Konrad von Altstetten
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Konrad von Altstetten (fl. 1320–1327) was a German petty nobleman and Middle High German lyric poet in the Minnesang (courtly love) tradition. He belonged to a family of vassals of the Abbey of Saint Gall, based in Altstätten. His poetry, light in style, was influenced by Gottfried von Neifen. Three of his songs are preserved in the Codex Manesse.
Konrad von Altstetten belonged to a family of ministeriales (or Dienstmannen, that is, unfree vassals) of the Abbey of Saint Gall. The centre of the family was the old castle of Altstätten in the Oberrheintal (today part of Switzerland). The family is attested between 1166 and 1436. The younger line that held the Meieramt (stewardship) of Altstätten after 1279. There are several known Konrads in the family. A knight named Konrad von Altstetten is attested in 1235 and a priest in 1268, but it is generally accepted that the poet is the Meier (steward) mentioned in a few documents.[1]
Konrad's father was named Walther (fl. 1280–1316).[1] He had younger brothers named Rudolf, Dietrich and Walther. The exact dates of Konrad's stewardship are not known. In 1320, he and Rudolf witnessed a document issued by Abbot Hiltbold. In 1327, the abbot pledged to him the profits of justice (income from court fees) from the ecclesiastical court in Altstätten. In a document of 1334, Konrad's brother Walther is mentioned as steward, meaning that Konrad had probably died. In 1338, the castle of Altstätten was destroyed in a conflict between the steward and the city of Konstanz and its allies. On 30 January 1341, Walther met with representatives of the cities to secure a peace. In 1372, Konrad's three nephews, Christoffel, Rudolf and Hermann, the sons of his brother Rudolf, made a pious endowment to Saint Gall in his memory.[2]
