Ulrich von Liechtenstein (1200 – 1278) was a medieval nobleman, knight, politician and minnesinger. He was born in 1200 in Murau, located in present day Austria. After the usual noble training as a page and a squire to Margrave Heinrich of Istria, he was knighted by Duke Leopold VI of Austria in 1223. Leader of the Styrian nobility, he had a hand in absorbing Styria into the Habsburg Empire, and he became Styria's governor. He owned three castles, one of them at Lichtenstein, near Judenburg.

The rest of his life is unrecorded. It is possible that he was one of the noblemen in Styria taken prisoner by King Otakar II of Bohemia 1269. He died in 1278 and was buried in Seckau.

Works

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Frauendienst – Service of the Lady

Ulrich is famous for his supposedly autobiographical poetry collection Frauendienst (Service of the Lady). He writes of himself as a protagonist who does great deeds of honor to married noblewomen, following the conventions of chaste courtly love. The protagonist embarks on two remarkable quests. In the first quest, he travels from Venice to Vienna in the guise of Venus, the goddess of love. He competes in jousts and tourneys and challenges all the knights he meets to a duel in the honor of his lady. He breaks 307 lances and defeats all comers. The noblewoman, however, mostly spurns his affections and demands more deeds and even mutilation for even the honor to hold her hand. In the second quest, he takes on the role of King Arthur, with his followers becoming Arthurian Round Table characters. The collection was finished 1255.

Frauenbuch

Frauenbuch was a dialogue, published in 1257, lamenting the decay of chivalric courtship.

Popular culture

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The hero of the 2001 film A Knight's Tale, played by Heath Ledger, assumes the title "Ulrich von Liechtenstein" when he poses as a knight. As "undefeated" in jousts, this was a worthy name to take. However, the character claims to come from Gelderland, which is in not in Austria but the Netherlands.

1200 births | 1278 deaths | Austrian nobility | Austrian poets | Knights | Medieval literature

Ulrich von Liechtenstein