Oswald von Wolkenstein
Oswald von Wolkenstein was a notable figure of the late medieval period, born in the latter half of the 14th century as the second son of Freidrich von Wolkenstein. His early life was marked by a variety of experiences, including education in Brixen and service to knights, which would later inspire his lyrical works. Fluent in multiple languages from his travels, he ventured extensively across Europe, including Italy and the eastern Mediterranean, and participated in the crusades in Prussia and Lithuania.
In his adult life, Oswald transitioned from his artistic pursuits into administrative and political roles, notably serving as an advisor to Bishop Ulrich II of Putsch and later to the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. His military engagements earned him recognition from royalty and led to his knighthood. Despite financial challenges and imprisonment during conflicts with Duke Friedrich, Oswald's literary contributions were significant, characterized by a blend of erotic poetry and reflections on his life experiences. He compiled his songs into collections, ensuring his legacy would endure beyond his tumultuous life marked by both conflict and artistic achievement.
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Subject Terms
Oswald von Wolkenstein
Singer
- Born: c. 1376-1377
- Died: 1445
Biography
Oswald von Wolkenstein was born in the latter half of the fourteenth century as the second son of Freidrich von Wolkenstein. As a boy, he likely attended either the Brixen Cathedral school or a school in Neustift, and he left his family’s home at the young age of ten, possibly to work for a knight and to serve in battles. As an adult, he wrote lyrics that recalled his work in younger years, work that seems to have included cooking, horse grooming, and serving as a messenger and as a rower on a ship. Through his work and his travels, Oswald learned several languages, many of which appear in his songs. He traveled often to Italy, in particular, and in Prussia and Lithuania he took part in the crusades.
Oswald’s father died in 1400, and left most of his estate to Oswald’s brother, Michael. Oswald, struggling financially, began administrative and political work to support himself, becoming in 1409 an assistant to Bishop Ulrich II of Putsch in Brixen and acting as the bishop’s legal and military adviser. During this year, Oswald traveled to Palestine and through the eastern Mediterranean, returning to Germany and to full-time work for the bishop in 1410. The bishop did not pay Oswald reliably, and the latter left the employ of the bishop in 1415 to work for German Emperor Sigismund, who used Oswald as a translator and legal adviser in Italy, Spain, and France. Oswald’s work for the emperor entailed much travel. Around 1416, he joined troops in battle, earning the praise of Queen Margarethe of Prades. Other royalty came to appreciate Oswald as well; Queen Eleonore of Aragon soon thereafter knighted him.
He married Margaretha of Schwangau in the summer of 1417, and his wife’s status helped make him an imperial knight. Much of Oswald’s poetry and song lyrics were surprisingly erotic, and his wife was often the subject of such verse.
In 1420, Oswald fought in the war against the Hussites, and in 1421, he was taken prisoner by Martin Jäger, whom Oswald had forcefully evicted from Jäger’s Castle Hauenstein. Though Oswald may have been tortured, he still refused to return the castle to Jäger, and late in the year, Duke Friedrich, with whom Oswald was embroiled in ongoing conflicts, demanded a large sum of money in return for securing Oswald’s release. Oswald’s family and friends supplied the money in March, 1422, on the condition that Oswald would repay the loan at a high interest rate.
Oswald began collecting his various songs in 1423, and as many as nine scribes were required to manage the task, which was nearly completed by 1425, with some entries from the period between 1436 and 1441 being added later.
Continuing throughout the 1420’s to fight with landowners against Duke Friedrich, Oswald was among the last of the aristocrats to withstand Friedrich’s demands and attacks. Captured and imprisoned in 1427, Oswald was forced by Friedrich, who used the leverage of the disputed Castle Hauenstein, into submission to the duke. Oswald gained control of the castle, but at the cost of having to become obedient to Friedrich, an agreement sealed in writing. Oswald’s subsequent writings depict Friedrich in positive light but are in fact so full of praise as to imply sarcasm.
Upon his release, Oswald joined the Feme, an underground justice system with strong influences in Europe, and with new authority over local politicians and officials, Oswald returned to his work for Emperor Sigismund, becoming increasingly influential and respected for his legal work and achieving induction into the prominent Order of the Dragon in 1431. Oswald began work the next year on his second song collection, which included a portrait of the writer that documented his one missing eye, which he had lost as a child while playing at a carnival; he continued adding works to the second manuscript until 1438. When Duke Friedrich died in 1439, his son, Sigmund, was not yet old enough to independently succeed him, and Sigmund’s guardian released Oswald from the debt into which he had been forced by Friedrich in 1427.