Heinrich von Veldeke - Eneas Romance

Heinrich von Veldeke - Eneas Romance

Courtly love, courtly virtues such as moderation, self-control, eloquence, etc., and the beauty of courtly life are presented in the greatest and most influential work by Heinrich von Veldeke (ca. 1150 – after 1188). It is inspired on the Roman d’Eneas, which was written ca. 1160 in Old French and is loosely based on the Aeneid by Virgil (70–90 BC) but focuses mostly on the romantic relationships of the hero “Eneas” (Aeneas) with Queen Dido and Princess Lavinia. As the first courtly romance written in German, it is one of the oldest and most important works written in this language and according to Gottfried von Strassburg (d. ca. 1210), Veldeke "made the first graft on the tree of German". The action in the text is often interrupted by detailed descriptions of garments, weapons and armor, tombs, and more to create a rich picture of court life at the end of the 12th century. The splendid Berlin manuscript is adorned with 136 half- and full- page miniatures in the Bavarian Romanesque style and was created ca. 1220–30.

Creation of the Work

It is believed that Heinrich von Veldecke began translating the Roman d’Eneas with the encouragement of the Countess Margaret of Cleves (d. 1190) and began writing his version ca. 1170. It was mostly complete when it was stolen in 1174 from one of her ladies in waiting during the wedding feast celebrating her marriage to Landgrave Ludwig III of Thuringia (1151/52–1190). The identity of the thief remains debated today. The manuscript was recovered in 1183/84 through the mediation of Ludwig’s brother, Count Palatine Hermann von Neuenburg, and Ludwig’s other brother, future Landgrave Hermann of Thuringia (d. 1217), who commissioned Heinrich with completing the work, which he did in 1188. It has been debated whether Heinrich initially wrote the work in the Maaslandic (Middle Dutch) language spoken in Cleves and then translated it into Middle High German, which was spoken in Thuringia. The rhymes selected by Heinrich were possible in both languages, indicating that he sought to reach as wide of an audience as possible while exerting minimal effort as a scribe.

The Romantic Adventures of Eneas

After relating the Fall of Troy and the flight of Eneas and his entourage, most of the beginning of the work revolves around Dido and events in Carthage. Dido is presented as the extraordinarily rich and powerful founder and ruler of Carthage who is respected for her intelligence as well as her beauty. However, she falls violently in love with Eneas and despite trying to conceal her feelings and resisting his advances for some time, she eventually gives herself to Eneas in the forest. This passion causes her to lose her prudence and when Eneas announces he is leaving for Italy, she berates him and expresses regret, burning all the gifts he gave her. Dido ends up killing herself with Eneas’ sword and everyone is shocked at what has happened to her. The plot of Lavinia, his second love interest, is considerably longer but less complicated because her feelings are reciprocated by Eneas. The comparison of the two plotlines juxtaposes the happiness and sorrow of courtly love and has dynastic implications as well: while the passionate affair with Dido causes to the downfall of Carthage, the loving, loyal marriage with Lavinia leads to the establishment of a Trojan kingdom in Italy.