Told in the form of a chivalric romance in rhyming verse, the story of the knight Theuerdank is an embellished account of an episode from the life of Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), narrated with a remarkable wealth of invention. Theuerdank is beset by many adventures in the book’s 118 chapters. He is accompanied throughout by his faithful companion Ehrenhold, who saves him from all the perils that lie along his road – including the traps set by Theuerdank’s three adversaries, Fürwittig, Unfalo and Neidelhardt. Theuerdank undertakes his quest in search of the right bride. Historically, this corresponds to Maximilian’s bridal journey in 1477, which ends with his marriage to Mary of Burgundy. Maximilian himself assumed responsibility for the book. Starting in 1505, he not only determined the content but also checked every editorial stage and every woodcut. The copy printed on vellum in the Liberna Collection is from the first, not immediately distributed edition and is therefore particularly rare.