▁for ▁the ▁Man esse ▁family . ▁ ▁The ▁manuscript ▁is ▁" the ▁most ▁beautiful ly ▁ill um ined ▁German ▁manuscript ▁in ▁centuries ;" ▁its ▁ 1 3 7 ▁mini atures ▁are ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁" port ra its " ▁dep ict ing ▁each ▁poet . ▁ ▁Cont ents ▁The ▁Code x ▁Man esse ▁is ▁an ▁anth ology ▁of ▁the ▁works ▁of ▁a ▁total ▁of ▁about ▁ 1 3 5 ▁min nes ingers ▁of ▁the ▁mid ▁ 1 2 th ▁to ▁early ▁ 1 4 th ▁century . ▁For ▁each ▁poet , ▁a ▁portrait ▁is ▁shown , ▁followed ▁by ▁the ▁text ▁of ▁their ▁works . ▁The ▁entries ▁are ▁ordered ▁approximately ▁by ▁the ▁social ▁status ▁of ▁the ▁po ets , ▁starting ▁with ▁the ▁Holy ▁Roman ▁Emperor ▁Henry ▁VI , ▁Kings ▁Con rad in ▁and ▁W ences laus ▁II , ▁down ▁through ▁du kes , ▁counts ▁and ▁kn ights , ▁to ▁the ▁common ers . ▁ ▁Most ▁of ▁the ▁po ems ▁are ▁Minn es ang , ▁but ▁there ▁are ▁also ▁other ▁gen res , ▁including ▁f ables ▁and ▁did actic ▁po ems . ▁ ▁The ▁oldest ▁po ets ▁represented ▁in ▁the ▁manuscript ▁had ▁been ▁dead ▁for ▁more ▁than ▁a ▁century ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁its ▁comp il ations , ▁while ▁others ▁were ▁contempor aries , ▁the ▁latest ▁even ▁late ▁add itions ▁of ▁po ems ▁written ▁during ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 4 th ▁century . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁port ra its , ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁nobles ▁are ▁shown ▁in ▁full ▁arm our ▁in ▁their ▁her ald ic