The Castle of Love: A Medieval German Allegorical Poem

This annotated translation of the Minneburg is the first to appear of the complete work in English, or, for that matter, in any language. The Minneburg, composed in the middle of the fourteenth century in the vicinity of Würzburg, is one of the most extensive and fascinating allegories of Love from the German Middle Ages. The reader encounters here a unique depiction of the intimate connection between love and God, set against a backdrop of otherworldly castles and allegorical figures. The Minneburg is not simply a fascinating commentary on how the love of a noble woman should be procured, but rather a didactic treatise on the acquisition of love as a triumph of virtue over vice, albeit love that, while instigated by a male suitor, requires reciprocity as an integral component if it is to be sanctioned by God.