Counts of Andechs
Encyclopedia
The House of Andechs was a feudal line of German
princes in 12th and 13th century. The Counts of Dießen-Andechs (~1100 to 1180) obtained territiories in northern Dalmatia
on the Adria
tic seacoast, where they became Margraves of Istria
and ultimately Dukes of a short-lived Imperial State
named Merania from 1180 to 1248.
The noble family originally resided in southwestern Bavaria
at the castle of Ambras near Innsbruck
, controlling the road to the March of Verona
across the Brenner Pass
, at Dießen am Ammersee
and Wolfratshausen
. One Count Rasso
(Rath) is documented in Dießen, who allegedly fought against the invading Magyars in the early 10th century and established the monastery of Grafrath
. By their ancestor Count Palatine Berthold of Reisensburg
, a grandson of the Bavarian duke Arnulf the Bad
, the Andechser may be affiliated with the Luitpolding dynasty. Berthold appears a fierce enemy of King Otto I of Germany
and was blamed as a traitor at the 955 Battle of Lechfeld
against the Hungarians. He probably married a daughter of Duke Frederick I of Upper Lorraine
; his descendant Count Berthold II (d. 1151), from about 1100 residing at Andechs
, is credited as the progenitor of the comital dynasty.
Berthold II had inherited the family's Bavarian territories, but also acquired possessions in the adjacent Franconia
n region, where about 1135 he had the Plassenburg
built near Bayreuth and established the town of Kulmbach
. He served as vogt
of Benediktbeuern Abbey
and by marriage with Sophie, daughter of Margrave Poppo II, came into property of lands in the March of Istria
and Carniola
.
Otto II of Andechs was bishop of Bamberg in 1177–1196. In 1208, when Philip of Swabia
, King of the Germans, was assassinated at Bamberg by Otto of Wittelsbach
, members of the house of Andechs were implicated.
Saint Hedwig of Andechs
(c. 1174 – October 1243) was one of eight children born to Berthold IV, Duke of Merania
, Count of Dießen-Andechs and Margrave of Istria. Of her four brothers, two became bishops, Ekbert of Bamberg (1203 – 1231), and Berthold, Patriarch of Aquileia
.
Otto succeeded his father as Duke of Dalmatia, and Heinrich became Margrave of Istria. Of her three sisters, Gertrude of Andechs-Merania
(1185–September 24, 1213) was the first wife of Andrew II of Hungary
and the mother of St Elizabeth of Hungary; Mechtilde became Abbess of Kitzingen; while Agnes, a famous beauty, was made the illegitimate third wife of Philip II of France
in 1196, on the repudiation of his lawful wife, Ingeborg, but was dismissed in 1200, after Pope Innocent III
laid France under an interdict.
The dukes of Merania went extinct in the direct male line in 1248. A history of the house of Andechs was written by Joseph Hormayr Freiherr zu Hortenburg
, the historian-statesman, and published in 1796.
Kingdom of Germany
The Kingdom of Germany developed out of the eastern half of the former Carolingian Empire....
princes in 12th and 13th century. The Counts of Dießen-Andechs (~1100 to 1180) obtained territiories in northern Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
on the Adria
Adria
Adria is a town and comune in the province of Rovigo in the Veneto region of Northern Italy, situated between the mouths of the rivers Adige and Po....
tic seacoast, where they became Margraves of Istria
March of Istria
The Margravate of Istria was originally a Carolingian frontier march covering the Istrian peninsula and surrounding territory conquered by Charlemagne's son Pepin of Italy in 789...
and ultimately Dukes of a short-lived Imperial State
Imperial State
An Imperial State or Imperial Estate was an entity in the Holy Roman Empire with a vote in the Imperial Diet assemblies. Several territories of the Empire were not represented, while some officials were non-voting members; neither qualified as Imperial States.Rulers of Imperial States were...
named Merania from 1180 to 1248.
The noble family originally resided in southwestern Bavaria
History of Bavaria
The history of Bavaria stretches from its earliest settlement and its formation as a stem duchy in the 6th century through its inclusion in the Holy Roman Empires to its status as an independent kingdom and, finally, as a large and significant Bundesland of the modern Federal Republic of...
at the castle of Ambras near Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, controlling the road to the March of Verona
March of Verona
The March of Verona and Aquileia was a vast march in northeastern Italy during the Middle Ages, centered on the cities of Verona and Aquileia. Except for Venice, it included the territories of the modern-day regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia as well as Istria and Trentino up to the Adige...
across the Brenner Pass
Brenner Pass
- Roadways :The motorway E45 leading from Innsbruck via Bolzano to Verona and Modena uses this pass, and is one of the most important north-south connections in Europe...
, at Dießen am Ammersee
Dießen am Ammersee
Dießen am Ammersee is a municipality in the district of Landsberg in Bavaria in Germany.-References:...
and Wolfratshausen
Wolfratshausen
Wolfratshausen is a town of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, located in Bavaria, Germany. The town had a population of 17,118 as of 31 December 2003.-History:...
. One Count Rasso
Rasso
Saint Rasso of Andechs was a Bavarian count and military leader, pilgrim, and saint. He was the count of Dießen-Andechs, leading the Bavarians against invading Magyars in the tenth century...
(Rath) is documented in Dießen, who allegedly fought against the invading Magyars in the early 10th century and established the monastery of Grafrath
Grafrath
Grafrath is a municipality in the district of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria in Germany. It takes its name from Saint Rasso , who was a count who founded a Benedictine abbey here in the 10th century.- References :...
