In the late Middle Ages, history became an integral part of politics. Particularly, municipal governments in southern Germany routinely integrated history, the "true narrative of events that occurred," into their political actions. The author examines the collection of all historical works funded by the cities of Freiburg, Bern, Lucerne, Zurich, and Basel between 1350 and 1550. In addition to well-known chronicles such as those by Conrad Justinger in Bern or Diebold Schilling in Lucerne, this includes entries in city records, songs, inscriptions, and historical images. The systematic compilation allows for the identification of the foundations upon which history was able to exert its political influence. Central to this are the truth claims of the genre and the relationship between authors and authorities. This is illustrated by the detailed reconstruction of the creation of the official Bernese Chronicle.