Hugo von Montfort

Hugo von Montfort (1357 – April 4, 1423, Bruck an der Mur) was an Austrian minstrel of the late Middle Ages.

Hugo VII was the Count of Montfort-Bregrenz and Pfannberg, and was a respected politician, holding numerous high administrative posts. He made his political career in the service of the house of Habsburg: as commander in chief of the ducal Austrian troops in Italy, as "Hofmeister" of Duke Leopold IV, as governor of Styria (1412-1415), and as a vicar in Thurgau, Aargau, and the Black Forest. In 1373 he married Margaret of Pfannberg, thereby vastly increasing the area controlled by the house of Montfort. In 1399 he acquired Festenburg Castle in Oststeiermark.

Hugo wrote songs, "Minnebriefe", and political and didactic speeches. Approximately 40 of his texts are preserved. He is considered one of the last representatives of the German "Minnesang".

Further reading

*Wernfried Hofmeister: "Hugo von Montfort. Das poetische Werk". De Gruyter, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-110176-04-1
*Anke Sophie Meyer: "Hugo von Montfort. Autorenrolle und Repräsentationstätigkeit". Kümmerle, Göppingen 1995, ISBN 3-87452-855-3