Rudolf von Ems
Illustration — Rudolf presents his work to God in a 14th-century manuscript Rudolf von Ems (c. 1200 – 1254) was a Middle High German narrative poet.
Also recorded as Rudolf of Ems
Rudolf von Ems

ehemals Wernigeroder Handschrift, heute München, BSB, Cgm 8345, fol. I · Gero von Wilpert: Deutsche Literatur in Bildern. Alfred Kröner, Stuttgart 1957, S. 36. · Public domain
- Born
- 1200 · Hohenems.
- Died
- 1254
- Nationality
- Switzerland
- Occupation
- poet · knight · writer
- Known for
- Der guote Gerhart · Barlaam und Josaphat · Willehalm von Orlens · Alexander · Weltchronik
- Languages
- Middle High German
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Illustration — Rudolf presents his work to God in a 14th-century manuscript Rudolf von Ems (c. 1200 – 1254) was a Middle High German narrative poet.
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Authority files
gnd · 118603736 · wikidata · Q697801 · wikipedia · Rudolf von Ems
In this article
Life
Life
The recorded working language is Middle High German. Works named in the authority record are Der guote Gerhart, Barlaam und Josaphat, Willehalm von Orlens, Alexander and Weltchronik. Work by Rudolf von Ems is recorded in the collections of J. Paul Getty Museum.
Rudolf von Ems was born in the Vorarlberg in Austria. He took his name from the castle of Hohenems near Bregenz, and was a knight in the service of the Counts of Montfort. His works were written between 1220 and 1254. He is thought to have died whilst accompanying King Conrad IV on his advance into Italy. He was one of the most learned and also most productive poets of his time, although not all his works are preserved. Those that are, were distinguished by grace and sincerity in the narration, strict morality and technical mastery. He himself describes Gottfried von Strassburg as his ideal; this is quite credible, as he sometimes quotes literally from "Tristan". He also adopted Gottfried's technique of making literary excursuses in which he names works of contemporaries and of his own. He is thought to have died in Italy in 1254.
Works
Works
• Illustration — The story of Balaam in Rudolf's Weltchronik Of his surviving works, the tale Der gute Gerhard (Gerhard the Good) is the oldest and also the best regarded, a depiction of Christian humility, probably based on a Latin source. This was followed by a German version of Barlaam and Josaphat, dating from approximately 1225 to 1230, taken from a Latin translation of a Greek version of the story of the conversion of an Indian prince to Christianity (a story which is believed in fact to be that of the Buddha, at many removes); and by Willehalm von Orlens, the story of the childhood love of Willehalm and Amelie, who are among the most famous lovers of the Middle Ages. The latter was commissioned by Conrad of Winterstetten. His Alexanderroman (a version of the Romance of Alexander), written about 1240, is a fragment. In 21,000 verses the upbringing and battles of Alexander are depicted, in which the hero is a model of knightly virtue. Rudolf's sources for this work were principally the Historia de preliis of Leo of Naples and the Historiae Alexandri Magni of Curtius Rufus. The Chronicle of the World (Weltchronik) is Rudolf's last work, dedicated to King Conrad IV. It narrates, as an addition to the Bible, the Historia scholastica of Petrus Comestor and the Pantheon of Godfrey of Viterbo, the history of the world from the creation up to the death of King Solomon, with the added motive of legitimizing the rule of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. As early as the 13th century this work was combined in many manuscripts with the Christherre-Chronik. A further work, Eustachius, is lost.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1200
Rudolf von Ems born at Hohenems.
1254
Rudolf von Ems died.
Editions of works
• Anon, 1967. Rudolf von Ems: Weltchronik. Aus der Wernigeroder Handschrift herausgegeben von Gustav Ehrismann. 2nd ed., Dublin: Weidmann: Deutsche Texte des Mittelalters 20. • Asher, John, 1989. Rudolf von Ems, Der guote Gêrhart. 3rd ed., Tübingen: Altdeutsche Textbibliothek 56. • Junk, Victor, 1928-29 repr. 1970. Rudolf von Ems, Alexander. Ein höfischer Versroman des 13. Jahrhunderts, 2 vols. Darmstadt: Wiss. Buchgesellschaft (unaltered reissue of the Leipzig edition of 1928-29). • Pfeiffer, 1843 repr. 1965. Barlaam und Josaphat. Leipzig.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q697801: Rudolf von Ems
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Rudolf von Ems”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 118603736, Rudolf, von Ems.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 118603736, Rudolf, von Ems.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q697801: Rudolf von EmsWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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