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Gottfried von Strassburg (right of centre), miniature from the Heidelberger Liederhandschrift; in … (credit: Courtesy of the Universitätsbibliothek, Heidelberg, Ger.)

(died c. 1210) German poet, one of the greatest of the Middle Ages. Little is known of his life. His courtly epic Tristan und Isolde (c. 1210) is the classic version of the famous love story. The unfinished poem is based on an Anglo-Norman version of the story, which came from Celtic legend. One of the most perfect creations of the medieval courtly spirit, it is distinguished by its refined and elevated tone and its skillful technique.

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