Moriz from Craûn

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Moriz von Craûn is a Middle High German verse tale by an unknown author. It was probably made at the beginning of the 13th century. The short novel is about a knight who sees himself cheated out of his mines wage and then personally demands it. In addition to Hartmann von Aues' Poor Heinrich, there are no other known representatives of this literary genre around 1200.

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At the beginning of the story, the author reports on the origin of chivalry, how it began with the Greeks, then reached the Romans, where it was married under Julius Caesar , but then under the cruel Nero , of whose offense he describes some , experienced the decline. After that, the weakened knighthood came to France, where it was only Charlemagne who regained its splendor. Subsequently, the minne service is described, how it should be run and what wages or damage it can cause. The case of Moriz von Craûn serves as an example.

Moriz is portrayed as a perfect knight who possesses all the necessary virtues and is accordingly highly regarded . He does his minne service to the Countess von Beamunt. One day Moriz lapses into melancholy brooding, he wishes for his love wishes to be fulfilled or death. When he complains to the countess of his suffering, she promises him the fulfillment of his wishes if he organizes a tournament for her. As a symbol of this promise, she puts a ring on him. Thereupon Moriz von Craûn had a ship on wheels built and splendidly furnished. He drives through the country in this, apparently drawn by a ghostly hand, promoting his undertaking. He succeeds; many knights appear at the tournament in front of the walls of the count's castle.

Right at the beginning, however, the tournament was overshadowed by an incident: The Count von Beamunt, husband of Moriz's lover, stabbed one of the tournament participants to death. Horrified and sad, he throws away his weapons and flees to his castle. The tournament is about to fail, but Moriz manages to persuade the other knights to continue. As the tournament progressed, Moriz von Craûn stood out in particular.

In the evening the tournament is over, Moriz is asked into the castle and a maid takes him to a lavishly furnished bower in which there is a beautiful bed. There he should wait for the Countess von Beamunt. The maid offers the exhausted Moriz to lay his head in her lap and sleep. She promises him that she will wake him as soon as the countess comes. The knight agrees. He is soundly asleep when the countess appears. Outraged by the sleeper and relieved that she was spared adultery, the maid orders her not to wake him. In vain does the maid remind her mistress, who lies down in her own bed, of her promise.

When Moriz wakes up, the maid explains what has happened to him. He asks the maid to mediate with the countess so that she can still come to him. But the countess refuses. Moriz von Craûn then takes matters into her own hands. He gains access to the married chamber of the Countess von Beamunt. He pretends to the frightened Count that he is the spirit of the knight who was slain in the tournament, whereupon the Count flees in a panic. Moriz lies down with the countess and sleeps with her. After the act has been completed, he gets up, throws her ring down to the countess and gives her notice of his minne service. Remaining alone, she has to realize that she now has a double shame: she has neither kept her promise nor was she able to save herself from adultery.

Classification in literary history

Author and language

The author of the Moriz von Craûn is unknown. Claims that the author is Bligger von Steinach are difficult to keep, as the work's Middle High German has strong Middle German dialect coloring and speaks more for a poet from northern Rhine Franconia. The mention of the Cologne port and the Rhine and Maas as navigable rivers in the text could also support this.

Dating

The origin of this short work by an anonymous person is very difficult to determine. Depending on the scientist, it is dated to a long period from 1185 to 1230. Most likely the vague date "around 1200" appears. This corresponds well with the envy of Heinrich von Veldeke mentioned in the text .

template

As with many works of Middle High German literature, a French or Latin model is assumed for Moriz von Craûn . The poet's achievement therefore consists in translating the work, which was accompanied by an adaptation to German literary expectations. However, this template has not survived. The only French text that is partially similar to that of the Moriz von Craûn is an old French fabliau called "Du chevalier qui recovra l'amor de sa dame" by a certain Pierre d'Anfol. However, this text has a "happy ending". Whether Moriz von Craûn is based on a true occurrence, after all places and noble families named Craon (mhd. Craûn) and Beaumont (mhd. Beamunt) have been historically documented, has not been proven.

Lore

The text of Moriz von Craûn , which comprises 1784 verses, has only survived once in a 16th century copy. This is the so-called Ambraser Heldenbuch , which is today under the signature Cod. Vind. Ser. nov. 2663 is in the Austrian National Library in Vienna.

literature

Text output

  • Heimo Reinitzer (Ed.): Mauritius von Craûn (= Old German Text Library. No. 113). Niemeyer, Tübingen 2000, ISBN 3-484-20213-0 .
  • Mauricius of Craûn. Middle High German, New High German (= Universal Library 8796). Edited from the text by Edward Schröder , translated and commented on by Dorothea Klein. Reclam, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-15-008796-1 .

Special literature

  • Friedrich Michael Dimpel: 'des muoz ich ûf genâde lônes bîten' (MF 194,33). Ambivalences of the wage metaphor in Reinmar and in the 'Mauritius von Craun' . In: Amsterdam Contributions to Older German Studies (ABäG) 72, 2014, pp. 197–228
  • Hubertus Fischer: knight, ship and lady. Mauricius von Craûn: Text and Context. Winter, Heidelberg 2006, ISBN 3-8253-5077-0 .
  • Günther J. Gerlitzki: The meaning of love in "Moriz von Craûn" (= German Studies in America. No. 4, ZDB -ID 503260-x ). Lang, Berne 1970.
  • Dorothea Klein: 'Mauricius von Craûn' or The Destruction of High Minne . In: ZfdA 127, 1998, pp. 271-294.