Gottfried II of Raabs (died ) was

Burgrave Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from german: Burggraf, la, burgravius, burggravius, burcgravius, burgicomes, also praefectus), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especia ...

of the medieval Burgraviate of Nuremberg, jointly with his brother Conrad I, from 1105 until his death.

Life

Gottfried II was a member of the ''

edelfrei The term ''edelfrei'' or ''hochfrei'' ("free noble" or "free knight") was originally used to designate and distinguish those Germanic noblemen from the Second Estate (see Estates of the realm social hierarchy), who were legally entitled to atonem ...

'' von Raabs family. He was the son of Gottfried I of Gosham and the grandson of Ulrich of Gosham, the ancestor of the von Raabs dynasty, who ruled an area northwest of

Melk Melk (; older spelling: ) is a city of Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria, next to the Wachau valley along the Danube. Melk has a population of 5,257 (as of 2012). It is best known as the site of a massive baroque Benedictine monastery ...

in the area when the

House of Babenberg The House of Babenberg was a noble dynasty of Austrian Dukes and Margraves. Originally from Bamberg in the Duchy of Franconia (present-day Bavaria), the Babenbergs ruled the imperial Margraviate of Austria from its creation in 976 AD until its e ...

ruled the

Margraviate of Austria The Margraviate of Austria (german: Markgrafschaft Österreich) was a medieval frontier march, centered along the river Danube, between the river Enns and the Vienna Woods (''Wienerwald''), within the territory of modern Austrian provinces of Up ...

. The von Raabs family was named after their first castle,

Burg Raabs an der Thaya Burg Raabs an der Thaya is a castle in municipality Raabs an der Thaya, Lower Austria, Austria, built in the second half of the 11th century, it is above sea level. History The medieval history of this area begins with the old Moravian fortific ...

, in

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

. In 1105

Nuremberg Castle Nuremberg Castle (german: Nürnberger Burg) is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge dominating the historical center of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. The castle, together with the city walls, is considered to be one ...

and the city of

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

were partially destroyed during the conflict between Emperor Henry IV and his son

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

. In order to better protect the castle and the city in the future, Henry IV appointed the brothers Gottfried II and

Conrad I of Raabs Conrad I of Raabs (died 1143) was Burgrave of Burgraviate of Nuremberg, Nuremberg from to jointly with his older brother Gottfried II of Raabs, Gottfried II. After Gottfried II died, Conrad ruled alone until his own death. Life Conrad I was ...

burgmann From the 12th century in central Europe, a ''Burgmann'' (plural: ''Burgmannen'' or modern term ''Burgmänner'', Latin: ''oppidanus'', ''castrensus'') was a knight ministeriales or member of the nobility who was obliged to guard and defend castles. ...

of Nuremberg castle, with the title official of "

Castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

". Thus, they became the first Burgraves of Nurembert. Gottfried's son Gottfried III was the first member of the family to be called ''burggravius of Norimburg'' in an official document. After Gottfried II died, around 1137, Conrad I ruled Nuremberg alone. After Conrad's death, Gottfried's son Gottfried III inherited the Burgraviate.

References

* Sigmund Benker and Andraes Kraus (eds.): ''Geschichte Frankens bis zum Ausgang des 18. Jahrhunderts'', founded by Max Spindler, 3rd ed., Beck, Munich, 1997, * Norbert Angermann (ed.): ''Lexikon des Mittelalters'', vol. 6, Artemis & Winkler Verlag, Munchen, 1993, Burgraves of Nuremberg House of Raabs 11th-century births 1137 deaths 12th-century German nobility {{Germany-noble-stub