Zähringen
Encyclopedia
Zähringen is the name of an old German family
that founded a large number of cities in what are today Switzerland
and Baden-Württemberg
. While the junior line that first assumed the title Duke of Zähringen, a cadet branch
of the House of Baden, became extinct in 1218, the senior line persists and currently uses the title Margrave of Baden, Duke of Zähringen. Zähringen today is a district of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, which the dukes founded in 1120.
(died 982), who was first mentioned in 962. Earlier ancestors, such as the Ahalolfings
are suspected. Bertholds's great-grandson Duke Berthold I
(d. 1078) was count of Zähringen and was related to the early Hohenstaufen
family.
Emperor Henry III
had promised his liensman Berthold of Zähringen the Duchy of Swabia
, but this was not fulfilled as upon Henry's death his widow Agnes of Poitou in 1057 appointed Count Rudolf of Rheinfelden. In compensation Berthold was made duke of Carinthia
in 1061. Although this dignity was a titular one, Berthold actually lost it when in the course of the Investiture Controversy
he joined the rising of his former rival Rudolf of Rheinfelden against German king Henry IV
in 1073. His son Berthold II
, who like his father fought against Henry IV, inherited a lot of the lands of Rudolf's son Count Berthold of Rheinfelden
in 1090 (though not his comital title, that stayed with the family von Wetter-Rheinfelden) and in 1092 was elected Duke of Swabia against Frederick I of Hohenstaufen
. In 1098 he reconciled with Frederick, renounced all claims to Swabia and instead concentrated on his possessions in the Breisgau region, assuming the title of a "Duke of Zähringen". He was succeeded in turn by his sons, Berthold III (d. 1122) and Conrad (d. 1152).
In 1127 Conrad upon the assassination of his nephew Count William III
claimed the inheritance of the County of Burgundy
against Count Renaud III of Mâcon
. Renaud prevailed, though he had to cede large parts of the eastern Transjuranian
lands to Conrad, who thereupon was appointed by king Lothair III of Supplinburg
a "rector" of the Imperial Kingdom of Arles
or Burgundy
. This office was confirmed in 1152 and held by the Zähringen dukes until 1218, hence they are sometimes called "Dukes of Burgundy", although the existing Duchy of Burgundy
was not an Imperial but a French
fief. Berthold IV (d. 1186), who followed his father Conrad, spent much of his time in Italy in the train of Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa
; his son and successor, Berthold V
, showed his prowess by reducing the Burgundian nobles to order. This latter duke was the founder of the city of Bern, and when he died in February 1218 the main line of the Zähringen family became extinct.
After the extinction of the main line, much of their extensive territory in the Breisgau and modern-day Switzerland returned to the crown, except for their allodial titles, which were divided between the Counts of Urach (who subsequent called themselves "Counts of Freiburg") and the Counts of Kyburg
, both of whom had married sisters of Berthold V. Less than fifty years later, the Kyburgs died out and large portions of their domains were inherited by the House of Habsburg. Bern achieved the status of a free Imperial city
.
Some Zähringer titles in Germany were retained by the descendants of Margrave Hermann I of Baden, who was the elder son of duke Berthold II of Carinthia. Now more commonly known as the House of Baden, Hermann's descendants ruled successively as margrave
s, electors
(1803–1806) and Grand Dukes
of Baden
until the end of monarchy in 1918. The current holder of the title Margrave of Baden, Duke of Zähringen is Maximilian, Margrave of Baden
(b. 1933), a grandson of the last chancellor
of the German Empire
, Prince Max von Baden
, who seems to have revived the Zähringen title after it apparently had not been in official usage since the death of Berchtold V. Another branch were the Dukes of Teck
, descendants of Duke Conrad's son Adalbert, whose line became extinct in 1439.
Rudolf of Zähringen
German nobility
The German nobility was the elite hereditary ruling class or aristocratic class from ca. 500 B.C. to the Holy Roman Empire and what is now Germany.-Principles of German nobility:...
that founded a large number of cities in what are today Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. While the junior line that first assumed the title Duke of Zähringen, a cadet branch
Cadet branch
Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have...
of the House of Baden, became extinct in 1218, the senior line persists and currently uses the title Margrave of Baden, Duke of Zähringen. Zähringen today is a district of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, which the dukes founded in 1120.
History
The earliest known member of the family was Berthold I, Count in the BreisgauBreisgau
Breisgau is the name of an area in southwest Germany, placed between the river Rhine and the foothills of the Black Forest around Freiburg im Breisgau in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, which partly consists of the Breisgau, is named after that area...
