The Codex Manesse (also Große Heidelberger Liederhandschrift or Pariser Handschrift) is a '' Liederhandschrift'' (manuscript containing songs), the single most comprehensive source of

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. Hig ...

Minnesang (; "love song") was a tradition of lyric- and song-writing in Germany and Austria that flourished in the Middle High German period. This period of medieval German literature began in the 12th century and continued into the 14th. People who w ...

'' poetry, written and illustrated between c. 1304 when the main part was completed, and c. 1340 with the addenda. The codex was produced in

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Z ...

, for the Manesse family. The manuscript is "the most beautifully illumined German manuscript in centuries"; its 137 miniatures are a series of "portraits" depicting each poet.

The Codex Manesse is an anthology of the works of a total of about 135 minnesingers of the mid 12th to early 14th century. For each poet, a portrait is shown, followed by the text of their works. The entries are ordered approximately by the social status of the poets, starting with the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, Kings

Conradin Conrad III (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), called ''the Younger'' or ''the Boy'', but usually known by the diminutive Conradin (german: link=no, Konradin, it, Corradino), was the last direct heir of the House of Hohenstaufen. He was Duke ...

and Wenceslaus II, down through dukes, counts and knights, to the commoners. Most of the poems are ''

'', but there are also other genres, including fables and didactic poems. The oldest poets represented in the manuscript had been dead for more than a century at the time of its compilations, while others were contemporaries, the latest even late additions of poems written during the early 14th century. In the portraits, some of the nobles are shown in full armour in their heraldic colors and devices (therefore with their faces hidden), often shown as taking part in a

joust Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two horse riders wielding lances with blunted tips, often as part of a tournament. The primary aim was to replicate a clash of heavy cavalry, with each participant trying to strike the opponen ...

, or sometimes in single combat with sword and shield, and sometimes in actual battle. Some images are motivated by the biography of the person depicted, but some designs just draw their motif from the poet's name (thus, Dietmar is shown riding a mule, since his name can be interpreted as meaning ''people's horse''), while others draw on imagery from their lyrics (

Walther von der Vogelweide Walther von der Vogelweide (c. 1170c. 1230) was a Minnesänger who composed and performed love-songs and political songs (" Sprüche") in Middle High German. Walther has been described as the greatest German lyrical poet before Goethe; his hundr ...

is shown in a thoughtful pose which exactly matches the description of himself in one of his most famous songs).

List of poets

#6r:

Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI (German: ''Heinrich VI.''; November 1165 – 28 September 1197), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was King of Germany ( King of the Romans) from 1169 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 until his death. From 1194 he was also King of ...

(1165–1197) #7r: King Conrad the Young (1252–1268) #8r: "King Tyro of Scotland and Fridebrant his son" (not the name of a singer, but the title of an epic poem, dated to the first half of the 13th century) #10r: King Wenceslaus of Bohemia (Wenceslaus II, king of Bohemia and Poland, 1271–1305) #11v:

Herzog ''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. ...

Heinrich von Breslau (Henry IV, 1258–1290) #13r:

Margrave Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the ...

Otto von Brandenburg (Otto IV, 1266–1308) #14v: Margrave Heinrich von Meißen (Henry III, 1215–1288) #17r: the Duke of Anhalt (Henry I, c. 1170–1252) #18r: John, Duke of Brabant (John I, 1252/1253–1294) #20r:

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

Rudolf von Neuenburg (either Rudolf II, died 1192, or his nephew Rudolf I, died 1258) #22v: Count Kraft von

Toggenburg Toggenburg is a region of Switzerland. It corresponds to the upper valley of the river Thur and that of its main tributary, the Necker. Since 1 January 2003, Toggenburg has been a constituency (''Wahlkreis'') of the canton of St. Gallen ( ...

(probably Kraft III of Toggenburg, died 1339) #24r: Count Konrad von Kirchberg (either Konrad II, fl. 1275–1326, or his cousin Konrad III, 1281–1315) #26r: Count Friedrich von Leiningen (probably Friedrich II, died 1237) #27r: Count Otto von Botenlauben (died 1244) #29r: Margrave von Hohenburg (either Diepold V. von Vohburg, fl. 1205–1225, or his son Bertold IV, died 1256). #30r: Herr Heinrich von Veldeke (died after 1184) #32v: Herr Gottfried von Neifen (died 1279) #42r: Count Albrecht von Haigerloch (Albrecht II of Hohenberg, died 1298) #43v: Count Wernher von Homberg (died 1320) #46v: Herr Jakob von Warte (died 1331) #48v: Brother Eberhard von Sax (fl. 1309) #52r: Herr Walther von Klingen (fl. 1240–1280s) #54r: Herr Rudolf von

Rotenburg Rotenburg may refer to: *Rotenburg (district), Lower Saxony, Germany *Rotenburg an der Wümme, capital of the district *Rotenburg an der Fulda, near Kassel in Hesse *Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in the Franconia region of Bavaria *Hersfeld-Rotenburg, ...

