Bruder Wernher (fl. 13th century) was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

poet who wrote

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...

'' Sprüche'', social or political songs, as opposed to love songs. ''Bruder'' (brother) is not a name, but a description indicating that he was a lay brother,

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...

or perhaps even

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

. Given his association with the Austrian court and his evident knowledge of

courtliness Courtly love ( oc, fin'amor ; french: amour courtois ) 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 vari ...

, it is likely that he only joined a religious organization later in life. Wernher lived at the court of Dukes

Leopold VI Leopold VI (15 October 1176 – 28 July 1230), known as Leopold the Glorious, was Duke of Styria from 1194 and Duke of Austria from 1198 to his death in 1230. He was a member of the House of Babenberg. Biography Leopold VI was the younger son of ...

(1198–1230) and Frederick II (1230–1246). He took part in the

Sixth Crusade The Sixth Crusade (1228–1229), also known as the Crusade of Frederick II, was a military expedition to recapture Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land. It began seven years after the failure of the Fifth Crusade and involved very little actua ...

(1228–1229) under Emperor Frederick II. In one poem, he is highly critical of Pope Gregory IX for the war he instigated against Frederick II in 1228. Written shortly after his return from crusading, he urged the pope to make peace with the emperor and stop preventing Germans from going on crusade. Wernher later moved to

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 ...

. All of Wernher's poems can be dated to between 1225 and 1250. Seventy-six of his poems survive. They are religious, ethical and political songs. Their predominant theme is the decline in morals Wernher claims to see in his time and their perspective is overtly

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

Notes

Bibliography

* * * {{refend 13th-century German poets German male poets Christians of the Sixth Crusade