The Weingarten Manuscript (German ''Weingartner Liederhandschrift'') is a 14th-century

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared manuscript, document where the text is decorated with flourishes such as marginalia, borders and Miniature (illuminated manuscript), miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Churc ...

containing a collection of

Minnesang (; "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 ...

lyrics. It is currently in the

Württembergische Landesbibliothek The State Library of Württemberg ( or WLB) is a large library in Stuttgart, Germany, which traces its history back to the ducal public library of Württemberg founded in 1765. It holds about 4 million volumes and is the fourth-largest library ...

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, with the shelf-mark HB XIII 1. In Minnesang scholarship it is referred to as Manuscript B. Along with the

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 ...

(MS. C) and the Kleine Heidelberger Liederhandschrift (MS. A) it is one of the major sources of Minnesang texts from the beginnings (around 1150) to the end of the "golden age" (around 1230). Heinrich von Morungen

Description

The manuscript comprises 158 folios and is 15cm×11.5cm in size, the small size suggesting that it was for private use. It contains collections of lyrics by 31 poets: 25 are named Minnesänger and the other six are not named, but the authors are identifiable from texts preserved in other MSS. The MS. contains miniatures of the 25 named Minnesänger, two half-page, the rest full-page. Most of the poems are love lyrics but among the anonymous material are a poem in praise of the virgin ("Marienlob"), and the "Minnelehre" ("Art of Love") of Johann von Konstanz. The ordering of the poets broadly reflects their place in the social hierarchy, starting with the

Emperor Henry VI 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 Sic ...

, followed by the counts and then other knights.

History

The manuscript was written in the first quarter of the 14th Century, possibly in

Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...

. Similarities between the Weingarten MS. and the Codex Manesse in both the texts and the ordering of material imply that they share a common source, now lost. The MS. is thought to have belonged to the Cathedral Library in Konstanz and the commissioning patron is commonly taken to be Heinrich von Klingenberg, Bishop of Konstanz 1293–1306.

Poets

The manuscript includes the following Minnesänger:

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Facsimile
{{Authority control 14th-century illuminated manuscripts Middle High German literature Middle High German manuscripts Minnesang Literary illuminated manuscripts Poetry anthologies