The
gittern was a relatively small gut strung round-backed instrument that first appears in literature and pictorial representation during the 13th century in Western Europe (Iberian Peninsula, Italy, France, England). It is usually depicted played with a quill
plectrum. It was also called the
guitarra in Spain,
guiterne or
guiterre in France, the
chitarra in Italy and
quintern in Germany. A popular instrument with court musicians,
minstrels, and amateurs, the gittern is considered ancestral to the modern guitar; possibly other instruments like the
mandore and
gallichon.