Gottfried von Neifen (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1234–1255) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Minnesänger (; "love song") was a tradition of German lyric- and song-writing that flourished in the Middle High German period (12th to 14th centuries). The name derives from '' minne'', the Middle High German word for love, as that was ''Minnesangs m ...

'' (lyric poet). Gottfried was born to an ''

Edelfrei The term ''edelfrei'' or ''hochfrei'' ("free noble" or "free knight") was originally used to designate and distinguish those Germanic noblemen from the Second Estate (see Estates of the realm social hierarchy), who were legally entitled to atone ...

'' family of

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

. He was associated with the court of King Henry VII of Germany (1220–1235) and is mentioned in documents between 1234 and 1255. Other poets associated with the court of Henry (VII) are Burkhart von Hohenfels and

Ulrich von Winterstetten Ulrich von Winterstetten ( 1241–1280) was a German nobleman, priest and '' Minnesänger'' (lyric poet). Life Ulrich belonged to the Tanne–Waldburg family of imperial ''ministeriales'' (unfree nobility) in the Duchy of Swabia. His father was ...

. Gottfried's poetry falls squarely within the conventions of

courtly love Courtly love ( ; ) was a medieval European literary conception of love that emphasized nobility and chivalry. Medieval literature is filled with examples of knights setting out on adventures and performing various deeds or services for ladies b ...

. His language is somewhat more sensual than typical, with references to sparkling eyes (''spilnde ougen'') and red lips (''rôter munt''). He stands out, however, for his adept handling of rhyme. His form was directly influenced by the Old Occitan lyric. His lightness and verbal agility were an influence on Konrad von Altstetten. His verbal artistry combined with an emphasis on form over social or ethical considerations has been labelled "

mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

". The manuscript attributions to Gottfried of a few obscene songs about peasants and craftsmen are doubted by some modern scholars. Under the name ''Götfrit von Nifen'', he is represented in the 14th-century

Codex Manesse The Codex Manesse (also or Pariser Handschrift) is a (a German term for a manuscript containing songs) which is the single most comprehensive source of Middle High German ''Minnesang'' poetry. It was written and illustrated manuscript, illustr ...

by 51 love songs (''Minnelieder'') totaling 190 stanzas. He is also portrayed alongside his coat-of-arms in an illustration. A prolific and influential poet, his work has often been denigrated by moderns for its shallowness. The following are two excerpts from two different poems, once illustrative of his conventional poetry and the other of his "blatant use of words for the sake of words".

Notes

Sources

* * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gottfried von Neifen 13th-century German poets German male poets Minnesingers