The House of Sponheim or Spanheim was a medieval German noble family, which originated in Rhenish Franconia. They were immediate Counts of

Sponheim Sponheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany. History Sponheim was the capital of the County of Sponheim. Sponheim Abbey There was a Benedictine abbey which was founded in 1101 by Step ...

until 1437 and Dukes of

Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...

from 1122 until 1269. Its cadet branches ruled in the Imperial County of

Ortenburg-Neuortenburg The Imperial County of Ortenburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in present-day Lower Bavaria, Germany. It was located on the lands around Ortenburg Castle, about west of Passau. Though the Counts of Ortenburg—formerly ''Ortenberg''—em ...

and various Sayn-Wittgenstein states until 1806.

History

Ruine der Burg Sponheim bei Kreuznach (inproved) JC Scheuren

The family took its name from their ancestral seat at

Sponheim Castle {{Infobox building , name = Sponheim Castle , native_name = ''Burg Sponheim'' , image = File:Ruine der Burg Sponheim bei Kreuznach (inproved) JC Scheuren.JPG , caption = J. C. Scheuren, Ruins of Sponheim Cast ...

in the

Hunsrück The Hunsrück () is a long, triangular, pronounced upland in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the valleys of the Moselle-Saar (north-to-west), the Nahe (south), and the Rhine (east). It is continued by the Taunus mountains, past ...

range, in present-day Burgsponheim near

Bad Kreuznach Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in th ...

, Rhineland-Palatinate. From 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 in Bavaria. The other one remained in Rhenish Franconia, retaining the County of Sponheim. The founder of the ducal branch was Count Siegfried I (1010–1065), a Ripuarian Frank by birth and retainer of the Salian emperor

Conrad II Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...

. For this reason the family is sometimes termed the Siegfrieding. Siegfried followed Conrad in his 1035 campaign against Duke Adalbero of Carinthia, who for unknown reasons had fallen out of favour with the emperor. By his marriage to Richgard, daughter of one Count Engelbert of the Bavarian Sieghardinger noble family, he became heir to large territories in Carinthia and Tyrol. In 1045 Siegfried received the title of a margrave in the Hungarian March by Emperor Henry III. His sons Engelbert, Margrave in

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...

from 1090, and Hartwig founded

Saint Paul's Abbey, Lavanttal Saint Paul's Abbey in Lavanttal (german: Stift St. Paul im Lavanttal) is a Benedictine monastery established in 1091 near the present-day market town of Sankt Paul im Lavanttal in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The premises centered on the Ro ...

on their mother's estates in 1091. When the ducal House of Eppenstein finally became extinct in 1122, Siegfried's grandson Henry inherited the title and became the first Sponheim Duke of Carinthia as well as Margrave in the Italian

March of Verona The March of Verona and Aquileia was a vast march (frontier district) of the Holy Roman Empire in the northeastern Italian peninsula during the Middle Ages, centered on the cities of Verona and Aquileia. Seized by King Otto I of Germany in 952, ...

. Upon his death only one year later, he was succeeded by his brother Engelbert, whose descendants ruled in Carinthia until the death of Duke Ulrich III in 1269. Engelbert's younger son Rapoto became the ancestor of the Bavarian Ortenburg dynasty. The Sponheim dukes tried to consolidate their possessions by being loyal liensmen of the Imperial House of Hohenstaufen, they nevertheless had to struggle with reluctant local nobles like the Carinthian Ortenburger. The margravial title in Verona was lost to

Herman III of Baden Hermann III of Baden (c. 1105 – 16 January 1160), nicknamed ''the Great'', was Margrave of Verona and Baden. He was the son of Hermann II of Baden and Judith von Hohenberg. He was ruler of the margraviate of Baden from 1130 until 1160. Faithfu ...

in 1151. Under Bernhard of Sponheim, Carinthian duke from 1202 until 1256, the dynasty reached the height of its power. In 1213 he married Judith, a daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia, which affiliated the ducal line with the Czech royal Přemyslid dynasty. Bernhard's son Ulrich III by marriage with Agnes of Merania in 1248 also inherited the title of a margrave in the adjacent March of Carniola. However, as he outlived his children, he bequested his Carinthian and Carniolan lands to his Přemyslid cousin King Ottokar II of Bohemia according to a secret inheritance agreement of 1268. These estates were among the territories which Rudolph of Habsburg after his election as

King of the Romans King of the Romans ( la, Rex Romanorum; german: König der Römer) was the title used by the king of Germany following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German k ...

in 1273 seized due to their acquisition in suspicious circumstances. The founder of the Rhenish branch was Count Stephan I of Sponheim (d. 1080), who may 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 Elector of the Palatinate, who had received a small part as dowry. Rupert of Germany's firstborn Rupert Pipan married Elisabeth of Sponheim-Kreuznach; the marriage remained childless. 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.

