Ulrich von Zatzikhoven was the author of the
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 ...
Arthurian
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a Legend, legendary king of Great Britain, Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest tradition ...
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
''
Lanzelet
''Lanzelet'' is a medieval romance written by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven after 1194. It is the first treatment of the Lancelot tradition in German, and contains the earliest known account of the hero's childhood with the Lady of the Lake-like fig ...
''.
Ulrich's name and his place of origin (''Zezikon'' in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
) are only known definitively from the work itself. However, it is generally accepted that Ulrich is the same person as a lay priest (''"Leutpriester"'') from
Lommis
Lommis is a municipality in the district of Münchwilen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
History
Lommis is first mentioned in 824 as ''Loubmeissa'' and Kalthäusern is first mentioned in 1296 as ''Kalthusiren''.
In 854 St. Gallen re ...
in the
canton of
Thurgau
Thurgau (; french: Thurgovie; it, Turgovia), anglicized as Thurgovia, more formally the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital is Frauenfeld.
Thurgau is part ...
by the name of ''Uolricus de Cecinchoven'', who occurs as a witness to a deed of gift dated March 29, 1214, executed by the family of the
Counts of Toggenburg
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
in favor of the monastery of
St. Peterzell.
The Middle High German verse romance ''Lanzelet'' is Ulrich's only known work, and is an imitation of an unknown
Old French
Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...
Arthurian romance. The hero of the work is
Sir Lancelot
Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...
, whose story had also been told a little earlier by
Chrétien de Troyes in his ''
Le Chevalier de la Charrette
, original_title_lang = fro
, translator =
, written = between 1177 and 1181
, country =
, language = Old French
, subject = Arthurian legend
, genre = Chivalric romance
, fo ...
'' (''Knight of the Cart''). However, the content of Ulrich's Lancelot romance differs considerably from that of Chrétien's. Ulrich himself calls his model ''daz welsche buoch von Lanzelete'' (''"the Welsh book of Lancelot"''), and claims that it came to Germany in the luggage of the
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
nobleman
Hugh de Morville, one of the hostages for
King Richard the Lionheart
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
. Richard was imprisoned by the
Staufen 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 ...
from December 21, 1192 to February 4, 1194, and Ulrich would have had to become acquainted with the book in this period. By extension, it is presumed that ''Lanzelet'' was produced not long after 1193 in an unknown place.
Ulrich was less well known to subsequent German writers than his contemporaries
Hartmann von Aue
Hartmann von Aue, also known as Hartmann von Ouwe, (born ''c.'' 1160–70, died ''c.'' 1210–20) was a German knight and poet. With his works including ''Erec'', ''Iwein'', '' Gregorius'', and ''Der arme Heinrich'', he introduced the Arthuria ...
and
Wolfram von Eschenbach
Wolfram von Eschenbach (; – ) was a German knight, poet and composer, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of medieval German literature. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry.
Life
Little is known of Wolfram's life. There are ...
. However, Heinrich von dem Türlin incorporated material from ''Lanzelet'' into his romance ''
Diu Crône
''Diu Crône'' ( en, The Crown) is a Middle High German poem of about 30,000 lines treating of King Arthur and the Matter of Britain, dating from around the 1220s and attributed to the epic poet Heinrich von dem Türlin. Little is known of the ...
'', and
Rudolf von Ems
Rudolf von Ems (c. 1200 – 1254) was a Middle High German narrative poet.
Life
Rudolf von Ems was born in the Vorarlberg in Austria. He took his name from the castle of Hohenems near Bregenz, and was a knight in the service of the Counts of Mon ...
praised Ulrich in two of his works, ''Willehalm'' and the ''
Alexanderroman''.
[Line 3,199]
Notes
References
*Schultz, James A. (1991). "Ulrich von Zatzikhoven". In Norris J. Lacy, The New Arthurian Encyclopedia, pp. 481–482. New York: Garland. .
*Ulrich von Zatzikhoven; Kerth, Thomas Kirth (translator) (2005). ''Lanzelet''.
Columbia University Press
Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...
. .
External links
*
E-Text in the Bibliotheca AugustanaCod. Pal. germ. 371: Ulrich von Zatzikhoven, ''Lanzelet''(the late mediaeval illuminated Heidelberg Lanzelet MS)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulrich von Zatzikhoven
Writers of Arthurian literature
12th-century German poets
13th-century German poets
Medieval German writers
German Catholic poets
German male poets