(fl. 1287) #59v: Herr Heinrich von Sax (probably Henry II, 1235–1289) #61v: Herr Heinrich von Frauenberg (fl. 1284–1305) #63r: Der von Kürenberg (12th century) #64r: Herr Dietmar von Aist (fl. 1140–1160s) #66v: Der von Gliers (perhaps Wilhelm von Gliers, fl. 1267–1317) #69r: Herr Wernher von Teufen (fl. 1220) #70v: Herr Heinrich von Stretlingen (either Henry II, fl. 1250s, or his son Henry III, died 1294) #71v: Herr Kristan von Hamle (probably an author of 13th-century

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

, otherwise unknown) #73r: Herr Ulrich von Gutenburg (fl. 1170s) #75v: Herr Heinrich von der Mure (fl. 1223–1263, a Dominican friar, prior at Eichstätt and later at Augsburg) #76v: Herr Heinrich von Morungen (fl. 1210s) #82v: Der Schenk von Limpurg (either Walther I, fl. 1230–1240s, or one of his sons, Walther II or Konrad I) #84v: Schenk Ulrich von Winterstetten (fl. 1250–1270s) #98r: Herr Reinmar der Alte (fl. late 12th century) #110r: Herr Burkart von Hohenfels (fl. 1220–1230s) #113v: Herr Hesso von Reinach (1234–1275/76) #115r:

Burgrave Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from german: Burggraf, la, burgravius, burggravius, burcgravius, burgicomes, also praefectus), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especia ...

von

Lienz Lienz (; Southern Bavarian: ''Lianz'') is a medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality also includes the cadastral subdivision of '' ...

(fl. early 13th century) #116v: Herr Friedrich von Hausen (died after 1188) #119v: Burgrave von Rietenburg (either Henry IV. fl 1174–1184, or Otto III, fl. 1154–1185) #120v: Herr Meinloh von Sevelingen (mid-12th century) #122r: Herr Heinrich von Rugge (f. 1170s) #124r: Herr

(c. 1170 – c. 1230) #146r: Herr Hiltbold von Schwangau (fl. 1221–1254) #149v: Herr

Wolfram von Eschenbach Wolfram von Eschenbach (; – ) was a German knight, poet and composer, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of medieval German literature. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry. Life Little is known of Wolfram's life. There ar ...

(c. 1170 – c. 1220) #151r: Von Singenberg, Seneschal of

St. Gallen , neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach , twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic) , website = ...

(probably Ulrich von Singenberg, fl. 1220s) #158r: Der von Sachsendorf (unknown; possibly mentioned by Ulrich von Lichtenstein as serving

Frederick II of Austria Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 25 April 1211 – 15 June 1246), known as Frederick the Quarrelsome (''Friedrich der Streitbare''), was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1230 until his death. He was the fifth and last Austrian duke from the Hou ...

) #160v: Wachsmut von Künzingen (unknown, perhaps from

Clemency, Luxembourg Clemency ( lb, Kënzeg, german: Küntzig) is a town and a former commune in south-western Luxembourg. Since 2012, it is part of the commune of Käerjeng. It is part of the canton of Capellen, which is part of the district of Luxembourg. , the t ...

) #162v: Herr Wilhelm von Heinzenburg (near

Bad Kreuznach Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in t ...

; probably William III fl. 1264–1292) #164v: Herr Leuthold von Seven (fl. 1218) #166v: Herr Walther von Metze (died before 1276, otherwise unknown) #169v: Herr Rubin (unknown, mid-13th century) #178r: Herr Bernger von Horheim (late 12th century) #179v: Der von Johansdorf (Albrecht, fl. 1172–1209) #181v: Herr Engelhardt von Adelnburg (either fl. 1200 or 1220s, perhaps father and son of the same name) #182v: Herr

Bligger von Steinach Bligger von Steinach was the name of a series of feudal lords of Steinach, today Neckarsteinach in Hesse, Germany. Collectively the noble family was known as the ''Edelfreien von Steinach''. The family was influential, having close connections t ...

(probably Bligger II, fl. late 12th to early 13th century) #183v: Herr Wachsmut von Mühlhausen (fl. 1267) #184v: Herr

Hartmann von Aue Hartmann von Aue, also known as Hartmann von Ouwe, (born ''c.'' 1160–70, died ''c.'' 1210–20) was a German knight and poet. With his works including ''Erec'', ''Iwein'', '' Gregorius'', and ''Der arme Heinrich'', he introduced the Arthuria ...

