[meteorite-list] Ensisheim: What is the TRUE FALL DATE??

Philippe Thomas thomasmeteorites at wanadoo.fr
Thu Feb 7 15:26:33 EST 2008


Francis and List,

During the fall of the meteorite, Maximilian I was on the way towards France to take revenge of a slight that Charles VIII had done by rejecting his daughter and by stealing him his 
betrothed. It is on the route that he heard of the fall of the stone to Ensisheim and that he decided to stop in this city to study the phenomenon and to try to understand what he could 
signify. He arrives at Ensisheim nineteen days after the fall and asks the stone to be brought to him. Having examined the stone during of numerous days under all its sides, he took a 
piece for him and the other one for his friend Sigismond of Austria then ordered that this stone is placed in the church, there, where according to him, she had to be, because of her 
divine character. The fact that he won the battle of Salin marshes while he faced an enemy army more important and what he succeeded in extorting to his opponent of numerous 
concessions expanded the reputation of the stone. People hurried up to come to admire it and profite of a fraction of the luck which this one seemed to spread around her. It is 
impossible to know if Maximilian believed in the possibility for this stone to constitute a lucky charm and if he had or not joined the ideas that Sebastian Brant wanted to make him 
accept.

Best wishes,
Philippe


I heard that the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I either witnessed the fall, or visited the meteorite soon thereafter. What is the correct story with the Holy Roman Emperor?




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