Johannes Stumpff

Stumpff was a theologian, cartographer and early historian of Switzerland. His magnum opus was a chronicle of Switzerland entitled ‘Gemeiner loblicher Eydgnossenschaft Stetten, Landen, und Volckeren chronikwirdiger Thaaten Beschreybung’. This work is now regarded as the first Protestant Chronicle and first national atlas. It contains a small cordiformworld map, maps of Europe, and thousands of woodcut illustrations showing historical events as well as daily life. A second edition was published by Stumpff's son, Johann Rudolf in 1586, and a third edition (‘Schweytzer Chronick’) appeared another 20 years later in a smaller format. Stumpff was a friend of Huldrych Zwingli, leader of the Swiss Reformation.