(c. 1160 – c. 1210) #188r: Herr Reinmar von Brennenberg (fl. 1270s) #190v: Johann von

Ringgenberg Ringgenberg (sometimes also written as ''Ringgenberg BE'' in order to distinguish it from other "Ringgenbergs") is a village and a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. Besides th ...

(probably Johann I, 1291–1350) #192v: Albrecht Marschall von Rapperswil (fl. c. 1280) #194r: Herr Otto vom Turne (of

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label= Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital o ...

, a late addition, fl. after 1300) #197v: Herr Goesli von Ehenhein (of Strasbourg; otherwise unknown) #201r: Der von Wildonie (probably Herrand II, married to a daughter of Ulrich of Lichtenstein) #202v: Von Suonegge (probably Konrad von Suonegge, fl. 1220–1230s) #204r: Von Scharpfenberg (of Ratschach, mid-13th century) #205r: Herr Konrad, der Schenk von Landeck (of

Thurgau Thurgau (; french: Thurgovie; it, Turgovia), anglicized as Thurgovia, more formally the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is par ...

, 1271–1306) #213r: "Der Winsbeke" (purported author of the accompanying father-son didactic poem; it is unclear whether Winsbeke is a historical or a fictional character) #217r: "Die Winsbekin" (purported author of the accompanying mother-daughter didactic poem; it is unclear whether Winsbekin is a historical or a fictional character) #219v: "Klingsor of

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

" (fictional character introducing the '' Sängerkrieg'' poem) #226v: Kristan von Luppin of

(fl. 1290s) #228r: Herr Heinrich Hetzbold von Weißensee (early 14th century) #229v: Der Düring (an unidentified

n poet, late 13th century) #231r: Winli (an unidentified Alemannic poet, c. 1300) #237r: Herr Ulrich von Liechtenstein (c. 1200–1275) #247v: Von Munegiur (given name Ulrich, otherwise unknown) #248v: Von Raute (given name Hartwig, fl. c. 1200, otherwise unknown) #249v: Herr Konrad von Altstetten (perhaps a mayor of St. Gallen, attested 1320–1327) #251r: Herr Bruno von Hornberg (probably Bruno II, fl. 1275–1310) #252r: Herr Hug von Werbenwag (fl. mid 13th century, probably died after 1292) #253v: Der Püller (Konrad "the Apulian" von Hohenburg, probably participated in a campaign of Rudolph I against

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his dea ...

in 1278) #255r: Von Trostberg (an unidentified member of either of an Argovian or a Tyrolian family of ''

ministeriales The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a class of people raised up from serfdom and placed in positions of power and responsibility in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire. The word and its German translations, ''Minist ...

'') #256v: Hartmann von Starkenberg (of Werdenberg-Sargans, either Hartmann I, fl. 1250s, or his son Hartmann II, fl. 1270s) #257v: Von Stadegge (Rudolph II, one of the leading

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered ...

n minnesingers, fl. 1230–1250s) #258v: Herr Brunwart von Augheim (late 13th century) #261r: Von Stamheim (unidentified; fl. c. 1240s) #262v: Herr Goeli (of

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden i ...

, 13th century) #264r: Der

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and ...

(of

Thannhausen Thannhausen () is a town in the district of Günzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Mindel, southeast of Günzburg, and west of Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_Germ ...

, fl. 1240–1260s; depicted as a member of the

Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

) #271r: Von Buchheim (2nd half of 13th century) #273r: Herr Neidhart (born c. 1200 in

Lower Bavaria Lower Bavaria (german: Niederbayern, Bavarian: ''Niedabayern'') is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state. Geography Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions () – Landshut and Donau-W ...

) #281v:

Meister ''Meister'' means 'master' in German (as in master craftsman, or as an honorific title such as Meister Eckhart). The word is akin to master and maestro. In sports, ''Meister'' is used for the current national, European or world champion (e.g. ...

Heinrich Teschler (of

, 2nd half of 13th century, patronized by Rüdiger Manesse) #285r: Rost, Kirchherr zu

Sarnen , neighboring_municipalities= Alpnach, Entlebuch (LU), Flühli (LU), Giswil, Hasle (LU), Kerns, Sachseln , twintowns = Sarnen is a small historic town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Obwalden situated on the northern shores ...

