Hartmann von Aue

German poet

• Born: c. 1160-1165
• Birthplace: Swabia (now in Germany)
• Died: c. 1210-1220
• Place of death: Swabia (now in Germany)

Through its language, style, and literary form, Hartmann’s work provided a model for the composition of courtly epic verse and stands at the beginning of the Hohenstaufen renaissance in German literature.

Early Life

As is often the case with medieval literary figures, what is known about the life of Hartmann von Aue (HAHRT-mahn fuhn OW) is mainly conjecture. What knowledge there is does not come from official documents of the time but rather from personal comments that he makes in his own works and an analysis of his language. There are also several brief references to him in the work of his contemporaries and a coat of arms found in manuscript illustrations. Thus, even his place of birth is questioned by some scholars. Because of the peculiarities of his language, which point to the Alammanic dialect area in southwestern Germany, it is generally believed that Hartmann was born in Swabia.

Hartmann was probably a ministerial or landless nobleman in service to a patron. A miniature dating from the fourteenth century shows him on horseback with the armor and dress of a knight. His work includes a lament of the loss of his liege lord and a vow to go on a crusade, either in 1189 under Frederick I Barbarossa or in 1197 under Henry VI. Hartmann was an educated man, possibly receiving his formal education at the monastery school at Reichenau, a conclusion drawn from his introductory words to Der arme Heinrich (c. 1195; English translation, 1931), where he describes himself as an educated knight (Ritter) and a vassal in service at Aue.

The exact order in which Hartmann’s work was written is open to debate by scholars, although there seems to be more general agreement as to the order of the works than as to their dates of composition. Among his early works is a long, didactic poem on love, sometimes referred to as {I}Das Büchlein{/I} (little book) but more often called {I}Die Klage{/I} (c. 1180; {I}The Lament{/I}, 2001). His other major early work is an adaptation of a work by Chrétien de Troyes, Erek (c. 1190; Erec, 1982). Both The Lament and Erec as well as some of Hartmann’s earlier lyric poetry (Lieder), or courtly love songs were written in the period between 1180 and 1190.

The Lament shows Hartmann’s ability to manipulate the forms of the tradition of courtly love. His poem (1,914 verses long) presents an argument between the heart and the body in which the ideals of service to the beloved and self-denial are extolled. The basis for these ideas comes from twelfth century songs of the Provençal troubadours, although Hartmann’s own clear style and didactic tone reveal two characteristics appearing in his mature works as well.

His Arthurian romance Erec demonstrates his talent in the genre where he is considered strongest and where he is certainly best known, the courtly epic. His source was the earliest Arthurian romance of the same name by Chrétien, and, although the basic plot is not changed, the purpose behind the story is altered to stress the concept of moderation, or mâze, in a knight’s life. Erec realizes through his experiences that neither complete devotion to his lady nor total dedication to brave deeds can produce an ideal knight. Instead, he must attain a proper balance between the two.

Both The Lament and Erec lay the groundwork for Hartmann von Aue’s later compositions, showing a gradual mastery of literary form and establishing themes that form the basis of subsequent works. In fact, Hartmann returned to the Arthurian romance for Iwein (c. 1190-1205; Iwein: The Knight with the Lion, 1979), his last courtly epic.

Life’s Work

With Erec, Hartmann composed the first German Arthurian romance and set the focus of his later epics, the question of moral conduct and ideal character. This work also stands at the beginning of several generations of German poets who drew on the same Arthurian legends and the ideals of chivalry. In Hartmann’s work there are two parallel threads: the profane literature of his love lyrics and Arthurian romances and the religious themes of his crusade poetry, Gregorius (c. 1190-1197; English translation, 1955, 1966) and Der arme Heinrich. These two strands reflect opposing currents of his times but are by no means totally separate within his own work.

Hartmann’s love lyrics, or Minne, which follow the medieval courtly tradition, are most often classified among his earliest compositions. In general, they have been regarded with less esteem than his later crusading poems, which have often been singled out for special attention. In addition, some of the themes and elements introduced in the lyric poetry have parallels in his narrative works. From traditional devotional songs to a noble lady, he progressed to the praise of love for women of a humbler station, for example; then in Der arme Heinrich , the unselfish girl who saves her noble lord is the daughter of a peasant, and her immense value is in her willingness to sacrifice herself for him. The themes of estrangement, or alienation from a loved one, reappear in the romances Erec and Iwein.

One event frequently mentioned in discussing Hartmann’s life is the death of his master, which seems to have moved him deeply and to which he refers in a poem showing great devotion. After this event, he may have gone on a crusade (1197), although this is by no means certain, and the crusade may have been an earlier one. Some critics have also suggested that this death marked a turning away from profane love songs to his crusading poems showing a new way of life in the service of Christ(Gottesminne). The unhappiness of the lover who admires a lady who withholds her notice is now transformed into the happiness of a more dangerous but also more rewarding love. The religious sanction of the Crusades transforms the enterprise into a loving service of God. The conclusion that such a change was brought about by the shock of his master’s death has been disputed by other critics, who remind the reader that medieval poetry was often an expression of societal ideals and feelings and cannot be so directly related to an individual’s personal experience as modern verse is. Hartmann’s poetry, including courtly love songs, songs renouncing this love, and crusade songs, places him in the tradition of Reinmar von Hagenau and Walther von der Vogelweide and can be considered to accompany the full span of his narrative work.

