"Der wälsche Gast" by Thomasîn von Zerclaere (13th century), facsimile - stock illustration

A page from "Der wälsche Gast (The Romance Stranger)" by Thomasîn von Zerclaere (around 1186 - supposedly 1238) - a monumental Middle High German poem from the middle of the 13th century. It is a highly appreciated courtly code of conduct aimed at a German-speaking aristocratic lay audience. The work summarises the main ethic, courtly, and Christian norms of that time, and it is based on a vast range of ancient as well as contemporary sources. Facsimile after an original medieval parchment in the Heidelberg University Library, Germany. Chromolithograph, published in 1897.