The medieval poetic heritage has largely become the foundation of later literature. In that era, genres also arose that corresponded to the lifestyle, interests and level of education of a particular estate. In addition to religious, secular literature developed in the Middle Ages. It includes chivalrous novels, a heroic epic, lyrics of French troubadours and German minnesingers. This, according to scientists, had not the last impact on the entire Western European culture.
The birth of medieval poetry
Knightly virtues, apart from novels, were glorified in songs performed by knight-poets. In France they were called troubadours (in the south) and Truvers (in the north), and in Germany - minnesingers. This softened the gross customs that existed in that era among the aristocracy. The works of many medieval poets are known: Chretien de Trois, Bertrand de Born, Walter von der Vogelweide, etc.
The first troubadours appeared in Occitania around the end of the 11th century. The Arab culture of neighboring Andalusia greatly influenced their work. The word trovador in Old Oxitanian meant "inventing, finding new." Indeed, the first poets themselves composed songs and music for them, and they themselves performed them.
What did troubadours, truvers and minnesingers sing about?
Among these medieval poets there were many representatives of the nobility, for example, Emperor Henry VI, King Richard the Lionheart and his great-grandfather, Duke of Aquitaine Guillaume. The main theme of works of chivalry poetry was the courteous love of the Beautiful Lady, gallant and sublime. Less often, poets in their work turned to public, military, anti-clerical or historical subjects.
In the lands of Germany
In northern France, the Truvers and Minnesingers in Germany in their works followed the traditions of Occitan troubadours. So, around the middle of the 12th century, love songs composed by wandering poets spread in Swabia, Bavaria, Switzerland and Austria. They have not yet glorified the service of the Lady, these works are closer to the folk song. Therefore, a woman is represented in them as tender, faithful, often suffering innocently.
Valmar von Gresten, Dietmar von Eist and Kurenberg - one of the first minnesingers, composed in this way. Their works are written in the art form of pairwise rhymed verses without stanzas.
When in one shirt, sleepless, I stand
And I remember your noble statism,
I lament, like a rose sprinkled with dew.
And my heart is languishing for you, my love.
Heinrich von Feldeke, who worked until 1190, is considered to be the founder of the courtyard German lyrics. His poetry reflected the court education, elegant style and sophisticated forms of versification.
Blessed is he who has no sins
Doesn’t number after him
And who is always ready to sin,
He is deprived of fate.
Who did not weave another snare
He is blithely
Forever
Happiness in life will gain.
Love sings, but in turn
Say sincerely
What will you be year after year
Serve her impeccably.
She does not weave
And blithely
And forever
Happiness in life will gain.
The heyday of minnesang
The courtly knightly lyrics in Germany received the name "minnesang" - from the old German word Minne, which means "love." The Duke of Breslav, Margrave of Brandenburg and some other representatives of the noble estate, along with simple knights, composed works that glorified women, depicting estate customs and court life.
During its heyday, the Minnesang turned not so much to a description of love itself as to thinking about it. The knight's job is to be a vassal of the Lady, to humbly bear her whims, and meekly expect her favor. All this was stated exclusively by honed rhymes with strict observance of the number of syllables, which distinguished the works of German poets from the works of Provencal troubadours.
The minnesingers, in spite of the imitation of the latter, also have distinctive original features inherent in the German peoples: timidity in love, a tendency to reflection, sometimes a sad, pessimistic attitude to life, etc.
What a summer to me! All complaints and penalties.
May life really be good in summer
The seal of winter is the song of this.
In winter, my soul hurts.
Love, love, crash myself longing,
I still love her alone.
I sacrificed my spring to her,
I am ready to accept the blame:
No, I will not curse my love.
My soul will forgive everything
Otherwise, I would be a fierce enemy to myself.
The inconstancy of pernicious sin,
I have deprived myself of the desired benefits.
Yes, it's my fault. Yes it is.
The one who reason declared war
The sorrows will be captured.
Punished, do I really dare
Shamelessly deny my guilt!
We have heard the works of such minnesingers as Wolfram von Eschenbach, Gottfried von Neufen, Steinmar, Burkhard von Hohenfels, Reinmar, Rudolf von Fines, Tannhäuser and others. They lived in the territory of modern Germany, Austria and Switzerland. However, Walter von der Vogelweide largely surpasses all of them.
Outstanding representative of German lyrics
Walter von der Vogelweide is the Minnesinger who worked in the heyday of Swabian poetry. He was born around 1170, in his youth he lived at the court of the Austrian Duke Leopold, where he learned to compose verses. Although Walter belonged to the class of knights, he did not have his own land ownership. Only in his declining years did the emperor bestow upon him a small flax. Therefore, all his life, the performance of his own works served Walter as a source of income. During wanderings, he met wandering artists and poets (Goliards, spiers), whose work had a noticeable impact on his lyrics.
It was Walter von der Vogelweide who was the first in knightly European poetry to sing love not to a rich lady, but to a girl from the people. On the one hand, he, like other minnesingers, praises spring, love, and women, and on the other, he raises the theme of the fall of German greatness, exposes insignificant rulers and corrupted clergy. On this basis, many researchers note the proximity of his poetry to folk song.
God sets the king whom he wants
And I'm not surprised by this.
But I wonder at the priests a lot:
What did they teach the whole nation
That was all with them quite the opposite.
So let in the name of conscience and God
They explain to us that it’s godless,
What is true - honestly!
After all, we believed them not in vain,
Where is the truth - in the new or in the old?
If it’s true, then it’s false:
Two languages cannot be in the mouth!
From sunset to return from oblivion
Oswald von Wolkenstein and Hugo of Montfort are considered to be the last minnesingers. These poets lived in the late XIV - early XV centuries. Their works have a lot of personalities: if in their youth they served ladies, then at the end of their lives they glorified their own wives in poetry, which was completely unusual for poets of previous eras.
Although the poetry of the Minnesingers occupies an honorable place in the history of German culture, interest in it revived only in the middle of the 18th century. Since then, a lot of research has been devoted to the study of the work of medieval poets, and collections of their works have been published, reading which you can see that many topics that excited people centuries ago remain relevant today.