Henry II of Sonneberg (before 1249 – 1288) was the descendant of the
von Sonneberg family and the founder of the
Sonnefeld Monastery.
The death of
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
Otto II of Merania
Otto III ( – 19 June 1248), a member of the House of Andechs, was Count of Burgundy from 1231 and the last duke of Merania (numbered Otto II) from 1234 until his death.
Family
Otto was the only son of Duke Otto I of Merania and Countess Beatri ...
on 19 June 1248 at
Niesten Castle brought the end to the Imperial
Duchy of Merania
The Duchy of Merania, it, Ducato di Merania, sl, Vojvodina Meranija, hr, Vojvodina Meranije was a fiefdom of the Holy Roman Empire from 1152 until 1248. The dukes of Merania were recognised as princes of the Empire enjoying imperial immediacy ...
, in whose service the ''Herren'' (Lords) von Sonneberg had managed properties in the areas of
Coburg
Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...
and
Sonneberg
Sonneberg in Thuringia, Germany, is the seat of the Sonneberg district. It is in the Franconian south of Thuringia, neighboring its Upper Franconian twin town Neustadt bei Coburg.
Sonneberg became known as the "world toy city", and is home to ...
. Because of his service, Henry II was given the ''
Herrschaft
The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...
'' (territorial dominion) of Sonneberg and the authority to govern it. In 1252 and around 1260 he acquired from the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
Abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The conce ...
of
Saalfeld
Saalfeld (german: Saalfeld/Saale) is a town in Germany, capital of the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district of Thuringia. It is best known internationally as the ancestral seat of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha branch of the Saxon House of Wettin.
Geography ...
the extensive possessions in the surrounding areas of Sonneberg and Coburg.
In 1260, Henry II, with his wife Kunigunde, founded the
Sonnefeld
Sonnefeld is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Districts of Germany, district of Coburg (district), Coburg in States of Germany, Bavaria in Germany.
Geographical Location
Sonnefeld lies on Bundesstraße 303 between Coburg and Krona ...
Monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
and furnished it with the properties from their own possessions. In 1279, with other associates of the Sonnefeld Monastery, he was found among the witnesses of the foundation charter of the
Himmelkron
Himmelkron is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, an ...
Monastery, where the first nuns were assumed to have come from Sonnefeld.
Literature
* (de) Joachim Hotz: ''Zisterzienserklöster in Oberfranken'' (Cistercian Monasteries in Upper Franconia). In: ''Große Kunstführer, Band 98'' (Great Art Leaders, Volume 98). Schnell and Steiner, Munich and Zurich 1982, , p. 64
*
* (de) Helmuth Meissner: ''Himmelkron: Geschichte und Geschichten, Namen und Daten'' (Himmelkron: History and Stories, Names and Dates). ''Gemeinde'' (Municipality of) Himmelkron, 1979, pp. 9 ff.
*
Sources
* (de
Prof. G. Brückner: ''Landeskunde des Herzogthums Meinigen, Band 2: Die Topographie des Landes'' (Geography of the Duchy of Meinigen, Volume 2: The Topography of the Land), Verlag Brückner und Renner, Meinigen 1853, p. 442 ff.
1288 deaths
Year of birth unknown
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