Bligger von Steinach
Encyclopedia
Bligger von Steinach was a the name of a series of feudal lords of Steinach, today Neckarsteinach
in Baden-Württemberg
, Germany
. Collectively the noble family was known as the Edelfreien von Steinach. The family was influential, having close connections to the Holy Roman Emperor
and to the Bishopric of Worms
. The family held Steinach in fief to Worms.
The name Bligger is of Germanic origin, meaning lightning spear.
Bligger I was first mentioned in a document from 1142 as bliggerus de steinahe. In 1150, Bligger's brother, was named Konrad I bishop of Worms. In 1171, Bligger was sent to Constantinople
by Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
to seek a bride for Frederick's son, Henry VI
. There are indications that Bligger's son, Bligger II, and his brother Konrad accompanied him.
Bligger II (1152–1210) was a poet of the Minnesang
and fief lord of Steinach. He was also a companion to two Staufer and contemporary of the Minnesinger Gottfried von Strassburg
. Bligger's poems mention Damascus and Saladin and Bligger's homesickness, which some scholars take as an indication that Bligger either accompanied his father and uncle to Constantinople in 1171 or Bligger went on a crusade with Frederick I. Bligger was certainly a trustworthy companion to Henry IV and not just an entertainer. Bligger's signature appears on four imperial documents from 1193 to 1196 as Blikerus de Steinaha. A report of a Pentecostal festival from 1194 in Milano, in which the emperor Henry VI, Conrad II, Duke of Swabia
, Philip of Swabia
, Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
, and Bligger von Steinach. Bligger was also present when Henry VI was crowned king of Sicily in Palermo 1194. Two further imperial documents refer to the name Blikerus from the Toscana in 1194, but historians dispute whether this refers to Bligger II or his son Bligger III. Bligger appears from 1152 to 1208 in numerous documents of Schönau Abbey
, Lorch Abbey, Eberbach Abbey
, and in imperial documents.
As a poet, Bligger II was mentioned by Gottfried von Strassburg
in his work Tristan und Isolt
. There he praised his "sweet words and clever sensibilities musically entwined". Gottfried also praised Bligger's work der umbehanc (The Tapestry), which remains lost to this day. Some scholars argue that this work refers to the Nibelungenlied
, but this remains in dispute. Bligger's work appears in the Codex Manesse
. The codex also displays the coat-of-arms that he created. It is a harp, which is used today by the city of Neckarsteinach
.
Neckarsteinach
The four-castle town of Neckarsteinach lies on the Neckar in the Bergstraße district in the southernmost part of Hesse, Germany, 15 km east of Heidelberg.-Location:...
in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Collectively the noble family was known as the Edelfreien von Steinach. The family was influential, having close connections to the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
and to the Bishopric of Worms
Bishopric of Worms
The Bishopric of Worms was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Located on both banks of the Rhine around Worms just north of the union of that river with the Neckar, it was largely surrounded by the Palatinate. Worms had been the seat of a bishop from Roman times...
. The family held Steinach in fief to Worms.
The name Bligger is of Germanic origin, meaning lightning spear.
Bligger I was first mentioned in a document from 1142 as bliggerus de steinahe. In 1150, Bligger's brother, was named Konrad I bishop of Worms. In 1171, Bligger was sent to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
by Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
to seek a bride for Frederick's son, Henry VI
Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VI was King of Germany from 1190 to 1197, Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 to 1197 and King of Sicily from 1194 to 1197.-Early years:Born in Nijmegen,...
. There are indications that Bligger's son, Bligger II, and his brother Konrad accompanied him.
Bligger II (1152–1210) was a poet of the Minnesang
Minnesang
Minnesang was the tradition of lyric and song writing in Germany which flourished in the 12th century and continued into the 14th century. People who wrote and performed Minnesang are known as Minnesingers . The name derives from the word minne, Middle High German for love which was their main...
and fief lord of Steinach. He was also a companion to two Staufer and contemporary of the Minnesinger Gottfried von Strassburg
Gottfried von Strassburg
Gottfried von Strassburg is the author of the Middle High German courtly romance Tristan and Isolt, an adaptation of the 12th-century Tristan and Iseult legend. Gottfried's work is regarded, alongside Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival and the Nibelungenlied, as one of the great narrative...
