Walther von der Vogelweide

Walther von der Vogelweide (Modern German pronunciation: [ˈvaltɐ fɔn deːɐ̯ ˈfoːɡl̩vaɪdə]; c. 1170 – c. 1230) was a Minnesänger who composed and performed love-songs and political songs (Sprüche) in Middle High German. Walther has been described as the greatest German lyrical poet before Goethe; his hundred or so love-songs are widely regarded as the pinnacle of Minnesang, the medieval German courtly love song tradition, and his innovations breathed new life into this genre. He was also the first political poet to write in German, with a considerable body of encomium, satire, invective, and moralising. Little is known about Walther's life.