(died 982), who was first mentioned in 962. Earlier ancestors, such as the Ahalolfings
Ahalolfings
The Ahalolfings or Alaholfings were a noble family of Alemannia in the Early Middle Ages. The family rose in the Carolingian Empire to possess lands in not only Alemannia, but Bavaria, Franconia, and Italy. Their original power base was around the upper Neckar and Danube rivers.The Ahalolfings are...
are suspected. Bertholds's great-grandson Duke Berthold I
Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia
Berthold II was an ancestor of the House of Baden, in addition to being Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona....
(d. 1078) was count of Zähringen and was related to the early Hohenstaufen
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
family.
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...
had promised his liensman Berthold of Zähringen the Duchy of Swabia
Duchy of Swabia
Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany.-History:...
, but this was not fulfilled as upon Henry's death his widow Agnes of Poitou in 1057 appointed Count Rudolf of Rheinfelden. In compensation Berthold was made duke 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....
in 1061. Although this dignity was a titular one, Berthold actually lost it when in the course of the Investiture Controversy
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...
he joined the rising of his former rival Rudolf of Rheinfelden against German king Henry IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
in 1073. His son Berthold II
Berthold II, Duke of Swabia
Berthold II was the Duke of Swabia from 1092 to 1098.Berthold was a son of Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia and initially supported Rudolf of Rheinfelden against King Henry IV. Both the Zähringer and Rheinfeldener were relieved of their titles and possessions by the king in 1077...
, who like his father fought against Henry IV, inherited a lot of the lands of Rudolf's son Count Berthold of Rheinfelden
Berthold I, Duke of Swabia
Berthold I , better known as Berthold of Rheinfelden, was the Duke of Swabia from 1079 until his death. He was the only son of Rudolf of Rheinfelden, the German anti-king who opposed the Emperor Henry IV....
in 1090 (though not his comital title, that stayed with the family von Wetter-Rheinfelden) and in 1092 was elected Duke of Swabia against Frederick I of Hohenstaufen
Frederick I, Duke of Swabia
Frederick I von Staufen was Duke of Swabia from 1079 to his death. He was the first ruler of Swabia from the House of Hohenstaufen, and was the builder of dynasty's ancestral Hohenstaufen Castle near Göppingen.-Parents:...
. In 1098 he reconciled with Frederick, renounced all claims to Swabia and instead concentrated on his possessions in the Breisgau region, assuming the title of a "Duke of Zähringen". He was succeeded in turn by his sons, Berthold III (d. 1122) and Conrad (d. 1152).
William III, Count of Burgundy
William III, Count of Burgundy inherited his father William II's counties Burgundy and Mâcon as his only son, following William II's assassination by his barons. William III was himself then assassinated aged only 17 in 1127 and succeeded by Renaud II, son of William III's great-uncle Stephen....
claimed the inheritance of the County of Burgundy
County of Burgundy
The Free County of Burgundy , was a medieval county , within the traditional province and modern French region Franche-Comté, whose very French name is still reminiscent of the unusual title of its count: Freigraf...
against Count Renaud III of Mâcon
Renaud III, Count of Burgundy
Renaud III , son of Stephen I and Beatrix of Lorraine, was the count of Burgundy between 1127 and 1148. Previously, he had been the count of Mâcon since his father's death in 1102, with his brother, William of Vienne....
. Renaud prevailed, though he had to cede large parts of the eastern Transjuranian
Upper Burgundy
Upper Burgundy is the part of Burgundy east of the Jura mountains, that together with the western County of Burgundy from 868 formed the Kingdom of Upper Burgundy, encompassing both sides of the Jura mountains range...
lands to Conrad, who thereupon was appointed by king Lothair III of Supplinburg
Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair 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...
a "rector" of the Imperial Kingdom of Arles
Kingdom of Arles
The Kingdom of Arles or Second Kingdom of Burgundy of the High Middle Ages was a Frankish dominion established in 933 from lands of the early medieval Kingdom of Burgundy at Arles...
or Burgundy
Kingdom of Burgundy
Burgundy is a historic region in Western Europe that has existed as a political entity in a number of forms with very different boundaries. Two of these entities - the first around the 6th century, the second around the 11th century - have been called the Kingdom of Burgundy; a third was very...
. This office was confirmed in 1152 and held by the Zähringen dukes until 1218, hence they are sometimes called "Dukes of Burgundy", although the existing Duchy of Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
was not an Imperial but a French
France in the Middle Ages
France in the Middle Ages covers an area roughly corresponding to modern day France, from the death of Louis the Pious in 840 to the middle of the 15th century...
fief. Berthold IV (d. 1186), who followed his father Conrad, spent much of his time in Italy in the train of Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
; his son and successor, Berthold V
Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen
Berchtold V of Zähringen was Duke of Zähringen until his death, succeeding his father Berchtold IV in 1186.- History and legacy :...
, showed his prowess by reducing the Burgundian nobles to order. This latter duke was the founder of the city of Bern, and when he died in February 1218 the main line of the Zähringen family became extinct.
