''König Rother'' ('King Rother') is the earliest

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...

epic poem In poetry, 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. With regard to ...

. It consists of 5,204 lines of

rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually the exact same phonemes) in the final Stress (linguistics), stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of rhyming (''perfect rhyming'') is consciou ...

couplet In poetry, a couplet ( ) or distich ( ) is a pair of successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (closed) couplet, each of the two lines is end-stopped, implying that there ...

s. The author is unknown, but was probably a clergyman writing in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. It was written no earlier than 1152, probably before 1180. The earliest manuscript, Heidelberg Cpg 390, is from around 1200 and is also the only complete copy. Three fragmentary manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries are known. The theme of ''König Rother'' is the "dangerous bridal quest". Traditionally classified as a '' Spielmannsdichtung'', today it is more often labelled "pre-

courtly Courtesy (from the word , from the 12th century) is gentle politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the nobility was compiled in courtesy books. History The apex of European courtly culture was r ...

epic". The story is probably based on orally transmitted accounts of historical events, but its treatment is entirely fictional. King Rother, for example, may be a reflection of King

Rothari Rothari (or Rothair) ( 606 – 652), of the house of Arodus, was king of the Lombards from 636 to 652; previously he had been duke of Brescia. He succeeded Arioald, who was an Arian like himself, and was one of the most energetic of Lombard ki ...

or King

Roger II of Sicily Roger II or Roger the Great (, , Greek language, Greek: Ρογέριος; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Kingdom of Sicily, Sicily and Kingdom of Africa, Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon, C ...

, both of whom ruled in Italy. In the story, Rother, whose capital is

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, needs a wife to ensure his succession. He pursues the daughter of Emperor Konstantin of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, who has the habit of executing her suitors. Rother outsmarts the emperor and takes the girl back to his kingdom, but her father's sends a ship to take her back. In a second effort, Rother goes in disguise to Constantinople, but is identified and sentenced to death. He is saved by a pre-planned military intervention and finally receives his bride.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * {{refend Medieval German poems