. By their ancestor Count Palatine Berthold of Reisensburg
Günzburg
Günzburg is a Große Kreisstadt and capital of the district of Günzburg in Swabia, Bavaria. This district was constituted in 1972 by combining the city of Günzburg—which had not previously been assigned to a Kreis —with the district of Günzburg and the district of Krumbach.Günzburg lies...
, a grandson of the Bavarian duke Arnulf the Bad
Arnulf, Duke of Bavaria
Arnulf , called the Bad or the Evil , was the duke of Bavaria from 907 until his death. He was a member of the Luitpolding dynasty....
, the Andechser may be affiliated with the Luitpolding dynasty. Berthold appears a fierce enemy of King Otto I of Germany
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
and was blamed as a traitor at the 955 Battle of Lechfeld
Battle of Lechfeld
The Battle of Lechfeld , often seen as the defining event for holding off the incursions of the Hungarians into Western Europe, was a decisive victory by Otto I the Great, King of the Germans, over the Hungarian leaders, the harka Bulcsú and the chieftains Lél and Súr...
against the Hungarians. He probably married a daughter of Duke Frederick I of Upper Lorraine
Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine
Frederick I was the count of Bar and duke of Upper Lorraine. He was a son of Wigeric, count of Bidgau, also count palatine of Lorraine, and Cunigunda, and thus a sixth generation descendant of Charlemagne....
; his descendant Count Berthold II (d. 1151), from about 1100 residing at Andechs
Andechs
The Benedictine abbey of Andechs is a place of pilgrimage on a hill east of the Ammersee in the Landkreis of Starnberg in Germany, in the municipality Andechs. Andechs Abbey is famed for its flamboyant Baroque church and its brewery...
, is credited as the progenitor of the comital dynasty.
Berthold II had inherited the family's Bavarian territories, but also acquired possessions in the adjacent Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
n region, where about 1135 he had the Plassenburg
Plassenburg
Plassenburg is a castle in the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria. It is one of the most impressive castles in Germany and a symbol of the city. It was first mentioned in 1135. The Plassenberg family were ministerial of the counts of Andechs and used as their seat the Plassenburg...
built near Bayreuth and established the town of Kulmbach
Kulmbach
Kulmbach is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is famous for Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, and for its famous sausages, or Bratwürste.-Location:...
. He served as vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
of Benediktbeuern Abbey
Benediktbeuern Abbey
Benediktbeuern Abbey is a monastery of the Salesians of Don Bosco, originally a monastery of the Benedictine Order, in Benediktbeuern in Bavaria, near the Kochelsee, 64 km south-south-west of Munich...
and by marriage with Sophie, daughter of Margrave Poppo II, came into property of lands in the March of Istria
March of Istria
The Margravate of Istria was originally a Carolingian frontier march covering the Istrian peninsula and surrounding territory conquered by Charlemagne's son Pepin of Italy in 789...
and Carniola
March of Carniola
The March of Carniola was a southeastern state of the Holy Roman Empire in the High Middle Ages, the predecessor of the Duchy of Carniola. It corresponded roughly to the central Carniolan region of present-day Slovenia...
.
Otto II of Andechs was bishop of Bamberg in 1177–1196. In 1208, when Philip of Swabia
Philip of Swabia
Philip of Swabia was king of Germany and duke of Swabia, the rival of the emperor Otto IV.-Biography:Philip was the fifth and youngest son of Emperor Frederick I and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy, daughter of Renaud III, count of Burgundy, and brother of the emperor Henry VI...
, King of the Germans, was assassinated at Bamberg by Otto of Wittelsbach
Wittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
, members of the house of Andechs were implicated.
Saint Hedwig of Andechs
Hedwig of Andechs
Saint Hedwig of Silesia , also Saint Hedwig of Andechs from the comital House of Andechs was Duchess of Silesia from 1201 and of Greater Poland from 1231 as well as High Duchess consort of Poland from 1232 until 1238.-Life:...
(c. 1174 – October 1243) was one of eight children born to Berthold IV, Duke of Merania
Berthold IV, Duke of Merania
Berthold IV was the Count of Andechs and first Duke of Merania , that is, the seacoast of Dalmatia and Istria of the House of Andechs...
, Count of Dießen-Andechs and Margrave of Istria. Of her four brothers, two became bishops, Ekbert of Bamberg (1203 – 1231), and Berthold, Patriarch of Aquileia
Patriarch of Aquileia
The Patriarch of Aquileia was an office in the Roman Catholic Church. During the Middle Ages the Patriarchate of Aquileia was a temporal state in Northern Italy. The Patriarchate of Aquileia as a church office was suppressed in 1752....
.
Otto succeeded his father as Duke of Dalmatia, and Heinrich became Margrave of Istria. Of her three sisters, Gertrude of Andechs-Merania
Gertrude of Merania
Gertrude of Merania was the first wife of King Andrew II of Hungary and thereby Queen consort of Hungary from 1205 until her assassination.-Family:...
(1185–September 24, 1213) was the first wife of Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II the Jerosolimitan was King of Hungary and Croatia . He was the younger son of King Béla III of Hungary, who invested him with the government of the Principality of Halych...
and the mother of St Elizabeth of Hungary; Mechtilde became Abbess of Kitzingen; while Agnes, a famous beauty, was made the illegitimate third wife of Philip II of France
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
in 1196, on the repudiation of his lawful wife, Ingeborg, but was dismissed in 1200, after Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
laid France under an interdict.
The dukes of Merania went extinct in the direct male line in 1248. A history of the house of Andechs was written by Joseph Hormayr Freiherr zu Hortenburg
Joseph Hormayr Freiherr zu Hortenburg
Joseph Hormayr, Baron zu Hortenburg was an Austrian and German statesman and historian.He was born at Innsbruck...
, the historian-statesman, and published in 1796.