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The House of Rapperswil respectively Counts of Rapperswil (''Grafen von Rapperwil'' since 1233, before ''Lords'') ruled the upper ''Zürichsee'' and ''
Seedamm The Rapperswil Seedamm is the partially artificial causeway and bridge at the most narrow area of Lake Zurich, between Hurden (SZ) and Rapperswil (SG). The Seedamm carries a road and a railway across the lake, with the railway being used by the ...
'' region around
Rapperswil Rapperswil ( Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dia ...
and parts of, as of today,
Swiss cantons The 26 cantons of Switzerland (german: Kanton; french: canton ; it, cantone; Sursilvan and Surmiran: ; Vallader and Puter: ; Sutsilvan: ; Rumantsch Grischun: ) are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss C ...
of
St. Gallen , neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach , twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic) , website ...
,
Glarus , neighboring_municipalities= Glarus Nord, Glarus Süd, Muotathal (SZ), Innerthal (SZ) , twintowns= Wiesbaden-Biebrich (Germany) } Glarus (; gsw, Glaris; french: Glaris; it, Glarona; rm, Glaruna) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in S ...
,
Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
and Graubünden when their influence was most extensive around the 1200s until the 1290s. They acted also as ''
Vogt During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
'' of the most influential
Einsiedeln Abbey Einsiedeln Abbey (german: Kloster Einsiedeln) is a Benedictine Catholic monastery in the village of Einsiedeln in the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, in recognition of Meinrad of Einsiedeln, a he ...
in the 12th and 13th century, and at least three
abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
s of Einsiedeln were members of Rapperswil family.


History


Early history

In 697 legends mentions a knight called ''Raprecht'' in connection with the later
Grynau Castle The Grynau Castle (Swiss German: ''Grynau'', ''Grinau'' and ''Schloss Grynau'') is the name of a castle tower in the municipality of Tuggen in the canton of Schwyz, built by the House of Rapperswil in the early 13th century AD. Geography The ...
. The former seat of the ''Vogt'' in Altendorf was first mentioned as "Rahprehteswilare" in a document of emperor
Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. ...
, in which goods of the Einsiedeln abbey were confirmed on 14 August 972. The fourth Abbot of Einsiedeln, ''Wirunt'' (996–1026), or Wirendus, Wirund, Wem, Wirand, Verendus, was according to 15th-century chronists a ''Graf von Wandelburg'' of the Rapperswil family. ''Wandelburg'' may be another name of the
Grynau Castle The Grynau Castle (Swiss German: ''Grynau'', ''Grinau'' and ''Schloss Grynau'') is the name of a castle tower in the municipality of Tuggen in the canton of Schwyz, built by the House of Rapperswil in the early 13th century AD. Geography The ...
at the
Buechberg Buechberg (also Buchberg) is an elongated molasse hill in the Swiss cantons of Schwyz and St. Gallen on Obersee lakeshore. Geography The Molasse hill is a remain of the last glacial period in Switzerland. Situated on the southeastern Obers ...
hill on Obersee lake shore. According to the abbey's archives there are no reliable sources about ''Wirunt's'' origin. Other unreliable sources mention that ''Rudolf I'' (1090–1101) the 9th abbot was a member of the Rapperswil family. ''Ulrich I von Rapperswil'' (1192–1206) became the 14th abbot of Einsiedeln. In 1099 first mentioned, the donation of the St. Andreas Church was given by the House of Rapperswil as a spacious three-naved country church. The assumably legal connection with the church situated above the Uster Castle, due to the archaeological investigations of 1982 so far is not proven, but the pastoral rights were sold by
Elisabeth von Rapperswil Elisabeth von Rapperswil (also ''von Habsburg-Laufenburg'', ''von Homberg''; c.1251/1261 – 1309) was the last countess of the House of Rapperswil, and secured by her second marriage the female line of the Counts of Rapperswil and the ext ...
not earlier than 1300. Some fortifications, among them in Greifensee,
Uster Uster (High Alemannic: ''Uschter'') is a town and the capital of the Uster District in the Swiss canton of Zürich. It is the third largest town in the canton of Zürich, with almost 35,000 inhabitants, and is one of the twenty largest towns ...
and ''Alt-Rapperswil'' were built probably in the early 12th century by members of the family. The Vogts of Rapperswil were persons of influence in the so-called ''Marchenstreit'' between the people of Schwyz and the Einsiedeln abbey beginning around 1100. Around 1180 the lords of Rapperswil inherit the parish rights of Weisslingen and free float in Russikon, Erisberg, Luckhausen, Moosburg and in Kempthal, as well as the castles Greifenberg and Bernegg, and the
bailiwick A bailiwick () is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and once also applied to territories in which a privately appointed bailiff exercised the sheriff's functions under a royal or imperial writ. The bailiwick is probably modelled on th ...
of Kempten in the area around the ''
Töss Valley The Töss Valley (German: ''Tösstal'') is a valley and a region of the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Geography The valley embraces parts of the Zürcher Oberland including the districts of Hinwil, Pfäffikon and Winterthur, in addition ...
'' respectively in Eastern Switzerland. Assumably in compensation of claims related to the ''Alt-Rapperswil'' lands and rights, a change of goods occurred to establish the
Bubikon Commandry Bubikon Castle or Bubikon Commandery (german: Ritterhaus Bubikon) is a castle in the municipality of Bubikon of the Swiss Canton of Zürich. The former Commandery, a medieval monastery of the Knights Hospitaller, is a Swiss heritage site of nation ...
, given by the
Counts of Toggenburg Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
and by the Counts of Rapperswil between 1191 and 1198. Although in concurrency to the neighbouring
Rüti Abbey Rüti, which comes from the Old High German word , meaning " clearing", is a popular name for towns in the German speaking part of Switzerland. It can refer to the following: *Rüti, Glarus in Glarus *Rüti, Zürich Rüti (sometimes written as ' ...
that was founded in 1206, the commandery's lands and goods grew with donations by local noble families during the 13th and 14th centuries.


