Vienna Willehalm Facsimile Edition

The Vienna Willehalm is an extensively illustrated manuscript of the complete cycle of three Middle High German epic romance poems that tell the story of Willehalm, a Christian knight who escapes capture by non-Christian "Saracens" and eventually defeats them in battle, and Rennewart, the son of the Saracen king. Completed on September 29, 1320 (that is, within a century of the composition of its texts), the manuscript may have been created in Vienna. It is distinguished by its 117 framed miniatures with burnished gold leaf backgrounds that provide valuable insight into medieval military, courtly, and religious life.

The cycle comprises the core text, Willehalm by Wolfram von Eschenbach; its prequel, Willehalm by Ulrich von dem Türlin; and its much longer sequel, Rennewart by Ulrich von Türheim. The two Willehalm poems are separated by a pair of short poems by Der Stricker ("the weaver").

Life at Court

An impressive large miniature depicts a mounted duke riding out of his tent while two figures secure the tent ropes (fol. 50v). There are images that chronicle the sending and receiving of messages (such as on fols. 163v and 167v). There are also images of courtly pastimes, such as games of chess (fols. 19v and 21r). Seven scenes depict feasting (such as on fol. 109r).

Prisoners, Giants, and Monks

There are scenes involving prisoners brought before royalty, being freed, and escaping their captors by sea (fols. 16r, 26r, and 140r). Rennewart features four miniatures of battles against giants (fols. 274v, 279r, 318v, and 319v). Monastic life is also depicted, including a scene of a monk caring for the monastery's chickens (fol. 338r).

Miracles and Battles

Among the miracles depicted are a storm at sea that thwarts the heathen enemies (fol. 35r), the appearance of an angel (fol. 71r), and a speaking crucifix (fol. 209v). Large battle scenes involve sword-wielding mounted knights in armor (such as on fols. 66r and 226v).

Instructions and Captions

The illuminator was provided with written instructions for the subject of each miniature in the appropriate page's margins. He generally followed them closely, although there are a few instances of the illuminator having resolved an ambiguity or contradiction in the instruction. The subjects of the miniatures are identified by captions in red ink. Written after the miniatures were painted, they accurately describe the pictured action.

The Work of a Single Scribe

All of the writing—the main text, the marginal instructions for the illuminator, and the picture captions—was done by a single scribe, who also corrected his own work. The script is Gothic Textualis. The text is presented in two columns, with the poetic form of the rhyming couplets clearly shown by line breaks and majuscule letters at the head of each verse.

Stanzas are introduced by single-color initials or, in twenty-two cases, by puzzle initials, letters rendered in red and blue in shapes that interlock like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, with dazzling penwork flourishes.

Of Uncertain Origin

The dialect of the manuscript's text points to Bavaria or Austria as its place of origin, but its early history is unknown. By the early eighteenth century, the manuscript was in the Hofbibliothek of the Holy Roman Empire (after World War II, the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek). It was rebound in 1755 and given a gold-tooled white parchment cover.