Hermann I (german: Hermann von Cilli, sl, Herman Celjski; around 1333 – 21 March 1385),
Count of Celje
The Counts of Celje ( sl, Celjski grofje) or the Counts of Cilli (german: Grafen von Cilli; hu, cillei grófok) were the most influential late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-day Slovenia. Risen as vassals of the Habsburg dukes ...
, was a
Styrian nobleman, who was head of the
House of Celje between 1359 and 1385. In the first decade, he ruled together with his older brother
Ulrich Ulrich (), is a German given name, derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "(noble) heritage" and ''-rich'' meaning "rich, powerful". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Al ...
. After Ulrich's death, Hermann took over the custody of his nephew
William
William is a male given name of Germanic 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 conquest of Engl ...
and ruled as the ''de facto'' head of the family. Under his rule, the
House of Celje began expanding its influence from its power base in present-day
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
and southern
Carinthia to
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...
and the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
. By marriage to the
Bosnian princess
Catherine
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.
In the early Christ ...
, whose exact parentage is disputed, Hermann became the brother-in-law either of the
Hungarian and
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
king
Louis the Great
Louis I, also Louis the Great ( hu, Nagy Lajos; hr, Ludovik Veliki; sk, Ľudovít Veľký) or Louis the Hungarian ( pl, Ludwik Węgierski; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370. ...
, or of the Bosnian king
Tvrtko I
Stephen Tvrtko I ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Stjepan/Stefan Tvrtko, Стјепан/Стефан Твртко; 1338 – 10 March 1391) was the first king of Bosnia. A member of the House of Kotromanić, he succeeded his uncle Stephen II ...
. His son
Hermann II further expanded the family's wealth and influence. By the time of his death, Hermann I was the largest landowner in the territory of present-day Slovenia, where his possessions significantly outnumbered those of his
Habsburg liege lords.
Life
Little is known of Hermann's early life. He was the second-born son of
Frederick of Sanneck, first
Count of Celje
The Counts of Celje ( sl, Celjski grofje) or the Counts of Cilli (german: Grafen von Cilli; hu, cillei grófok) were the most influential late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-day Slovenia. Risen as vassals of the Habsburg dukes ...
, and his wife Diemut from the noble Wallsee family. His father had inherited the
Celje Castle and took possession of it in 1332, but it's unclear whether Hermann was born there or in the nearby
Žovnek Castle
Žovnek Castle ( sl, Žovnek, german: Sanneck) is a castle northeast of Braslovče, Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered b ...
, their ancestral home. After his father's death in 1359 or 1360, Hermann took over the family estates which were significantly enlarged during his father's tenure, and ruled them together with his older brother
Ulrich I. This was in accordance with the family tradition which avoided splitting the inheritance among brothers, and instead opted for shared rule among them. After Ulrich's death in 1368, Hermann became the sole administrator of the Celje estates, ruling also in the name of his 7-year old nephew
William
William is a male given name of Germanic 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 conquest of Engl ...
.
Together with his son
Hermann II and nephew William, Hermann took part in the
crusade against Samogitians in 1377, as part of the entourage of
Duke Albert III of Austria.
Hermann died in 1385, and was succeeded by his second-born son Hermann, as his first-born son Hans died already in 1372.
Marriage and children
Hermann was married to
Catherine of Bosnia
Catherine of Bosnia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Katarina Kosača, Катарина Косача; 1424/1425 – 25 October 1478) was Queen of Bosnia as the wife of King Thomas, the penultimate Bosnian sovereign. She was born into the powerful ...
, a princess from the ruling
Kotromanić dynasty
The Kotromanić ( sr-cyrl, Котроманић, Kotromanići / Котроманићи) were members of a late medieval Bosnian noble and later royal dynasty. Rising to power in the middle of the 13th century as bans of Bosnia, with control ov ...
. Their first born son John (Hans) died at the age of nine. Two children survived infancy:
*
Hermann II, a claimant to the
Bosnian throne;
[Čepič et al. (1979): Zgodovina Slovencev. Ljubljana, Cankarjeva založba. Str. 216.] married Anna of Schaunberg and had issue, among whom
Barbara of Cilli, Holy Roman Empress.
* Walburga, married Bernhard of Ptuj (Pettau), no issue.
Family
References
{{Authority control
1330s births
1485 deaths
Counts of Celje