(in

between 1313 and 1330. Presumed to have participated in the production of the codex as a scribe) #290r: Der Hardegger (probably ''Henricus de Hardegge'', of Rebstein, fl. 1230–1270s) #292v: Der Schulmeister von Eßlingen (late 13th century) #295r: Walther von

Breisach Breisach (formerly Altbreisach; Low Alemannic: ''Alt-Brisach'') is a town with approximately 16,500 inhabitants, situated along the Rhine in the Rhine Valley, in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about halfway ...

(without portrait) #299r: Von Wissenlo (probably

Wiesloch Wiesloch (, locally ; South Franconian: ''Wissloch''), is a town in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 13 kilometres south of Heidelberg. After Weinheim, Sinsheim and Leimen it is the fourth largest town in the Rhein-Neckar-Kre ...

; unidentified) #300r: Von Wengen (Burchard, fl. 1230–1270s, member of a family of ministeriales of the counts of Toggenburg) #302r: Herr Pfeffel (unidentified, mid 12th century) #303r: Der Taler (perhaps Leuthold von Tal, near

Rheineck Rheineck is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Rheintal in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Rheineck is first mentioned about 1163 as ''castellum Rinegge''. In 1218 it was mentioned as ''Rinegg''. An older ...

, fl. 1250) #305r: Der tugendhafte Schreiber ("The Virtuous Scribe"; unidentified, appears as a character in the '' Sängerkrieg'') #308v: Steinmar (perhaps Berthold Steinmar von

Klingnau Klingnau is a municipality in the district of Zurzach in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. History Klingnau is first mentioned in 1239 as ''Chlingenowe''. Ulrich of Klingen acquired land from the monastery of St. Blaise in 1239 to found th ...

, fl. 2nd half of 13th century) #311r: Herr Alram von Gresten (unidentified, perhaps of

Gresten Gresten is a municipality in the district of Scheibbs in Lower Austria, Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a ...

in Lower Austria) #312r: Herr Reinmar der Fiedler (unidentified, fl. mid 13th century) #313r: Herr Hawart (perhaps Hawardus de Holzwane, in 1258 canon at Augsburg) #314v: Herr Günther von dem Vorste (unidentified) #316v: Herr Friedrich der Knecht (unidentified, his poems are in Austro-Bavarian dialect, first half of the 13th century; the portrait shows Friedrich as a knight abducting a damsel on horseback while fighting off pursuers) #318r: Der Burggraf von Regensburg (probably Heinrich III von Stevening und Rietenburg, fl. 1126–1177) #319r: Herr Niune (unidentified; probably not a poet but the owner of a songbook used as a source in this section) #320v: Herr Geltar (unidentified; the poems are dated to between 1230 and 1250, perhaps from Lower Austria) #321v: Herr Dietmar der Setzer (unidentified; the portrait shows unmounted combat with sword and heater shield) #323r: Herr Reinmar von Zweter (fl. 1230s) #339r: Der Junge Meißner (unidentified; the poems are in Central German dialect) #342r: Der Alte Meißner (without portrait) #342v: Von Obernburg (unidentified; probably mid 13th century, of Obernburg near

Celje ) , pushpin_map = Slovenia , pushpin_label_position = left , pushpin_map_caption = Location of the city of Celje in Slovenia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Cou ...

) #344v: Bruder Wernher (unidentified; mid 13th century) #349r: Der Marner (probably ''marinaere'' "the mariner"; unidentified, but mentioned by Meister Rumslant below) #355r: Süßkind, der Jude von Trimberg (unidentified, 2nd half of the 13th century) #358r: (isolated anonymous poem) #359r: Von Buwenburg (Baumburg near

Hundersingen Hundersingen is a village within the municipality of Herbertingen and is part of the administrative district of Sigmaringen in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.Vgl. ''Herbertingen b) Hundersingen''. In: ''Das Land Baden-Württemberg. Am ...

, probably Ulrich von Buwenburg, fl. 1260) #361r: Heinrich von Dettingen (well documented during 1236–1300; of a family of ministeriales of

Reichenau abbey Reichenau Abbey was a Benedictine monastery on Reichenau Island (known in Latin as Augia Dives). It was founded in 724 by the itinerant Saint Pirmin, who is said to have fled Spain ahead of the Moorish invaders, with patronage that included Charl ...

) #362r: Rudolf der Schreiber (unidentified) #364r: Meister Gottfried von Straßburg (died c. 1210) #371r: Meister

Johannes Hadlaub Johannes Hadlaub ( fl. 1300, d. before 1340) is one of the Minnesingers whose works are recorded in ''Codex Manesse''. He was a citizen of Zürich, and is on record as buying a house there in 1302. There are 51 songs by Hadlaub in the Codex Ma ...

