Ulrich I, Count of Württemberg

Württemberg

Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....

(1226 – 25 February 1265), also known as “Ulrich der Stifter” or “Ulrich mit dem Daumen”, was count of Württemberg from about 1241 until his death.

Life

Ulrich's relation to his predecessors is uncertain. The historian Hansmartin Decker Hauff calls Ulrich the son Hermann of Württemberg and Irmengard of Ulten. Hermann, who is mentioned only once, in 1231, is probably a son of Hartmann, Count of Württemberg

Hartmann, Count of Württemberg

Hartmann I was the Count of Württemberg.Hartmann I and his brother Ludwig III both called themselves “Count of Württemberg”, at the time, so it is assumed that they administered the county together. Both were sons of Count Ludwig II...

.
He was a cousin of Count Hartmann II of Grüningen and a relative on his father's side of the count Albert IV. Ulrich was twice married. From his first marriage, to Mechthild of Baden, daughter of Hermann V

Hermann V, Margrave of Baden-Baden

Hermann V, Margrave of Baden-Baden ruled Verona and Baden from 1190 until his death.He was the son of Hermann IV and his wife Bertha of Tübingen...

 he had two daughters and a son, who would succeed him as Count Ulrich II

Ulrich II, Count of Württemberg

Ulrich II was Count of Württemberg from 1265 until 1279.Ulrich was the son of Ulrich I and Mechthild of Baden. He acceded power in 1265 at the age of 11 and thus, probably, was under the tutelage of Count Hartmann II of Grüningen. He is first mentioned sole in documents since 1270...

. From his second marriage to Agnes of Schlesien Liegnitz he had another son, Eberhard I

Eberhard I, Count of Württemberg

Eberhard I was Count of Württemberg from 1279 until his death. He was nicknamed 'der Erlauchte' or the Illustrious Highness.- Life :...

 and possibly another daughter.

Count of Württemberg

The argument between Emperor Frederick II

Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor

Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...

 and the Popes Gregory IX and Innocent IV had effects on conditions in the duchy of Swabia

Swabia

Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...

, of which Württemberg was a part. After Friedrick's excommunication

Excommunication

Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...

 and deposition by the Council of Lyon

First Council of Lyon

The First Council of Lyon was the thirteenth ecumenical council, as numbered by the Catholic Church, taking place in 1245.The First General Council of Lyon was presided over by Pope Innocent IV...

, Ulrich joined Anti-king Henry Raspe and William of Holland, against Frederick's son Conrad IV

Conrad IV of Germany

Conrad IV was king of Jerusalem , of Germany , and of Sicily .-Biography:...

. With Ulrich's support, Conrad IV was defeated. Ulrich used the situation, to develop his power within Swabia. After the death of Conrad IV in 1254, however, his two-year son Conradin

Conradin

Conrad , called the Younger or the Boy, but usually known by the diminutive Conradin , was the Duke of Swabia , King of Jerusalem , and King of Sicily .-Early childhood:Conradin was born in Wolfstein, Bavaria, to Conrad...

 was recognized as Duke of Swabia. Conradin's guardian, Duke Louis II of Bavaria

Louis II, Duke of Bavaria

Duke Louis II of Bavaria was Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1253. Born in Heidelberg, he was a son of duke Otto II and Agnes of the Palatinate...

 annexed the territories that Ulrich had gained from defeating Conrad IV, to Swabia. Ulrich was thus forced to concentrate on the middle Neckar

Neckar

The Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...

 valley as the basis of the county of Württemberg. His marriage to Mechthild of Baden allowed him to gain control of the region from the Margravate of Baden. Stuttgart

Stuttgart

Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....

, future capital of Württemberg was given to Württemberg by Baden as a result of this wedding.

Issue

with Mechthild of Baden, daughter of Hermann V of Baden

Hermann V, Margrave of Baden-Baden

Hermann V, Margrave of Baden-Baden ruled Verona and Baden from 1190 until his death.He was the son of Hermann IV and his wife Bertha of Tübingen...

• Agnes of Württemberg
• Mechthild of Württemberg
• Ulrich II
  Ulrich II, Count of Württemberg
  Ulrich II was Count of Württemberg from 1265 until 1279.Ulrich was the son of Ulrich I and Mechthild of Baden. He acceded power in 1265 at the age of 11 and thus, probably, was under the tutelage of Count Hartmann II of Grüningen. He is first mentioned sole in documents since 1270...
  
  

with Agnes of Schlesien Liegnitz

• Eberhard I
  Eberhard I, Count of Württemberg
  Eberhard I was Count of Württemberg from 1279 until his death. He was nicknamed 'der Erlauchte' or the Illustrious Highness.- Life :...
  
  
• Irmengard of Württemberg

This article is translated (poorly) from that on the German Wikipedia