flourished 11901210
Middle High German poet.
Apparently a member of the Swabian court, he took part in the crusade of 1197. He is noted for his courtly epics, the Arthurian romances Erec ( 0441; 118085) and Iwein ( 0441; 1200), both based on works by Chrétien de Troyes . Through Erec , Arthurian legend first entered German literature. Der arme Heinrich ("Poor Heinrich"), his finest poem, is a didactic religious epic. He also wrote lyrics and allegorical love poems.