Friedrich von Hausen facts for kids
Friedrich von Hausen was an important German poet from the Middle Ages. He was one of the first "Minnesingers," which were medieval singers and poets who wrote about love. He was born sometime between 1150 and 1160 and sadly died on May 6, 1190.
The Life of Friedrich von Hausen
Friedrich von Hausen's name shows up often in old legal papers. The first time was in 1171 in a document from Mainz, signed by Christian I, Archbishop of Mainz. We know he came from the middle Rhine area of Germany because of his unique way of speaking and rhyming. However, many towns claim to be his birthplace, so we don't know for sure where he was born.
He traveled a lot during his life. In 1175, he was in Italy, and he went back there in 1186 with Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. The next year, he was present when two important leaders, Emperor Frederick I, also known as Barbarossa, and Philip Augustus, met near a place called Mouzon. In 1188, he was in Worms with Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut.
Friedrich von Hausen was highly respected by Emperor Frederick. He joined the Emperor on the Third Crusade in 1189, which was a big journey to the Middle East. Sadly, he died during this crusade on May 6, 1190. He was killed at the Battle of Philomelium (which is now a place called Akşehir in Turkey). He fell from his horse while chasing the enemy. It is said that the entire army was very sad about his death.
The Songs of Friedrich von Hausen
Friedrich von Hausen was one of the first Minnesingers who copied the style of French poets. He learned about these French styles during his travels through areas like Burgundy and Provence. Along with another poet named Heinrich von Veldeke, he helped bring French ideas into German Minnesang.
You can especially see the French influence in the rhythm of his poems. He used a "dactylic" rhythm, which means his lines had a pattern of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones. This came from French poems that had ten syllables and four or five stressed beats.
Sometimes, his rhymes weren't perfect, and his songs often had more than one "strophe" (which is like a verse or stanza in a poem). Hausen's poetry was quite artistic and sometimes a bit hard to understand. He liked to play with words and their meanings. Like most Minnesingers, he mainly sang about "troubled love." This means his songs often explored the difficulties and feelings of love. His work directly influenced other poets, like Bernger von Horheim.
