Background
Walther von der Vogelweide was born about 1170 in Austria to an impoverished knightly family, probably in Bolzano in the South Tirol, and in or near a bird reserve.
Walther von der Vogelweide was born about 1170 in Austria to an impoverished knightly family, probably in Bolzano in the South Tirol, and in or near a bird reserve.
Vogelweide went as a youth to the Viennese court of Duke Frederick I of the Babenberg line. There, where his teacher was the famous singer Reinmar von Hagenau, he remained until Frederick died on a crusade in 1198.
Walther was a wanderer from court to court, singing for his lodging and his bread, and ever hoping that some patron would arise to save him from this "juggler's life". Vogelweide created verse and music for all his works and sang the songs himself as he moved from place to place. His fame was widespread. He used and refined every known type of song and added new ones: genuine "lofty" (conventional) minnesongs addressed to ladies of rank; "natural" (unconventional) minnesongs addressed to humble lasses; dancing songs; songs of nature, of summer, of complaint, and of vituperation; fables; riddles; parodies; elegies; prayers; panegyrics; philippics; and a crusading song in which he expressed the doctrine of Christian salvation.
He was particularly noted for his bold political songs aimed at secular and temporal authorities from popes and emperors down, attacking them for what he considered malfeasance, duplicity, greed, and other vices.
But Vogelweide was just as critical of society. He never compromised his ideals or questioned Christian dogma. In a famous messenger song he expressed cultural nationalism - but without chauvinism - born of pride in his fatherland.
In spite of his fame while alive, Vogelweide is mentioned in only one contemporary document, as having received money for a fur coat in 1203 from the bishop of Passau. Two hundred years after his death he was revered by the Meistersingers as one of their 12 masters.
(German edition)
(German edition)
(German edition)
Though his religious poems sufficiently prove the sincerity of his Catholicism, he remained to the end of his days opposed to the extreme claims of the popes, whom he attacks with a bitterness which can only be justified by the strength of his patriotic feelings. Vogelweide criticized both Innocent III and Gregory IX for their worldly policies.
Vogelweide joined the retinue of Philip of Swabia, the rival of Otto IV of Brunswick for the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, after visiting the court of Landgrave Hermann of Thuringia several times. Walther became disappointed in Philip, especially after his coronation, vainly urging him to adopt a strong imperial policy. After Philip's assassination in 1208, Vogelweide gave Otto IV his allegiance. Later he joined Emperor Frederick II, who gave him a fief near Würzburg.
Vogelweide's personality embraced a sterling character and a wide range of interests. As a mentor of society, Vogelweide exhibited unshakable ethical principles, religious faith, and a robust attitude toward life. He was a man of strong views; and it is this which gives him his main significance in history, as distinguished from his place in literature.