. Bligger's poems mention Damascus and Saladin and Bligger's homesickness, which some scholars take as an indication that Bligger either accompanied his father and uncle to Constantinople in 1171 or Bligger went on a crusade with Frederick I. Bligger was certainly a trustworthy companion to Henry IV and not just an entertainer. Bligger's signature appears on four imperial documents from 1193 to 1196 as Blikerus de Steinaha. A report of a Pentecostal festival from 1194 in Milano, in which the emperor Henry VI, Conrad II, Duke of Swabia
Conrad II, Duke of Swabia
Conrad II was duke of Swabia from 1191 to his death and Duke of Rothenburg . He was the fourth son of Frederick III Barbarossa and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy, and brother of Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor...
, Philip of Swabia
Philip of Swabia
Philip of Swabia was king of Germany and duke of Swabia, the rival of the emperor Otto IV.-Biography:Philip was the fifth and youngest son of Emperor Frederick I and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy, daughter of Renaud III, count of Burgundy, and brother of the emperor Henry VI...
, Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
Henry was count palatine of the Rhine from 6 August 1195 to 1213.Henry was the eldest son of Duke Henry the Lion, from his marriage to Matilda, eldest daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He grew up in England and became count palatine of the Rhine through his 1193...
, and Bligger von Steinach. Bligger was also present when Henry VI was crowned king of Sicily in Palermo 1194. Two further imperial documents refer to the name Blikerus from the Toscana in 1194, but historians dispute whether this refers to Bligger II or his son Bligger III. Bligger appears from 1152 to 1208 in numerous documents of Schönau Abbey
Schönau Abbey
Schönau Abbey in Schönau in the Odenwald, in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis in Baden-Württemberg, was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1142 from Eberbach Abbey...
, Lorch Abbey, Eberbach Abbey
Eberbach Abbey
Eberbach Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery near Eltville am Rhein in the Rheingau, Germany. On account of its impressive Romanesque and early Gothic buildings it is considered one of the most significant architectural heritage sites in Hesse, Germany...
, and in imperial documents.
As a poet, Bligger II was mentioned by Gottfried von Strassburg
Gottfried von Strassburg
Gottfried von Strassburg is the author of the Middle High German courtly romance Tristan and Isolt, an adaptation of the 12th-century Tristan and Iseult legend. Gottfried's work is regarded, alongside Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival and the Nibelungenlied, as one of the great narrative...
in his work Tristan und Isolt
Tristan and Iseult
The legend of Tristan and Iseult is an influential romance and tragedy, retold in numerous sources with as many variations. The tragic story is of the adulterous love between the Cornish knight Tristan and the Irish princess Iseult...
. There he praised his "sweet words and clever sensibilities musically entwined". Gottfried also praised Bligger's work der umbehanc (The Tapestry), which remains lost to this day. Some scholars argue that this work refers to the Nibelungenlied
Nibelungenlied
The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. The story tells of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, how he was murdered, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge....
, but this remains in dispute. Bligger's work appears in the Codex Manesse
Codex Manesse
The Codex Manesse, Manesse Codex, or Große Heidelberger Liederhandschrift is a Liederhandschrift , the single most comprehensive source of Middle High German Minnesang poetry, written and illustrated between ca. 1304 when the main part was completed, and ca...
. The codex also displays the coat-of-arms that he created. It is a harp, which is used today by the city of Neckarsteinach
Neckarsteinach
The four-castle town of Neckarsteinach lies on the Neckar in the Bergstraße district in the southernmost part of Hesse, Germany, 15 km east of Heidelberg.-Location:...
.