdued. No. 10: The Triumphant Entry of Charlemagne into the City of Pavia (774 A. D.) [Painting by Alfred Rethel]. During his military campaign against the Lombards Charlemagne took their capital city of Pavia after a siege of eight months. After his victory, he crowned himself with the “Iron Crown” of the Lombards some of whose metal supposedly came from a nail used during Christ’s crucifixion. No. 11: Charlenmagne studies the plans for the great Palace Church in Aachen (796) [From a painting by O. Knille]. Charlemagne supported the Arts among the Germanic tribes under his rule. Many beautiful large buildings were constructed during his reign, including the Palace Church in Aachen (build from 796 to 804), and he personally oversaw the construction of many of them. No. 12: The Coronation of Charlemagne in Rome on December 25, 800 A. D.) [Painting by Alfred Rethel]. Charlemagne helped Pope Leo III, who had been chased out of Rome by his enemies, back to the Eternal City. In return, the Pope crowned Charlemagne in St. Peter’s Basilica with the title Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and named him successor to the Roman emperors. No. 13: Henry the Fowler is Brought the King’s Crown (919) [Painting by H. Vogel]. In Quedlinburg people still go to the place where the Saxon Duke, Henry, was surprised by a group of Franconian noblemen as he sat with his bird traps. They brought him the king’s crown and offered him the royal throne, as his predecessor Konrad I of Franconia has requested in the event of his death. No. 14: Emperor Otto I and His Brother Duke Heinrich are Reconciled (Dec. 25, 947) [Painting by Alfred Rethel]. After a long feud Otto forgave his remorseful brother. This deed is remembered in the famous poem “In Quedlinburg’s Cathedral”. No. 15: Markgrave Gero Meets Representatives of the Wends After Conquering Them (950) [Painting by Heyden]. The “Great Markgrave” Gero, whose fame has been spread in song and writing, was the one who established German dominance between the Elbe and Oder Rivers. His fight against the Wends proved him to be a bold and clever leader. No. 16: Emperor Otto I Defeats the Magyars (Hungarians) at the Battle of Lechfeld (955 A. D.) [Painting by Echter]. After a number of initial setbacks the Germans gained a glorious victory when Otto fought at the head of his troops with the Holy Lance (that supposedly pierced Christ’s side at the crucifixion) in his hand. No. 17: Emperor Heinrich II (Ruled 1002-1024) Meets Bishop Bernward [Painting by Prell]. Bishop Bernward was a well-known patron of the Arts and was himself an accomplished metal-caster. He was also a supporter of the sciences and was often consulted for advice by Emperor Henry II. No. 18: Rebuilding Magdeburg (936) [Painting by H. Vogel]. The city of Magdeburg, destroyed by the Wends in the year 924 was rebuilt by Otto the Great and his wife Editha and later raised to the seat of an Archbishop. In the Moritz Cloisters in the city the marble sarcophagus of the couple can still be seen today. No. 19: The Women of Weinsberg (December 21, 1140) [Painting by Bruckmann]. When the Hohenstaufen King Konrad III conquered Weinsberg he permitted the women of the city to leave safely with whatever they could carry. When he saw them leaving the city carrying their husbands, he said: “A king must keep his word.” No. 20: Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa’s Triumphant Entry into Milan (1162) [Painting by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld]. The city of Milan had resisted the Emperor on various matters, so after a long siege Friedrich took the city. No. 21: Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa Pleads with Heinrich the Lion to Help Him Battle the Lombards (1176) [Painting by Foltz]. In the city of Chiavenna Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa fell on his knees to ask Heinrich the Lion for help in fighting the Lombards in Italy. Heinrich, of the Welf family, was more concerned with developing his lands and thus denied the emperor’s request. No. 22: Friedrich Barbarossa Takes Leave on His Way to the Third Crusade (1189) [Painting by L. Gey]. As a young man Emperor Friedrich took part in the Second Crusade and now as a much older man he prepared to go on the Third Crusade as well. The reason for this Crusade was the capture of Jerusalem by the powerful Egyptian sultan, Saladin. No. 23: Finding the Corpse of Friedrich Barbarossa (1190) [Painting by Beckmann]. On the way to the Middle East, while bathing one day in the Calicadnus River in Cilicia, the 70 year old Friedrich suffered a stroke and died. In popular legend, however, he is still alive inside the Kyffhauser