Walther von der Vogelweide was the most important medieval lyric poet in the German language. His songs include religious, moral-didactic, political, and erotic themes. References in his songs show him repeatedly seeking acceptance at the Viennese court, where, he says, he learned to sing and express himself (L.32,14--although many editors have attempted to replace the cumbersome method of citing Walther's songs according to the page and line number in Karl Lachmann's 1827 first edition of them, no alternative manner of citation has superseded it). In presenting his persona as a quarrelsome and demanding petitioner for favor and an arbiter of proper courtly behavior, he also demonstrates a peripatetic acquaintance with a wide variety of rulers and areas within the German-speaking realm. Uncertainty reigns about his birthplace and social status. A document of 1203 refers to him as a cantor (singer) richly rewarded by Bishop Wolfger of Erla. An early...