In his Arthurian romances, Hartmann was concerned with questions of moral conduct, even though the story was essentially profane or secular. Following Erec, however, he wrote two narratives specifically concerned with humility before the power of God, Gregorius and Der arme Heinrich. Hartmann’s source for Gregorius was an older version of a French poem, appearing in two versions in the twelfth century. Yet he added his own style and language as well as a strong religious-didactic element. The legend tells of a noble sinner who repents of his sin of unknowing incest and inflicts a penance on himself so strict that he is purified. As a sign of his purification, he is chosen as pope, and both he and his mother are forgiven. The clear lesson is that sinful man can obtain salvation, no matter how grievous his sin, through repentance and atonement.

His following narrative, Der arme Heinrich, tells of a nobleman suffering from leprosy who learns humility through the unselfish example of a peasant’s daughter. Although this premise offered Hartmann the opportunity to describe the horrible ravages of the disease in gruesome detail, he chose to concentrate instead on its tragic effect on Heinrich’s life as he is abandoned to his fate and, most intently, on the young girl who demonstrates the pure spirit of self-sacrifice when she agrees to offer her blood to cleanse him. When Heinrich finds the humility to refuse her sacrifice, he is miraculously cured. In this work, Hartmann blends a religious legend with realistic and historic elements of medieval life. Instead of using a noble to illustrate the highest virtues, he presents a peasant as his ideal figure.

Hartmann’s most popular work in his own time was his second Arthurian romance, Iwein, which is referred to in other medieval works and of which some twenty-eight manuscripts exist. The main theme, as with Erec, deals with the chivalric code of the knights, complete with the elements of love, generosity, refinement, and mâze. The poet uses the external symbols of the Church in all of his courtly epics, but the role of God is not confined to his two versions of religious legends. His introduction to Iwein clearly states that true kindness (or goodness) receives God’s favor and men’s honor (or esteem). Thus, the currents of religious and secular rewards are combined for individuals with this important quality. Just as surely, pride or haughtiness (superbia) without regard for compassion is punished. Heinrich’s sin in Der arme Heinrich was not so very different, nor was Gregorius’s first error, as he abandoned the religious life for which he was destined to pursue adventure as a knight. Hartmann’s work shows clearly how important moral and social commitments were for him; both religious and secular currents shaped his work.

Significance

The appearance of four particularly gifted poets paved the way for the development of a body of high-quality literature in the German language rather than in Latin as had been the norm before the period of the High Middle Ages. This new literature reached a level of refinement above previous attempts in the vernacular. Among the best-known poets of the period are Walther von der Vogelweide in the area of lyric poetry and Gottfried von Strassburg and Wolfram von Eschenbach along with Hartmann von Aue in the area of the courtly epic. Hartmann’s lasting fame rests mainly on his Arthurian romances. His polished verses found favor at the courts and stand as a model for future developments in narrative literature in German. Furthermore, in the amount and versatility of his work, he is exceptional for his times.

Hartmann’s very strong sense of moral rectitude and his concern for the correct knightly behavior of the code of chivalry permeate his work and are in harmony with the medieval period. His great individual contribution is a clarity of style, reflecting, according to some critics, the practice of the ornatus facilis of medieval rhetoric, which is characterized by figures of repetition while avoiding forced imagery and artificiality. Gottfried von Strassburg praised Hartmann’s refined language, eloquence, and clearness by using the image of crystalline words to emphasize what he considered to be his contemporary’s greatest literary quality. Contrasting with that of earlier German narratives, Hartmann’s polished language and style exerted strong influence on the medieval poets Wolfram von Eschenbach, Walther von der Vogelweide, and Reinmar von Hagenau. Later medieval poets were also familiar with Hartmann’s work, which continued to influence courtly novels and heroic narrative well beyond his lifetime. For his contributions, Hartmann is certainly to be counted among the master poets of medieval German literature.

Major Works by Hartmann von Aue

Date

• Work

c. 1180

• Die Klage (The Lament)

c. 1190

• Erek

c. 1190-1197

• Gregorius

c. 1190-1205

• Iwein

c. 1195

• Der arme Heinrich

Bibliography

Bell, Clair Hayden. Peasant Life in Old German Epics: Meier Helmbrecht and “Der arme Heinrich.” New York: Columbia University Press, 1931. Contains an English translation of Der arme Heinrich, with explanatory endnotes as well as a bibliography. The introduction discusses points of comparison between Gregorius and an epic poem by Wernher der Gärtner, Meier Helmbrecht (c. 1250; partially translated as Meier Helmbrecht, a German Farmer of the Thirteenth Century, 1894). Includes general information about Hartmann and his work and discussion of the role of the peasant in medieval times.