Mountain, waiting to return to lead Germany to new glory. No. 24: A Knightly Jousting Tournament (1184) [Painting by Hoffmann]. The most magnificent tournament of the Middle Ages was held in 1184 in Mainz where some 70,000 knights took part in celebration of the knighting of Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa’s sons. No. 25: The Highpoint of Medieval Literature in German Lands (c. 1200) [Painting by Hoffmann]. At noble courts many knightly poets, such as Walther von der Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach, sang of noble women, love, German customs and heroic adventures. No. 26: Emperor Friedrich II (ruled 1212 to 1250) Receives a Legation in Sicily [Painting by von Ramberg]. Friedrich II, who wanted to free the Empire of the influence of the Church, set up his magnificent court in Sicily. Beautiful women, foreign nobles and dignitaries and troubadours from many lands could be found at his court there. No. 27: Rudolf of Habsburg Receives the News of His Election to Emperor (1273) [Painting by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld]. In the attempt to protect their rights and privileges, the princes of the empire elected Rudolf of Habsburg, of somewhat lower nobility, to emperor in the belief that they could control him. However, because of his keen political sense, he outwitted them and became a powerful ruler. No. 28: Count Rudolf of Habsburg and the Priest (c. 1270) [Painting by Peter Paul Rubens]. A priest who was bringing the Eucharist to a dying man, was traveling on foot. Rudolf, seeing this, gave the priest his horse. Rudolf, founder of the Habsburg dynasty and later King, became with this deed a model of Christian service and humility in the Middle Ages. No. 29: Medieval Siege Methods (c. 1300) [from an engraving; artist unknown]. When besieging a town defended by strong walls and deep moats the main means of breaching the defenses was to ram one of the gates, construct a siege tower or construct a protective structure for workers who would try to undermine the wall in order to create a gap. No. 30: Arnold Winkelried, the Swiss Hero of the Battle of Sempach (July 9, 1386) [Painting by Grob]. In the uprising of the “crude farmers” Arnold Winkelried and his companions faced the Austrian knights and their lances. In order to make a path for his comrades through the wall of knights and lances, he gathered together a number of lances and skewered himself on them, so that the men of his side could penetrate the enemy’s armored wall. No. 31: Eberhard of Württemberg Cuts the Tablecloth While at Table with His Son Ulrich (died 1388) in 1377. (Painting by König). When Count Ulrich suffered a great defeat to the Swabian City League in the Battle of Reutlingen (May 14, 1377), his father, Count Eberhard, while at table with his son, cut the tablecloth in two as a sign of his displeasure. No. 32: The Return of Count Eberhard of Württemberg after the Battle of Döffingen (1388) [Painting by J. E. Lauffer]. Eberhard suffered the loss of his son in the fighting at Döffingen, but upon his return home he was surprised by the happy news of the birth of a grandson. No. 33: The Future Emperor Sigismund is Rescued by Count Johann of Nuremberg at the Battle of Nikopolis (September 28, 1396) [Painting by Hermann Knackfuss]. Sigismund was about to be captured by the pursuing Turks, until Johann pulled him onto a ship and to safety. When he later became Emperor Sigismund gave Johann’s brother, Friedrich, Mark Brandenburg out of gratitude for this act. No. 34: The Hansa Fleet Returns to Hamburg After Defeating the Vitalian Brothers (Pirates) in 1401 [Painting by Hans Bohrdt]. The pirate Klaus Störtebeker wreaked havoc on the shipping lanes of the North Sea and Baltic Sea in the early 15^th century. The Hanseatic League captured his ship and brought him to Hamburg where he was tried and executed. No. 35: The Fortress of Bergedorf is Surrendered (1420) [Painting by Grotemeyer). The Dukes of Saxony of the Lauenburg Dynasty resided in the fortress in Bergedorf. The cities of the Hanseatic League opposed the aggressive Lauenburg Dukes and troops from Lübeck and Hamburg captured the fortress after heavy fighting. No. 36: Agnes von Rosenberg Surrenders Her Father’s Fortress to the Hussites (1426) [Artist’s name not given]. After the death of her father during the siege of Rosenberg by the Hussites, Agnes led the continued defense of the fortress. When she was forced to surrender, the brave Agnes and the few other remaining survivors of the fighting were permitted to leave the fortress with their belongings.

Each card measures 2 and ¼ inches by 2 inches.

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