Heinrich Wittenwiler
Heinrich Wittenwiler was a notable German satiric poet active in the late medieval period, renowned primarily for his verse narrative "Der Ring," written around 1410. This work is regarded as one of the most important texts of late medieval German literature, characterized by its intricate satire and allegorical depth. Although it drew little popularity during Wittenwiler's lifetime, "Der Ring" has since influenced a range of authors, including notable figures such as Sebastian Brant and François Rabelais. The poem serves as an extended allegory of the societal issues of the time, juxtaposing themes of wisdom and folly while critiquing the material world's deceptive allure.
Wittenwiler's life remains largely obscure, with public documents from Constance in the late 14th century providing scant information about his background. He is identified as a court steward and a lawyer for the bishop, but little is known about his social status. Despite claiming a didactic intent to educate readers on courtly life and romantic pursuit, his work presents a predominantly bleak worldview, reflecting the complexities and struggles of medieval society. Today, "Der Ring" is valued for its rich literary merit, although it survives in only a single manuscript, a testament to its limited contemporary recognition.
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Heinrich Wittenwiler
- Born: c. 1387
- Died: c. 1414
Biography
German satiric poet Heinrich Wittenwiler was the author of the c. 1410 verse narrative Der Ring, which is considered to be one of the most significant texts of late medieval German literature. Direct influences can be traced from the work to novels by Sebastian Brant, François Rabelais, and Johann Fischart, and it exerted indirect influences on countless other authors, although it enjoyed only very limited popularity during its author’s lifetime. On the surface a satirical encyclopedia, Wittenwiler’s text is actually an extended and highly acerbic allegory of the late medieval world.
Wittenwiler’s diverse sources for this lengthy work—ninety-seven hundred verses in length—include three previous encyclopedic narratives: 1190’s anonymous Lucidarius, Hugo von Trimberg’s Der Renner (c. 1300), and Ulrich Boner’s Edelstein, from 1350. Wittenwiler also drew on other peasant satires such as Edmund Weissner’s Meier Betz and Metzen Hochzit (published together in 1956). However, the complexity of ideas in Wittenwiler’s verse makes his achievement significant: His work not only draws on the rich clerical poetic tradition to depict the illusory and untrustworthy nature of the material world, to encourage his readers to resist the destructive lure of worldliness, and to bring into relief the conflict between foolishness and wisdom, he also brings the secular literary tradition to bear on these issues, illuminating societal woes through a brilliantly incisive and concrete depiction of the society—even down to details of food and its preparation.
Virtually nothing is known about Wittenwiler’s life except the scant details from public documents in the city of Constance during the 1380’s and 1390’s. The first mention of him is from 1387. His name appears on several legal documents and he is referred to as a “court steward” and a “lawyer for the bishop.” The documents give his date of death as July 29 but record no year; scholars estimate his death around 1414 by extrapolation.
Although scholars are convinced of the evidence linking this lawyer to Der Ring, no evidence exists regarding whether he was a burgher or a nobleman, although the first section of his work pertains to life at court. Wittenwiler claims a didactic purpose for his work: “how to gain an education and how to woo ladies.” However, the work depicts a relentlessly negative perception of the world, and it was not appreciated by readers during Wittenwiler’s lifetime. It is probably for this reason that the work is only extant in one manuscript, despite its sterling reputation among modern scholars.