Genealogy

Ducal line

# Siegfried I (d. 1065), Count in the Puster Valley, Margrave of the Hungarian March ## Hartwig (d. 1102), Archbishop of Magdeburg ## Engelbert I (d. 1096), Margrave of

### Bernhard of Trixen (d. 1147) ### Richardis (d. about 1112), married to Margrave Poppo II of Carniola ### Henry IV (1065/70–1123), Duke of

and Margrave of Verona ### Engelbert II (d. 1141), Margrave of

Carniola Carniola ( sl, Kranjska; , german: Krain; it, Carniola; hu, Krajna) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region sti ...

and Istria, Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona #### Ulrich I (d. 1144), Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona ##### Henry V (d. 1161), Duke of Carinthia, Margrave of Verona until 1151 ##### Herman II (d. 1181), Duke of Carinthia ######

Ulrich II Ulrich II may refer to: * Ulrich II. (St. Gallen) († 1076) Abbot of St. Gall * Ulrich II, Duke of Carinthia (c. 1176 – 1202) * Ulrich II, Count of Württemberg (c. 1254 – 1279) * Ulrich II von Graben (before 1300 – about 1361) * Ulrich II, ...

(1176–1202), Duke of Carinthia ###### Bernhard (c. 1180–1256), Duke of Carinthia ####### Ulrich III (c. 1220–1269), Margrave of Carniola since 1248, Duke of Carinthia, married to Agnes of Merania and secondly to Agnes of Baden #######

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

(d. 1279) Archbishop-elect of Salzburg, Patriarch of

Aquileia Aquileia / / / / ;Bilingual name of ''Aquileja – Oglej'' in: vec, Aquiłeja / ; Slovenian: ''Oglej''), group=pron is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river N ...

##### Ulrich, Count of Laibach (Ljubljana), but predeceased his eldest brother. ##### Godfrey (Gottfried) became a monk, but predeceased his father. ##### Pilgrim became the Patriarch of Aquileia. #### Engelbert III (1124–1173), Margrave of Istria, Margrave of Tuscany #### Henry (d. 1169), Bishop of

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...

#### Rapoto (d. 1186), Count of Ortenburg, founder of the ''House of Ortenburg'' #### Adelheid (d. 1178), Abbess at Göss #### Hartwig II (d. 1164), Bishop of

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

#### Matilda (d. 1160/61), married to Count Theobald II of Champagne ### Siegfried II (d. 1132), Count at Lebenau ### Hartwig I (d. 1126), Bishop of Regensburg # Frederick (1022–1058) # Eberhard

Comital line

# Stephan I (d. about 1080), probably a cousin or brother of Siegfried I ## Stephan II (d. about 1118), probably married to

Sophia of Formbach Sophia of Formbach (also Sophia of Vormbach) ( – after 1088), was the daughter of Meginhard V of Formbach. She was countess of Salm through her marriage to Hermann of Salm, who was also elected German anti-king from 1081 to 1088. Life Sophia wa ...

, widow of Count Hermann of Salm, German anti-king from 1081 ### Meginhard I (d. 1136/45), married to Mechtild, daughter of Count Adalbert II of

Nellenburg Stockach is a town in the district of Konstanz, in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Location It is situated in the Hegau region, about 5 km northwest of Lake Constance, 13 km north of Radolfzell and 25 km northwest of Konstan ...

####Godfrey I (d. after 1159), probably married to Matilda (Mechtild), daughter of Duke Simon I of Lorraine #####Godfrey II, probably married to a daughter of Count Gerlach of Veldenz ######Godfrey III (c. 1175–1218), married to Adelheid, sister of Count Henry III of Sayn, died in the Fifth Crusade #######John I of Sponheim- Starkenburg (c. 1206-1266), Count of Sayn from 1263, probably married to a daughter of Count

Frederick of Isenberg Count Frederick of Isenberg (Friedrich von Isenberg) (1193 – 15 November 1226) was a German noble, the younger son of Arnold of Altena (died 1209). Before the split between Arnold of Altena-Isenberg the eldest and his brother Friedrich Altena- ...

, see Sponheim-Starkenburg below #######Henry (d. 1259), married to Agnes of Heinsberg #######Simon I of Sponheim-Kreuznach (c. 1210-1264), married to Margaret of

Heimbach Heimbach is a town in the district of Düren of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the river Rur, in the Eifel hills, approx. 20 km south of Düren. Heimbach has the smallest population of any town in North Rhin ...