After the extinction of the main line, much of their extensive territory in the Breisgau and modern-day Switzerland returned to the crown, except for their allodial titles, which were divided between the Counts of Urach (who subsequent called themselves "Counts of Freiburg") and the Counts of Kyburg
House of Kyburg
The House of Kyburg was family of Grafen or counts from Zürich in Switzerland. The family was one of the three most powerful noble families in the Swiss plateau beside the Habsburg and the House of Savoy during the 11th and 12th Centuries...
, both of whom had married sisters of Berthold V. Less than fifty years later, the Kyburgs died out and large portions of their domains were inherited by the House of Habsburg. Bern achieved the status of a free Imperial city
Free Imperial City
In the Holy Roman Empire, a free imperial city was a city formally ruled by the emperor only — as opposed to the majority of cities in the Empire, which were governed by one of the many princes of the Empire, such as dukes or prince-bishops...
.
Some Zähringer titles in Germany were retained by the descendants of Margrave Hermann I of Baden, who was the elder son of duke Berthold II of Carinthia. Now more commonly known as the House of Baden, Hermann's descendants ruled successively as margrave
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
s, electors
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
(1803–1806) and Grand Dukes
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
of Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
until the end of monarchy in 1918. The current holder of the title Margrave of Baden, Duke of Zähringen is Maximilian, Margrave of Baden
Maximilian, Margrave of Baden
Maximilian, Margrave of Baden , is the son of Berthold, Margrave of Baden and Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark...
(b. 1933), a grandson of the last chancellor
Chancellor of Germany
The Chancellor of Germany is, under the German 1949 constitution, the head of government of Germany...
of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, Prince Max von Baden
Prince Maximilian of Baden
Maximilian of Baden was a German prince and politician...
, who seems to have revived the Zähringen title after it apparently had not been in official usage since the death of Berchtold V. Another branch were the Dukes of Teck
Duke of Teck
Duke of Teck was, in medieval times, a title borne by the head of a principality named Teck in the Holy Roman Empire, centered around Teck castle in Germany. That territory was held by a branch line of the Zähringen dynasty from 1187 to 1439, known historically as the first House of Teck...
, descendants of Duke Conrad's son Adalbert, whose line became extinct in 1439.
Cities
Zähringer cities in Germany
|
Zähringer cities in Switzerland
|
Zähringer dukes
- Berthold IBerthold II, Duke of CarinthiaBerthold II was an ancestor of the House of Baden, in addition to being Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona....
(c. 10001078), Duke of CarinthiaDuchy of CarinthiaThe 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....
and Margrave of VeronaMarch of VeronaThe March of Verona and Aquileia was a vast march in northeastern Italy during the Middle Ages, centered on the cities of Verona and Aquileia. Except for Venice, it included the territories of the modern-day regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia as well as Istria and Trentino up to the Adige...
(as Berthold II) from 1061 to 1077 - Berthold IIBerthold II, Duke of SwabiaBerthold II was the Duke of Swabia from 1092 to 1098.Berthold was a son of Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia and initially supported Rudolf of Rheinfelden against King Henry IV. Both the Zähringer and Rheinfeldener were relieved of their titles and possessions by the king in 1077...
(c. 10501111), son, Duke of SwabiaDuke of SwabiaThe following is a list of Dukes of Swabia in southwest Germany.Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family to hold Swabia were the Hohenstaufen, who held it, with a brief...
from 1092 to 1098 (against Frederick I of HohenstaufenFrederick I, Duke of SwabiaFrederick I von Staufen was Duke of Swabia from 1079 to his death. He was the first ruler of Swabia from the House of Hohenstaufen, and was the builder of dynasty's ancestral Hohenstaufen Castle near Göppingen.-Parents:...
), "Duke of Zähringen" from about 1100 - Berthold III (c. 10851122), son, Duke of Zähringen from 1111
- Conrad (c. 10901152), brother, Duke of Zähringen from 1122, rector of BurgundyKingdom of ArlesThe Kingdom of Arles or Second Kingdom of Burgundy of the High Middle Ages was a Frankish dominion established in 933 from lands of the early medieval Kingdom of Burgundy at Arles...
from 1127 - Berthold IV (c. 11251186), son, Duke of Zähringen from 1152, rector of Burgundy
- Berthold VBerthold V, Duke of ZähringenBerchtold V of Zähringen was Duke of Zähringen until his death, succeeding his father Berchtold IV in 1186.- History and legacy :...
(11601218), son, Duke of Zähringen from 1186, rector of Burgundy
See also
Rudolf of Zähringen
Rudolf of Zähringen
Rudolf of Zähringen was the archbishop of Mainz from 1160 to 1161 and prince-bishop of Liège...