Der stolze Chärdenaere. The Person of Henry of Carinthia in the contemporary public opinion and in the Courtly Literature
Abstract
This article deals with a literary picture of Henry of Carinthia as depicted in the courtly literature and rises a question, to what extent this picture is able to affect a predominant, rather negative attitude to the Carinthian duke Henry in the modern historiography. The subject of analysis are poems written by Hirzelin, Ottokar of Styria and Peter Suchenwirt.
These authors describe important moments in Henry''s life on one hand and distinctive features of his character on the other hand. As far as Carinthian''s personality is concerned it is to point out his military bravery, as demonstrated in the battle of Göllheim, or his generosity, praised by courtly poets, which is considered by prominent Austrian historians as a plain waste of money, although it played an indispensable role in the royal representation and could have contributed to Henry''s double election to the Czech king.