''Herzog Ernst'' is a German epic from the early high

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 ...

(c. 1180), first written down by an anonymous author from the Rhine region.

Story

The main theme of the story is an argument between a

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

n duke (Herzog Ernst) and his stepfather Kaiser Otto I. The story is split into two parts: *Ernst becomes a

Herzog ''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. ...

and, as a result of the malicious scheming of the Kaiser's uncle,

Pfalzgraf A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...

Heinrich, is outlawed. *Herzog Ernst travels through the

Orient The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of '' Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

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 Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...

in 953–954; and the rebellion of Herzog Ernst II from

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 ...

(born 1007) against his stepfather King

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 ...

in 1026–1027 This story was very popular in the Middle Ages in Germany, as evidenced by the number of manuscripts that have been found in a wide range of places. It was popular due to its fantastical descriptions of the Orient and far away lands (a popular topic due to the

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 Cru ...

), and also its introduction of the concept of

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 Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed b ...

. Herzog Ernst is usually grouped under the heading ' Spielmannsdichtung' or 'Spielmannsepos'. This term is used to describe a handful of other manuscripts of the time, due to the assumption that they were written and told by Spielmänner (a kind of

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 ...

). However, this term has recently been disputed, as these works are considered too complex to have been written by Spielmänner, who are generally thought to have been uneducated.

Other works

The following were also produced around this period: *

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."Luscomb ...

(c 1160) * Rolandslied (c 1135) * Alexanderlied (c 1130) * Reindhardt Fuchs (c 1170)

External links

Full text (in German)
{{Authority control Medieval German poems