Harzgau
Encyclopedia
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 Harz in the south.
The counts of the Harzgau were:
In the course of the Middle Ages
the counts of Wernigerode
established themselves in this region.
The county was bordered by the Salzgau, the Derlingau
, the Nordthüringgau
, the Schwabengau
, the Helmengau, and the Liesgau
.
By the 14th century, after the disintegration of the Duchy of Saxony, the Harzgau had been replaced by four smaller states:
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
mountains in the Eastphalia
Eastphalia
Eastphalia is a historical region in northern Germany, encompassing the eastern part of the historic Duchy of Saxony, between the Elbe, Leine, Saale and Unstrut rivers. Today, it covers the southeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony and the western part of Saxony-Anhalt.-Etymology:The name...
region of the Duchy of Saxony
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...
. It included the towns of Halberstadt
Halberstadt
Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
, Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994 the medieval court and the old town was set on the UNESCO world heritage list....
, and Osterwieck
Osterwieck
Osterwieck is a historic town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated on the river Ilse, north of Wernigerode and the Harz mountain range. On 1 January 2010 the municipalities of the former Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Osterwieck-Fallstein merged in Osterwieck.The...
, and was bounded by the Oker
Oker
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, by the Großer Graben in the north, the Bode in the east, and the Harz in the south.
The counts of the Harzgau were:
- Frederick I, Count of the Harzgau 875/880
- Frederick II, Count of the Harzgau 937 and 945, son of Frederick I.
- Volkmar I, Count of the Harzgau (d before 961), probably son of Frederick II.
- Frederick III, Count of the Harzgau, son of Volkmar
- Thietmar, Count of the Harzgau and Nordthüringgau, d 3 October 959
- Frederick (d July 1002/15 March 1003), 995 to 996 count palatineCount palatineCount palatine is a high noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well.-Comes palatinus:...
in Saxony, Count of the Harzgau and Nordthüringgau - Liutger, 1013 Count, 1021 Count of the Harzgau, 1013 to 1031 (recorded) (Supplinburger family)
- Bernard (d before 1069), 1052 Count of the Harzgau and DerlingauDerlingauThe Derlingau was an early medieval county of the Duchy of Saxony.-Geography:The Derlingau approximately consisted of the area between the river Oker in the west and the Lappwald forest in the east. It was bordered by : Bardengau, Gau Osterwald, Nordthüringgau, Harzgau, Salzgau, Hastfalagau, Gau...
as well as North ThuringiaThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, 1043 to 1062 (recorded), probably nephew of Liutger - Gerhard von Süpplingenburg (d 9 June 1075 in the Battle of Homburg an der Unstrut), 1052 Count of the Harzgau, son of Bernard, father of Lothair III, Holy Roman EmperorLothair III, Holy Roman EmperorLothair III of Supplinburg , was Duke of Saxony , King of Germany , and Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 to 1137. The son of Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia...
In the course of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the counts of Wernigerode
County of Wernigerode
The County of Wernigerode was a county of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Harzgau region of the former Duchy of Saxony, at the northern foot of the Harz mountain range...
established themselves in this region.
The county was bordered by the Salzgau, the Derlingau
Derlingau
The Derlingau was an early medieval county of the Duchy of Saxony.-Geography:The Derlingau approximately consisted of the area between the river Oker in the west and the Lappwald forest in the east. It was bordered by : Bardengau, Gau Osterwald, Nordthüringgau, Harzgau, Salzgau, Hastfalagau, Gau...
, the 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...
, the Schwabengau
Schwabengau
The Schwabengau was an early medieval shire in the Eastphalia region of the Duchy of Saxony. It is located in present-day Saxony-Anhalt....
, the Helmengau, and the Liesgau
Liesgau
The Liesgau is an early medieval county of the Duchy of Saxony, located in modern-day Germany. It lies on the south-west side of the Harz Mountains in present-day Lower Saxony...
.
By the 14th century, after the disintegration of the Duchy of Saxony, the Harzgau had been replaced by four smaller states:
- Bishopric of HalberstadtBishopric of HalberstadtThe Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages...
- Abbacy of Quedlinburg
- County of WernigerodeCounty of WernigerodeThe County of Wernigerode was a county of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Harzgau region of the former Duchy of Saxony, at the northern foot of the Harz mountain range...
- County of BlankenburgCounty of BlankenburgThe County of Blankenburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Blankenburg, it was located in and near the Harz mountains.-County of Blankenburg:...