Ulrich von Liechtenstein

From Freepedia

Ulrich von Liechtenstein (1200-1278) was a medieval nobleman, knight, politician and minnesinger.

Ulrich von Liechtenstein was born 1200 in Murau. 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 of absorbing Styria into Habsburg Empire and became Styria's governor. He owned three castles, one of them in Liechtenstein.

The rest of his life is unrecorded. It is possible that he was one of the noblemen in Styria who king Ottokar II of Bohemia took prisoner in 1269.

Ulrich von Liechtenstein died 1278. He was buried in Seckau.

Frauendienst - Service of the Lady

Ulrich is also famous for his supposedly autobiographical poetry collection Frauendienst (Service of the Lady). He writes himself as a protagonist who does great deeds in honor to a married noblewoman, following the conventions of chaste courtly love. The protagonist goes to a quest 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 an honor to hold her hand. The collection was finished 1255.

Frauenbuch

Frauenbuch was a dialogue lamenting the decay of chiralric ourtship published in 1257.

Popular culture

"Ulrich Von Leichtenstein" is also the name the main hero of the the film 'A Knight's Tale' takes when he falsely assumes a knightly status. As 'undefeated' in jousts this was a worthy name to take. However in the film he claims to come from Gelderland, which is in actually the Netherlands.