Derlingau
Encyclopedia
The Derlingau was an early medieval county (Gau) of the Duchy of Saxony
.
in the west and the Lappwald
forest in the east. It was bordered by (from the north, clockwise): Bardengau
, Gau Osterwald, Nordthüringgau
, Harzgau
, Salzgau, Hastfalagau, Gau Flutwide, Gau Gretinge. The most important town was Evessen
, and later Brunswick
. The Derlingau belonged to the diocese of the Bishop of Halberstadt.
and his descendants, the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg
, inherited these properties. After the disintegration of the Duchy of Saxony in the early 13th century, the Derlingau thus became a core part of the new Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, together with several adjacent counties.
The northern border of the Derlingau later developed into part of the border between the principalities of Wolfenbüttel and Lüneburg
. The eastern and southern border of the Derlingau continues to exist to this day as the border between Lower Saxony
and Saxony-Anhalt
.
The known counts in the Derlingau include:
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
.
Geography
The Derlingau approximately consisted of the area between the river OkerOker
The Oker is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany, that has historically formed an important political boundary. It is a left tributary of the River Aller, in length and runs in a generally northerly direction.- Course :...
in the west and the Lappwald
Lappwald
The Lappwald is a heavily wooded range of hills, 20 km long and up to 5 km wide, in central Germany. It stretches northwards from the town of Helmstedt. The border between Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt runs through the woods, of which about three quarters is on Lower Saxon terrain...
forest in the east. It was bordered by (from the north, clockwise): Bardengau
Bardengau
The Bardengau was a medieval county in the Duchy of Saxony. Its main town was Bardowick; other important towns were Lüneburg and Oldenstadt ....
, Gau Osterwald, Nordthüringgau
Nordthüringgau
The Nordthüringgau was an early medieval county in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It was bounded by the River Elbe in the east, by the River Bode in the southwest, the Lappwald in the west, and the Drömling forest in the northwest...
, Harzgau
Harzgau
The Harzgau was a medieval 'gau' county near the northeastern Harz mountains in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It included the towns of Halberstadt, Quedlinburg, and Osterwieck, and was bounded by the Oker in the west, by the Großer Graben in the north, the Bode in the east, and the...
, Salzgau, Hastfalagau, Gau Flutwide, Gau Gretinge. The most important town was Evessen
Evessen
Evessen is a municipality in the district of Wolfenbüttel, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
, and later Brunswick
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
. The Derlingau belonged to the diocese of the Bishop of Halberstadt.
History
Little is known about the history of the county. The Brunones were its most powerful family in the 10th and 11th centuries; when the Brunones became extinct, their properties were inherited by Lothair of Supplinburg, who became duke of Saxony and later Holy Roman Emperor. From Lothair, Duke Henry the LionHenry the Lion
Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
and his descendants, the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
, inherited these properties. After the disintegration of the Duchy of Saxony in the early 13th century, the Derlingau thus became a core part of the new Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, together with several adjacent counties.
The northern border of the Derlingau later developed into part of the border between the principalities of Wolfenbüttel and Lüneburg
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
. The eastern and southern border of the Derlingau continues to exist to this day as the border between Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
and Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
.
The known counts in the Derlingau include:
- Brun I, son of Liudolf, Count in the Nordthüringgau, 965 (Brunones)
- Dietrich of HaldenslebenDietrich of HaldenslebenDietrich of Haldensleben was the first margrave of the Northern March from 965 until his deposition in 983...
, 966-985 - Lothair of WalbeckLothair, Margrave of the NordmarkLothair was a Saxon count and Margrave of the Northern March from about 983 until his death.Born the eldest son of Count Lothair II of Walbeck and Matilda von Arneburg, he succeeded his father as Count Lothair III of Walbeck in 964...
, since 982 - Brun IIBrun I, Count of BrunswickBrun , was count in the Derlingau, the Nordthüringgau, the Hastfalagau, the Salzgau, the Gau Gretinge, and the Gau Mulbeze, with Brunswick as his residence. Brun was a member of the Brunones dynasty....
(died around 1010), son of Brun I, since 990 (Brunones) - Ekbert, around 1013 (BillungBillungThe House of Billung was a dynasty of Saxon noblemen in the 9th through 12th centuries.The first known member of the house was Count Wichmann, mentioned as a Billung in 811...
) - LiudolfLiudolf, Margrave of FrisiaLiudolf of Brunswick was margrave of Frisia, count of Brunswick, count in the Derlingau and the Gudingau. He was a member of the Brunonen family....
(died 1038), son of Brun II, around 1031 (Brunones) - Bernhard (died before 1069), 1052 (Supplinburg)
- Siegfried II of Walbeck (died around 1087)