Leonhard of Gorizia
Encyclopedia
Leonhard of Gorizia from the Meinhardiner dynasty was the last Count of Görz at Lienz
and Gorizia
from 1454 until his death.
Leonhard was born at the comital residence Bruck Castle
in Lienz, the son of Count Henry V of Görz and his wife Katalin (Catherine), a daughter of the Hungarian
palatine Nicholas II Garay
. In 1454 he succeeded his father and at first ruled jointly with his brothers John and Louis. John apparently held most of the power while Louis did not exercise any political role and died between 1456 and 1457. The brothers had to face the hostility of Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg
who aimed to seize the "outer county" around the town of Lienz and the Puster Valley, separating the Habsburg hereditary lands of Tyrol
and Carinthia
. After they picked a fierce inheritance conflict around the lands of the extinct Counts of Celje
, the defeated brothers not only had to renounce all their claims but also were forced to cede the town of Lienz and various territories in Carinthia to Frederick III.
John died in 1462 and Leonhard remained sole ruler. In 1462, he recovered Lienz. He married, in 1478, Paola Gonzaga, the daughter of Marquis Ludovico III of Mantua, but the union proved childless, as was his first marriage to Hieronyma of Ilok, the daughter of Nicholas of Ilok
.
Facing the extinction of the dynasty Count Leonhard became subject to the competing pressures of the Imperial Habsburg dynasty and of the Republic of Venice
, which both competed for his heritage. Venice, which since 1434 ruled over the terra firma of Friuli
, intended to seize the southern "inner county" centered around the town of Gorizia itself. In the end Leonhard leaned towards the Habsburgs and signed an inheritance treaty with Frederick's son Emperor Maximilian I
. When he died, Austrian
troops immediately occupied the town of Gorizia. Leonhard's former deputy in Gorizia Virgil von Graben
, who had played a vital role in the convergence to Habsburg, took the position as a Stadtholder
in Lienz from him.
Lienz
Lienz is a medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality also includes the cadastral subdivision of Patriasdorf.-Geography:...
and Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
from 1454 until his death.
Leonhard was born at the comital residence Bruck Castle
Burg Bruck
Burg Bruck is a medieval castle in Lienz in Tyrol, Austria.It was erected until 1278 as the residence of the Meinhardiner Counts of Görz. In 1500 the last count Leonhard of Görz bequested the castle to the Habsburg archduke Maximilian I of Austria, who incorporated it into his Tyrolean possessions...
in Lienz, the son of Count Henry V of Görz and his wife Katalin (Catherine), a daughter of the Hungarian
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
palatine Nicholas II Garay
Nicholas II Garay
Nicholas II Garay was the ban of Mačva, Usora, Soli , Slavonia, Croatia, and Dalmatia. He also ruled Braničevo, Syrmia, Bačka, Banat and Baranya regions through vassals. In 1416 Sigismund extended their armorial bearings showing the Order of the Dragon and the Order of the Scarf...
. In 1454 he succeeded his father and at first ruled jointly with his brothers John and Louis. John apparently held most of the power while Louis did not exercise any political role and died between 1456 and 1457. The brothers had to face the hostility of Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
who aimed to seize the "outer county" around the town of Lienz and the Puster Valley, separating the Habsburg hereditary lands of 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...
and 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....
. After they picked a fierce inheritance conflict around the lands of the extinct Counts of Celje
Counts of Celje
The Counts of Cilli or Celje represent the most important medieval aristocratic and ruling house with roots and territory in present-day Slovenia....
, the defeated brothers not only had to renounce all their claims but also were forced to cede the town of Lienz and various territories in Carinthia to Frederick III.
John died in 1462 and Leonhard remained sole ruler. In 1462, he recovered Lienz. He married, in 1478, Paola Gonzaga, the daughter of Marquis Ludovico III of Mantua, but the union proved childless, as was his first marriage to Hieronyma of Ilok, the daughter of Nicholas of Ilok
Nicholas of Ilok
Nicholas of Ilok was Ban of Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia and Mačva, Voivode of Transylvania and nominal King of Bosnia from 1471 until his death....
.
Facing the extinction of the dynasty Count Leonhard became subject to the competing pressures of the Imperial Habsburg dynasty and of the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, which both competed for his heritage. Venice, which since 1434 ruled over the terra firma of Friuli
Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
, intended to seize the southern "inner county" centered around the town of Gorizia itself. In the end Leonhard leaned towards the Habsburgs and signed an inheritance treaty with Frederick's son Emperor Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
. When he died, Austrian
Archduchy of Austria
The Archduchy of Austria , one of the most important states within the Holy Roman Empire, was the nucleus of the Habsburg Monarchy and the predecessor of the Austrian Empire...
troops immediately occupied the town of Gorizia. Leonhard's former deputy in Gorizia Virgil von Graben
Virgil von Graben
Virgil von Graben was an Austrian noble and knight, who was stadtholder of Lienz and East Tyrol and Regent and stadtholder of Görz. He also ruled four Burggrafschaften in the County of Tyrol, the Duchy of Carinthia and in the Archbishopric of Salzburg...
, who had played a vital role in the convergence to Habsburg, took the position as a Stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
in Lienz from him.