Hartmann von Aue. Hartmann von Aue: “Gregorius, the Good Sinner.” Translated by Sheema Zeben Buehne. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1966. This volume includes short introductory remarks about the work and the translation but is most valuable for the complete text of Gregorius, with original language on one side and English translation on the other, and helpful explanatory notes.

Hasty, Will. Adventures in Interpretation: The Works of Hartmann von Aue and Their Critical Reception. Columbia, S.C.: Camden House, 1996. A survey of criticism of Hartmann von Aue’s work from the Enlightenment to postmodernism, which concludes that the interpretations by modern readers have been shaped mainly by critical trends.

Jackson, W. H. Chivalry in Twelfth-Century Germany: The Works of Hartmann von Aue. Rochester, N.Y.: D. S. Brewer, 1994. A study of Hartmann von Aue’s poetic representation of knighthood and chivalric values with consideration of historical, literary, and linguistic influences.

Jackson, W. H., and S. A. Ranawake, eds. The Arthur of the Germans: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval German and Dutch Literature. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2000. A group of essays includes chapters on the emergence of the German Arthurian romance.

Jackson, W. T. H. The Literature of the Middle Ages. New York: Columbia University Press, 1960. A major study of the literature of the Middle Ages, including information on the development of the literature and its various forms. In the discussion of the romance, Hartmann is considered in the context of his times. He is compared with his contemporaries, and Erec and Iwein are analyzed specifically. Includes a chronology of the important works of the period and an extensive bibliography arranged by topic.

Loomis, Roger Shermann. Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages: A Collaborative History. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1959. An important survey of literature dealing with the Arthurian legend, with articles by specialists in each field. An individual chapter, “Hartmann von Aue and His Successors,” focuses on the development of the German Arthurian romance. Related chapters discuss Chrétien de Troyes, the source for Hartmann’s romances, and Hartmann’s contemporaries Wolfram von Eschenbach and Gottfried von Strassburg. Footnotes supply bibliographical information for each topic.

Resler, Michael. Introduction to Hartmann von Aue: “Erec.” Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1987. An extensive introduction including general historical and cultural background, specific information on the life of Hartmann, a discussion of Arthurian romance, and a full consideration of the sources, structure, and thematic issues of this work. This volume also contains a translation of Erec plus explanatory endnotes. Includes helpful selected bibliography, although the majority of the references are to sources in German.

Richey, M. F. Essays on Mediaeval German Poetry. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1969. With an explanation of Minne, individual chapters on various medieval German poets (including the study of a poem by Hartmann), and a short selection of German sources, this volume provides a good orientation to the literary form but no extensive information on Hartmann. The article by Leslie Seiffert is especially helpful.

Sayce, Olive. The Poets of the Minnesang. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967. A representative survey of lyric poetry written in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland from 1150 to 1400. Good material on the origins and conventions of the Minne. With specific reference to Hartmann, including a representative sample of his poems in their original form without English translation.

Seiffert, Leslie. “Hartmann von Aue and His Lyric Poetry.” Oxford German Studies 3 (1968): 1-29. Very informative article supplementing the more general references by Richey and Sayce. Considers the place of Hartmann in medieval lyric poetry and shows the role such poetry played in his life and literary production. Discusses briefly the research and current opinion on his lyric poetry and examines themes, motifs, and a pattern of moods within the work. Detailed interpretations of poems are included.

Sullivan, Robert G. Justice and the Social Context of Early Middle High German Literature. New York: Routledge, 2001. A history of the Holy Roman Empire hinging on an examination of High German literature and its authors’ focus on social, political, and spiritual issues during a time of transformation. Bibliographical references, index.

Thomas, J. W. Introduction to Hartmann von Aue: “Erec.” Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1982. Includes information on Hartmann’s life and works, as well as the theme, plot structure, motifs, and style of the translated work. Explanatory notes at the end provide bibliographical information on each of these topics. A readable translation of the text follows.

Thomas, J. W. Introduction to Hartmann von Aue: “Iwein.” Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1979. An informative introduction with an overview of Hartmann’s works and discussions of the theme of Iwein, structure and motifs, and the narrative style. Notes include important bibliographical references as well as helpful information. The translation included in this volume is very readable.

Tobin, Frank J. “Gregorius” and “Der arme Heinrich”: Hartmann’s Dualistic and Gradualistic Views of Reality. Bern, Switzerland: Verlag Herbert Lang, 1973. A scholarly treatment of the two works, with important insights into the view of the world implicit in these texts. Includes extensive discussion of the content and themes of the two works, as well as an orientation to the terms “dualism” and “gradualism” as applied to the analysis. The bibliography includes both German and English references.

Wapnewski, Peter. Hartmann von Aue. Stuttgart, Germany: Metzler, 1979. Critical analysis of Hartmann von Aue’s work, with bibliographic references. Published in German.

Zeydel, Edwin H., and B. Q. Morgan, eds. “Gregorius”: A Medieval Oedipus Legend by Hartmann von Aue. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1955. Introduction and explanatory endnotes accompany this translation of Gregorius into rhyming couplets. Contains commentary on the verse form and the Gregorius legend, along with related legends in literature, particularly the Oedipus legend. Also includes information about the life of Hartmann and the surviving manuscripts of this work.