House of Sponheim
Encyclopedia
The House of Sponheim or Spanheim (also called Sponheimer or Spanheimer) was a noble family of the Holy Roman Empire
in the High Middle Ages
. They were Dukes of Carinthia
(former Carantania) from 1122 until 1269 and Counts of Sponheim
until 1437. Their family seat was Sponheim Castle
, present-day Burgsponheim
, Rhineland-Palatinate
.
In the 11th century the family was divided in two closely related branches. One of these branches, probably the senior one, retained the Duchy of Carinthia and originated the County of Ortenburg (Bavaria). The other one remained in Southwest Germany, retaining the County of Sponheim.
The founder of the ducal branch was Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim
(1010–1065), a Ripuarian Frank
by birth and retainer of Emperor Conrad II
. For this reason the family is sometimes termed the Siegfrieding. Siegfried followed Conrad in his 1035 campaign against Adalbero of Eppenstein
, then Duke of Carinthia. He married Richgard, daughter of one Count Engelbert of the Bavarian
Sieghardinger noble family and heir to large territories in Carinthia and Tyrol
. In 1045 Siegfried, then called Count of Sponheim, received the title of a margrave of the Hungarian March
by Emperor Henry III
. After the House of Eppenstein became extinct in 1122, his grandson Henry III of Sponheim was raised to the Duke of Carinthia, inaugurating a dynasty which lasted until the death of Ulric III in 1269.
The founder of the Rhenish branch was Stephan I, Count of Sponheim
(–1080), which could have been a 1st cousin, a son or a nephew of Siegfried. One of his successors Gottfried III (1183–1218) married Adelheid of Sayn, sister and heiress of the last Count of Sayn
, Henry II
. In 1437 this branch's ruling male line in Sponheim died out, and female line descendants, namely the Margraves of Baden
and the Counts Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, took on the title of Count to Sponheim, along with the Electors Palatine, who had received a small part as dowry.
The branch of the Counts of Ortenburg is still living today in Tambach (Bavaria)
. A lateral line of the Rhenish branch survives also with the Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein
.
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
in the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
. They were Dukes of Carinthia
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
(former Carantania) from 1122 until 1269 and Counts of Sponheim
County of Sponheim
The County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century...
until 1437. Their family seat was Sponheim Castle
Castle Sponheim
Castle Sponheim is a medieval ruin in Burgsponheim on the edge of the Hunsrück in Rhineland-Palatinate and original residence of the Counts of Sponheim. Significant portions of the castle remain standing.-Site:...
, present-day Burgsponheim
Burgsponheim
Burgsponheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany....
, Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
.
In the 11th century the family was divided in two closely related branches. One of these branches, probably the senior one, retained the Duchy of Carinthia and originated the County of Ortenburg (Bavaria). The other one remained in Southwest Germany, retaining the County of Sponheim.
The founder of the ducal branch was Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim
Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim
Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim is considered the patriarch of the House of Sponheim and all of its lateral branches, the Counts of Lebenau and the Counts of Ortenburg. Originally he came from Rhenish Franconia, where he was born at Castle Sponheim.- Family life:About his parents little is known...
(1010–1065), a Ripuarian Frank
Ripuarian Franks
Ripuarian Franks is a distinction of the Frankish people made by a number of writers in the Latin language of the first several centuries of the Christian Era...
by birth and retainer of Emperor Conrad II
Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor
Conrad II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1027 until his death.The son of a mid-level nobleman in Franconia, Count Henry of Speyer and Adelaide of Alsace, he inherited the titles of count of Speyer and of Worms as an infant when Henry died at age twenty...
. For this reason the family is sometimes termed the Siegfrieding. Siegfried followed Conrad in his 1035 campaign against Adalbero of Eppenstein
Adalbero, Duke of Carinthia
Adalbero of Eppenstein was Duke of Carinthia from 1011 or 1012 until 1035. He succeeded Duke Conrad I from the Salian dynasty....
, then Duke of Carinthia. He married Richgard, daughter of one Count Engelbert of the Bavarian
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...
Sieghardinger noble family and heir to large territories in Carinthia and Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
. In 1045 Siegfried, then called Count of Sponheim, received the title of a margrave of the Hungarian March
Hungarian March
The Hungarian March or Neumark was a brief frontier march established in the mid-eleventh century by the Emperor Henry III as a defence against the Kingdom of Hungary...
by Emperor Henry III
Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry III , called the Black or the Pious, was a member of the Salian Dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors...
. After the House of Eppenstein became extinct in 1122, his grandson Henry III of Sponheim was raised to the Duke of Carinthia, inaugurating a dynasty which lasted until the death of Ulric III in 1269.
The founder of the Rhenish branch was Stephan I, Count of Sponheim
Stephan I, Count of Sponheim
Stephan I, Count of Sponheim is the patriarch of the Rhenish branch of the House of Sponheim, which ruled over the County of Sponheim. He was closely related to Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim, patriarch of the Carinthian Sponheimish branch, but the exact relationship between the two dynasts is...
(–1080), which could have been a 1st cousin, a son or a nephew of Siegfried. One of his successors Gottfried III (1183–1218) married Adelheid of Sayn, sister and heiress of the last Count of Sayn
Sayn
Sayn was a mediæval German County located in the Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. There were two Counties of Sayn: the first County emerged in 1139. It became closely associated with the County of Sponheim early in its existence. Count Henry II was notable for being accused of...
, Henry II
Henry II, Count of Sayn
Henry II was the Count of Sayn, a County located near the Sieg River in northern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Henry II shared the first year of his reign with his uncle, Count Henry I, as he and his father Eberhard II had co-ruled the Countship. Godfrey II had been a regent from 1181 and...
. In 1437 this branch's ruling male line in Sponheim died out, and female line descendants, namely the Margraves of Baden
Margraviate of Baden
The Margraviate of Baden were a historical territory in the Holy Roman Empire. It was already named so in 1112 and existed until the division in 1535 and lived with the reunion back in 1771, until the Electorate of Baden came up in 1803...
and the Counts Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, took on the title of Count to Sponheim, along with the Electors Palatine, who had received a small part as dowry.
The branch of the Counts of Ortenburg is still living today in Tambach (Bavaria)
Weitramsdorf
Weitramsdorf is a municipality in the district of Coburg in Bavaria in Germany. It consists of the following villages: Weitramsdorf, Gersbach, Schlettach, Altenhof, Hergramsdorf, Tambach, Neundorf, Weidach and Weidach-Vogelherd....
. A lateral line of the Rhenish branch survives also with the Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein
Sayn-Wittgenstein
Sayn-Wittgenstein was a county of mediæval Germany, located in the Sauerland of eastern North Rhine-Westphalia. Sayn-Wittgenstein was created when Count Salentin of Sayn-Homburg married the heiress Countess Adelaide of Wittgenstein in 1345...
.
Sources
- Freed, John B. "Reflections on the Medieval German Nobility." The American Historical Review, Vol. 91, No. 3. (Jun., 1986), pp 553-575. Genealogia SponhemicaGenealogia SponhemicaThe Genealogia Sponhemica The Genealogia Sponhemica The Genealogia Sponhemica (Oder Geschlecht Register der alten Graffen und Graffinnen zu Sponheim. Zusammengetragen, mit Anführung vieler merkwürdiger Geschichten 'illustriret', und dem Durchlauchtigsten Fürsten und Herren, Herren Georg Wilhelm...
. Archiv für rheinische Geschichte Coblenz, 1.1833 - 2.1835. Zweiter Teil 1835. http://www.dilibri.de/rlb/periodical/pageview/27862