Medieval studies and early modern research

German Medieval Studies deals with the literature and language of the Middle Ages. Our subject matter spans several centuries. It ranges from the very first texts in German, manuscripts written in the monasteries of the 8th century, to the carnival plays, printed prose novels and writings of the Reformation period in the 16th century. We deal not only with the texts themselves, their analysis and interpretation, but also with their cultural contexts and their function in use.

One focus of medieval studies is the so-called courtly literature from around 1200, which originated at the noble courts of the Hohenstaufen, Guelph, Babenberg and others: verse narratives such as Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, strophic verse epics such as the Song of the Nibelungs or love poetry such as the songs of Walther von der Vogelweide.