Hornig’s Codex (Legende der heiligen Hedwig) was created in 1451 upon request of a town councillor and lay judge from Wrocław – Anton Hornig. It remained in the possession of his family probably until the second half of the 17th century; later it was passed into the hands of the imperial councillor Wilhelm von Wirz und Burg, and then to the library of the Franciscan monastery at the church of St. Dorothea in Wrocław. After the secularization of the monastery in 1810 it was handed over to the Wrocław University Library, where it has been kept up until now.

The Codex is the largest collection of texts about St. Hedwig in German translated by an anonymous translator. They include: the genealogy of St. Hedwig, her biographies – greater and smaller, prayer of the author, the bull of canonization from 1267 and an occasional sermon of its issuer – Pope Clement IV; then a letter of Nicholas from Poznan about St. Hedwig to Prince Ludwik I of Brzeg and a rhymed prayer for the intercession of the saint. The final part, a colophon, contains information about the founder of the Codex and the copyist who prepared it, Peter Freytag, as well as a message that the basis for translation of the texts was the Codex from 1380 which is now lost, founded by Rupert, a Duke of Legnica, prepared on the basis of famous Codex of Lubin (Vita beatae Hedwigis – The life of the blessed Hedwig) from 1353. A cycle of six miniatures from Hornig’s Codex directly refers to the latter richly illustrated book. It has one hundred and twenty pages made of good quality parchment, written with black ink and decorated with red and blue initials.

Hornig ordered the Codex in order to strengthen his piety in the times of special revival of religious sentiments. On one hand it was caused by both ideological and military opposition of residents of Wrocław – aimed at the influences of Hussitism dominating in Bohemia – Wrocław belonged to the Czech Crown at that time, and on the other hand by the concerns spreading throughout Europe regarding the progressive expansion of the Muslim Ottoman Empire. Thanks to the prevailing moods the death of the son of St. Hedwig – Henry the Pious - gained prominence, as he was killed in the Battle of Legnica fighting with anti-Christian invaders from the East.