Hartmann von Aue

Maria Dobozy (University of Utah)
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Hartmann von Aue (ca. 1160 – ca. 1205) is the earliest of the celebrated triad of von Aue, Wolfram von Eschenbach and Gottfried von Strassburg that is considered to have composed the apex of medieval German literature. All who came after, including the multifaceted Konrad von Würzburg, have been regarded as epigones until recently.

We know little of Hartmann's life. He tells us he is a ministerial, that is, a non-free knight in the permanent service of a noble landholder, and writes proudly of his ability to read, and that implies a Latin-based education, an almost unique accomplishment for a knight at this time. Where he was educated is not known, but it was most likely a monastery school or possibly a cathedral school. We assume he knew French because he uses French sources (Erec,

2030 words

Citation: Dobozy, Maria. "Hartmann von Aue". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 November 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5510, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5510 Hartmann von Aue 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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