, see Sponheim-Kreuznach below ###Gerhard I, probably married to a daughter of Count Bertolph of Vianden ###Hugo (d. 1137), Archbishop of Cologne ###

Jutta The feminine name Jutta (pronounced "yutta") is the German form of Judith. There is also an alternative theory that it could be derived from the Germanic name ''Eutha'', meaning "mankind, child, descendant", or from a short form of ''Henrietta'' ...

(1091–1136), Abbess at

Disibodenberg Disibodenberg today Disibodenberg ruins Disibodenberg ruins Disibodenberg picture Disibodenberg is a monastery ruin in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was founded by Saint Disibod. Hildegard of Bingen, who wrote Disibod's biography "Vita Sanct ...

Sponheim-Starkenburg

#John I (c. 1206-1266), Count of Sayn from 1263, probably married to a daughter of Count

##Godfrey I of

Sponheim-Sayn Sponheim-Sayn was a County of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was created as a partition of Sponheim-Starkenburg in 1261, and it comprised the lands of the former County of Sayn. In 1283, it was divided into Sayn S ...

(d. 1284), married to Jutta of Isenburg ### John II of Sayn-Sayn ### Engelbert of

Sayn-Homburg Sayn-Homburg (not to be confused with the later state of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Homburg) was a mediaeval county of Germany with its seat at Homburg Castle. It was created as a partition of Sponheim-Sayn in 1283. In 1345, Salentin, the son of Count Go ...

, ancestor of the ''House of Sayn-Wittgenstein'' ##Henry I (c. 1235-1289), married to Blancheflor, daughter of Count

William IV of Jülich William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

###John II (c. 1265-1324), married to Catherine of Vianden #### Henry II (c. 1292-1323), married to

Loretta Loretta is a female given name, the masculine version being Lauro. The name derives its name from the Laurel wreath, laurel tree which is symbolic of victory. This name is Italian in origin; it was popularized in the United States in the 1930s. It ...

of Salm ##### John III (c. 1315-1398), married to Mechtild of the Palatinate, niece of Emperor Louis IV ######John IV (c. 1338-1413/14), married to Elizabeth, daughter of Count Walram of Sponheim-Kreuznach (see below) #######John V (c. 1359-1437), also Count of Sponheim-Kreuznach from 1417, married to Walburg of Leiningen, died childless ######Mechtild (d. 1407/10), married to Margrave Rudolf VI of Baden ######Loretta, married to Count Henry III of Veldenz #######Frederick III of Veldenz (d. 1444) ########

Anna of Veldenz Countess Palatine Anna of Veldenz (12 November 1540 – 30 March 1586) was Margravine of Baden-Durlach by marriage to Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, and co-regent of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach during the minority of her son Ernest ...

(c. 1390-1439), married to Count Palatine Stephen of Simmern-Zweibrücken Wappen Vordere Grafschaft Sponheim

Sponheim-
Kreuznach Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in th ...

#Simon I (c. 1210-1264), married to Margaret of

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I o ...

(c. 1245-1290), married to Adelheid of Leiningen ###John II (c. 1270-1340), unmarried ### Simon II at Kastellaun (c. 1270-1336), married to Elizabeth of Valkenburg ####Walram (c. 1305-1380), married to Elizabeth of

Katzenelnbogen Katzenelnbogen () is the name of a castle and small town in the district of Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Katzenelnbogen is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Aar-Einrich. History Katzenelnboge ...

#####Simon III (c. 1330-1414), married to Maria of Vianden, died without male heirs ######Elizabeth (d. 1417), married to Count Engelbert III of the Mark, secondly to Prince Ruprecht Pipan, son of

Rupert of the Palatinate Rupert of the Palatinate (german: Ruprecht von der Pfalz; 5 May 1352 – 18 May 1410), sometimes known as Robert of the Palatinate, a member of the House of Wittelsbach, was Elector Palatine from 1398 (as Rupert III) and King of Germany from ...

#####Elizabeth, married to Count John IV of Sponheim-Starkenburg (see above)

Sources

* Freed, John B
"Reflections on the Medieval German Nobility."
''The American Historical Review'', Vol. 91, No. 3. (Jun., 1986), pp 553–575. *

. Archiv für rheinische Geschichte Coblenz, 1.1833 - 2.1835. Zweiter Teil 1835. http://www.dilibri.de/rlb/periodical/pageview/27862

Footnotes

External links

*
Genealogy at genealogie-mittelalter.de
* * * *
Site of the Countly House of Ortenburg-Tambach
*

{{Authority control