Footnotes: the Classical Period
1The
Hohenstaufen are also referred to as ‘Waiblingen’ after the name of their
ancestral estate in Franconia; ‘Waiblingen’ is synonymous with
‘Ghibeline’, the name for any member of a political party in medieval Italy
which supported the authority of the German emperors in Italy in opposition
to the papal party, the Guelphs.
2It
should be observed that the term ‘romance’ is derived from ‘Romance’ as
in ‘Romance Languages’, since the earliest epics were all thought of as
being inspired by French culture and ideals.
3Notice
here the significance of the change from «höfisch», that
is, «höflich» (courtly) to «höflich»
meaning ‘polite’ (actually ‘urban’ in English, the latter being derived
from Greek «polis», meaning city.
4Based
on Virgil’s Aeneis, the Roman d’Enéas probably was
the first courtly epic which illustrated this new consciousness;
it probably originated at the Anglo-Norman court of Henry II (Plantagenet)
around 1160.
5The
Ambraser Handschrift, which is popularly referred to as the Ambraser
Heldenbuch, was commissioned by Emperor Maximilan, the «letzte
Ritter», between 1504 and 1516.