Heinrich von Veldeke

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The little that is known of the minnesinger Heinrich von Veldeke must be gleaned from his works. Based on textual references it can be ascertained that he wrote in the late 12th century. His name and dialect both place him in Veldeke, a village in Belgian Limburg.

His lyrics appear in both High German and the Limburg dialect. They are highly influenced by the troubadour idea of courtly love, in which the lady is depicted as the shaper of the man's fate. Heinrich has two longer works to his credit, a life of St. Serveatius (the patron saint of Maastricht) and Eneide, based on Virgil's Aeneid.