Hanz Folz

Albrecht Classen (University of Arizona)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

Born c. 1437
Died Jan 1513
Activity c. 1480-1513

Places

Born in Germany
Active in Germany

Activities

Primary

Writer / Author

Resources

Folz's Works

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In the late Middle Ages, many intellectuals studied medicine and then worked as physicians either in the major cities or at the royal courts. Many of them had also received a solid humanities education and subsequently turned to writing, such as Heinrich Steinhöwel or Hieronymus Münzer. The Nuremberg barber surgeon and general physician Hans Folz followed the same path and gained major fame as the author of Shrovetide plays composed in early modern German, relying on his Franconian dialect. Even though such plays globally served for public entertainment during “Mardi Gras”, Folz also developed very harsh opinions about Jews and turned into one of the worst Antisemitic German poets in the late fifteenth century, similar to his fellow poet Hans Rosenplüt.

Hans Folz was born in Worms

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1217 words

Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Hanz Folz". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 April 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15394, accessed 03 April 2025.]