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Herzog Ernst
''Herzog Ernst'' is a German Epic poetry, epic from the early high Middle Ages (c. 1180), first written down by an anonymous author from the Rhine River, Rhine region. Story The main theme of the story is an argument between a Bavarian duke (Herzog Ernst) and his stepfather Kaiser Otto I. The story is split into two parts: *Ernst becomes a Herzog and, as a result of the malicious scheming of the Kaiser's uncle, Pfalzgraf Heinrich, is outlawed. *Herzog Ernst travels through the Orient in search of the Holy Grave. He encounters wonderful things, for example, creatures with human bodies and bird's heads. Eventually, he decides to return home and tricks the Kaiser into forgiving him. Historical context The epic blends together two historical events: an argument between Herzog Liudolf and his father Otto I in 953–954; and the rebellion of Herzog Ernst II from Swabia (born 1007) against his stepfather King Konrad II in 1026–1027 This story was very popular in the Middle Ages in Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epic Poetry
An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. Etymology The English word ''epic'' comes from Latin ''epicus'', which itself comes from the Ancient Greek adjective (''epikos''), from (''epos''), "word, story, poem." In ancient Greek, 'epic' could refer to all poetry in dactylic hexameter (''epea''), which included not only Homer but also the wisdom poetry of Hesiod, the utterances of the Delphic oracle, and the strange theological verses attributed to Orpheus. Later tradition, however, has restricted the term 'epic' to ''heroic epic'', as described in this article. Overview Originating before the invention of writing, primary epics, such as those of Homer, were composed by bards who used complex rhetorical and metrical schemes by which they could memorize the epic as received i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second Crusade
The Second Crusade (1145–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusade (1096–1099) by King Baldwin I of Jerusalem in 1098. While it was the first Crusader state to be founded, it was also the first to fall. The Second Crusade was announced by Pope Eugene III, and was the first of the crusades to be led by European kings, namely Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany, with help from a number of other European nobles. The armies of the two kings marched separately across Europe. After crossing Byzantine territory into Anatolia, both armies were separately defeated by the Seljuk Turks. The main Western Christian source, Odo of Deuil, and Syriac Christian sources claim that the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos secretly hindered the crusaders' progress, particularly in Anatolia, where he is allege ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rolandslied
''The Song of Roland'' (french: La Chanson de Roland) is an 11th-century ''chanson de geste'' based on the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 AD, during the reign of the Carolingian king Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French literature. It exists in various manuscript versions, which testify to its enormous and enduring popularity in Medieval and Renaissance literature from the 12th to 16th centuries. The epic poem written in Vulgar Latin is the first and one of the most outstanding examples of the ''chanson de geste'', a literary form that flourished between the 11th and 16th centuries in Medieval Europe and celebrated legendary deeds. The date of composition is put in the period between 1040 AD and 1115 AD; an early version began around 1040 AD with additions and alterations made up until about 1115 AD. The final text contains about 4,000 lines of poetry. Manuscripts and dating Although set in the Carolingian era, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
König Rother
''King Rother'' or ''König Rother'' is the earliest ''Spielmannsdichtung'' known to historians.''The Columbia Encyclopedia'': "könˈĭk rōtˈər, earliest heroic minstrel epic from the precourtly period of Middle High German literature."Luscombe, p. 682 ''The earliest, and one of the most successful, is König Rother...''Famous First Facts International Edition (2000), , item 3442 ''The first minstrel tale known to historians was King Rother, a medieval German romance dating from circa 1160 that was popular among wandering minstrels of central Europe.'' Only one complete manuscript exists from the twelfth century (Heidelberg Cpg 390). The tale was popular into the fourteenth century.Gibbs, p. 106 The name ''Rother'' may have a connection to a king of the Lombards, Rothari. There is a possibility, however, the name Rother may have come from the Norman king, Roger II of Sicily. The epic story is notable for its combination of Byzantine and Germanic story elements. The poem has be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jester
A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town markets, and the discipline continues into the modern day, where jesters perform at historical-themed events. During the Middle Ages, jesters are often thought to have worn brightly colored clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern. Their modern counterparts usually mimic this costume. Jesters entertained with a wide variety of skills: principal among them were song, music, and storytelling, but many also employed acrobatics, juggling, telling jokes (such as puns, stereotypes, and imitation), and performing magic tricks. Much of the entertainment was performed in a comic style. Many jesters made contemporary jokes in word or song about people or events well known to their audiences. Etymology The modern use of the English w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spielmannsdichtung
