(4) Holy Roman Empire / Germany: Notable Writers and Notable Literary Developments

1200s - Nibelungenlied (All Facts)

• Middle High German epic of the Holy Roman Empire

• Written by an anonymous Austrian with manuscripts originating at the time

• Its hero is Siegfried

• It has connections with Scandinavian legends

• It has influenced many writers and composers, most notably Richard Wagner

1280s - Tannhauser (All Facts)

• Knight and Poet of the Minnesinger School, whose exploits were described in legend and ballad at the time

1250 - 1318 - Heinrich Frauenlob (All Facts)

• Representative of the school of middle-class poets who succeeded the knightly Minnesingers

• He and his school adapted Minnesinger traditions to poems dealing with theology and philosophy

1379 - 1471 - Thomas a Kempis (All Facts)

• German-Dutch Writer of Devotionals

1427 - Thomas a Kempis: The Imitation of Christ (All Facts)

• Was considered at the time to be the most influential Christian work since the Bible

• Simple book which emphasized the need for a moderate asceticism

1458 - 1521 - Sebastian Brant (All Facts)

• German Writer

1494 - Sebastian Brant: Ship of Fools (All Facts)

• German satirical writing which reached the common man in the popular and influential namesake work, which mocked vice in rhyming couplets