Wolfger von Erla,[a] known in Italian as Volchero (c. 1140 – 23 January 1218), was the Bishop of Passau from 1191 until 1204 and Patriarch of Aquileia thereafter until his death.
He was renowned in his own time as a diplomat and peacemaker. He participated in the highest levels of the politics of the Holy Roman Empire, traveling frequently between Germany and Italy, where he served as imperial legate. He took part in the Crusade of 1197 and played a role in founding the Teutonic Knights.
Wolfger's courts at Passau and Aquileia attracted scholars and writers. His possible patronage of the Nibelungenlied has assured him a central place in the history of German literature.
- ^ F. W. von Kries, "Wolfger von Erla", in J. Strayer (ed.), Dictionary of the Middle Ages, Vol. 12 (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1989), pp. 672–673.
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