The ''Spielmannsdichtung'' or ''Spielmannsepik'' (or ''-epos'') is a proposed genre, now generally deprecated, of Middle High German literature, specifically the lyric poetry (''Dichtung'') or epic poetry, epic (''Epik'' or ''Epos'') of wandering minstrels (''Spielmannen'') of the twelfth century. The term was used to classify several early Middle High German works that predated the Minnesang and the ''Höfische Epik''. They are considered heroic and adventurous works destined for a popular audience and were long attributed to wandering minstrels, though this view has been abandoned, since the minstrels were not generally literate. The term remains today only as a convenience for grouping together similarly themed works: *''König Rother'' *''Herzog Ernst'' *''Solomon and Marcolf'' *''Orendel'' *''König Oswald'' Most of these were only written down in the thirteenth century and survive in multiple variations. They blend history, legend, and fairy tale, but internal evidence points t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chivalry
Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed by chivalrous social codes. The ideals of chivalry were popularized in medieval literature, particularly the literary cycles known as the Matter of France, relating to the legendary companions of Charlemagne and his men-at-arms, the paladins, and the Matter of Britain, informed by Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'', written in the 1130s, which popularized the legend of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. All of these were taken as historically accurate until the beginnings of modern scholarship in the 19th century. The code of chivalry that developed in medieval Europe had its roots in earlier centuries. It arose in the Carolingian Empire from the idealisation of the cavalryman—involving mili ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Konrad II
Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms of Germany (from 1024), Italy (from 1026) and Burgundy (from 1033). The son of Franconian count Henry of Speyer (also Henry of Worms) and Adelaide of Metz of the ''Matfriding dynasty'', that had ruled the Duchy of Lorraine from 959 until 972, Conrad inherited the titles of count of Speyer and Worms during childhood after his father had died around the year 990. He extended his influence beyond his inherited lands, as he came into favor of the princes of the kingdom. When the imperial dynastic line was left without a successor after Emperor Henry II's death in 1024, on 4 September an assembly of the imperial princes appointed the 34-year-old Conrad king (''Rex romanorum''). Conrad II Ottonian adopted many aspects of his Ottonian predece ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and transitioned into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages. Population decline, counterurbanisation, the collapse of centralized authority, invasions, and mass migrations of tribes, which had begun in late antiquity, continued into the Early Middle Ages. The large-scale movements of the Migration Period, including various Germanic peoples, formed new kingdoms in what remained of the Western Roman Empire. In the 7th century, North Africa and the Middle East—most recently part of the Eastern Ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swabia
Swabia ; german: Schwaben , 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 the German stem duchies, representing the territory of Alemannia, whose inhabitants interchangeably were called '' Alemanni'' or '' Suebi''. This territory would include all of the Alemannic German area, but the modern concept of Swabia is more restricted, due to the collapse of the duchy of Swabia in the thirteenth century. Swabia as understood in modern ethnography roughly coincides with the Swabian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire as it stood during the Early Modern period, now divided between the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Swabians (''Schwaben'', singular ''Schwabe'') are the natives of Swabia and speakers of Swabian German. Their number was estimated at close to 0.8 million by SIL Ethnologue as of 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otto I
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of Henry the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim. Otto inherited the Duchy of Saxony and the kingship of the Germans upon his father's death in 936. He continued his father's work of unifying all Germans, German tribes into a single kingdom and greatly expanded the king's powers at the expense of the aristocracy. Through strategic marriages and personal appointments, Otto installed members of his family in the kingdom's most important duchies. This reduced the various dukes, who had previously been co-equals with the king, to royal subjects under his authority. Otto transformed the church in Germany to strengthen royal authority and subjected its clergy to his personal control. After putting down a brief civil war among the rebellious ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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