(of

, fl. 1300, possibly the redactor of the codex) #381r: Regenbogen ("Rainbow", an unidentified Alemannic poet, depicted as a smith) #383r: Meister Konrad von Würzburg (died 1287) #394r: Kunz von Rosenheim (unidentified, perhaps not a poet but the owner of a songbook used as a source) #395r: Rubin von Rüdeger (unidentified) #396r: Der Kol von Nüssen (unidentified, perhaps of Neunzen near

Zwettl __NOTOC__ Zwettl (; Central Bavarian: ''Zwedl''; Czech: ''Světlá'') is a town and district capital of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is chiefly known as the location of Zwettl Abbey, first mentioned in October 1139. History The n ...

; the poems date to the 1230s or 1240s) #397v: Der Dürner (unidentified, perhaps of Mengen, Swabia) #399r: Meister Heinrich Frauenlob (Heinrich von Meißen, born c. 1250) #407r: Meister Friedrich von Sonnenburg (unidentified; poems date to the 3rd quarter of the 13th century) #410r: Meister Sigeher (fl. 1250–1260s; perhaps identical with a ''Sicherius iuculator'' active in

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

, possibly a Tyrolian) #412r: Der wilde Alexander (an unidentified Alemannic poet of the late 13th century) #413v: Meister Rumslant (fl. late 13th century, of Northern Germany) #415v: Spervogel ("Sparrow"; recorded under this nickname are poems by two separate authors, with floruits in the mid and the late 12th century) #418r: Boppe (of Bonndorf, died 1320; from 1276–1305 serving as reeve of the count of Nellenburg) #422r: Der Litschauer (unidentified) #423v: Der Kanzler ("The Chancellor", 2nd half of the 13th century, possibly Alemannic)

Manuscript history

The compilation of the codex was patronized by the Manesse family of

, presumably by Rüdiger II Manesse (born before 1252, died after 1304). The house of Manesse declined in the late 14th century, selling their castle in 1393. The fate of the codex during the 15th century is unknown, but by the 1590s it had passed into possession of baron Johann Philipp of

Hohensax The noble family von Sax (originally ''de Sacco'') were a medieval noble family in eastern Switzerland. They owned estates and castles on both sides of the Alps in the modern cantons of St. Gallen, Graubünden and Ticino. The origin of the famil ...

(two of whose forebears are portrayed in the codex, on foll. 48v and 59v). In 1604, Melchior Goldast published excerpts of its didactic texts. After 1657 it was in the French royal library, from which it passed to the

Bibliothèque Nationale A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

, where the manuscript was studied by

Jacob Grimm Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm (4 January 1785 – 20 September 1863), also known as Ludwig Karl, was a German author, linguist, philologist, jurist, and folklorist. He is known as the discoverer of Grimm's law of linguistics, the co-author of t ...

in 1815. In 1888, after long bargaining, it was sold to the

Bibliotheca Palatina The Bibliotheca Palatina (" Palatinate library") of Heidelberg was the most important library of the German Renaissance, numbering approximately 5,000 printed books and 3,524 manuscripts. The Bibliotheca was a prominent prize captured during t ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

, following a public subscription headed by

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

and

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of ...

. The first critical editions of the ''Codex Manesse'' appeared in the early nineteenth century. The codex is frequently referred to by Minnesang scholars and in editions simply by the abbreviation ''C'', introduced by Karl Lachmann, who used ''A'' and ''B'' for the two main earlier Minnesang codices (the '' Kleine Heidelberger Liederhandschrift'' and the '' Weingartner Liederhandschrift'' respectively). Two leaves of a 15th-century copy of the manuscript, called the ''Troßsche Fragment'' (''Tross Fragment''), were held in the

Berlin State Library The Berlin State Library (german: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin; officially abbreviated as ''SBB'', colloquially ''Stabi'') is a universal library in Berlin, Germany and a property of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. It is one of the ...

, but went missing in 1945.''Des Minnesangs Frühling'', ed. H. Moser and H. Tervooren, Stuttgart 1977, Vol II, pp. 47f.

Modern reception

The possibility that the compiler was the '' Minnesinger''

provided the subject of a poetic novella, ''Hadlaub'' (in the ''Züricher Novellen'', 1878), by Gottfried Keller.

References

Sources

* Walter Koschorreck and Wilfried Werner, editors, ''Kommentar zum Faksimile des Codex Manesse: Die grosse Heidelberger Liederhandschrift'' (Kassel: Ganymed) 1981. Commentary to the facsimile edition, with essays by Wilfried Werner, Ewald Vetter, Walter Koschorreck, Hugo Kuhn, Max Wehrli and Ewald Jammers. * ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' 1911

External links