Research by Todd Mohr Much of this information comes from the University of Heidelberg in Germany: The Manesse Codex is a collection of love songs (minnesang) written in Middle High German by a variety of 140 or so contributors, or Minnesangers. The High German word for “love” is minne; a single love song is a minnelied. The songwriters included royals, famous rulers and noblemen, and commoners. The Codex is estimated to have been copied and illustrated between 1305 and 1340