Counts of Rapperswil

The house (lords) of Rapperswil was first mentioned before 1192 in a large numbers of documents, for the last time around 1206 related to the abbot Rudolf of (Alt)-Rapperswil, and since 1233 as ''Grafen'' (counts) of Rapprechtswilare. As between 1192 and 1220 documentary mentions of the family are widely missing, the modern research assumes that the original lineage is extinct and subsequently a dispute over inheritance may be broken. Therefore, the historians use the term ''Alt-Rapperswil'' (old line) and ''Neu-Rapperswil'' (new line). Likewise, it is assumed that there were strong family ties with the houses of ''
Regensberg Regensberg is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Dielsdorf (district), Dielsdorf in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zurich in Switzerland. It is located just to the west of Dielsdorf ZH, Diels ...
'', '' Kyburg'' and ''
Toggenburg Toggenburg is a region of Switzerland. It corresponds to the upper valley of the river Thur and that of its main tributary, the Necker. Since 1 January 2003, Toggenburg has been a constituency (''Wahlkreis'') of the canton of St. Gallen ( ...
'' (see Members of the family), that may have been involved in the dispute over the inheritance. Nevertheless, around 1200 the
Rapperswil Castle Rapperswil Castle ( Swiss German: ''Schloss Rapperswil'') is a castle, built in the early 13th century by the House of Rapperswil, in the formerly independent city of Rapperswil. The castle is located on the eastern '' Zürichsees western '' ...
and the fortifications of the former locus ''Endingen'' (given by the Einsiedeln abbey) were built by ''Rudolf II'' and his son ''Rudolf III of Rapperswil''. Officially in 1229, the town of
Rapperswil Rapperswil ( Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dia ...
was founded when the nobility of Rapperswil moved from Altendorf across the lake to Rapperswil, and a wave of foundations is documented:
Wettingen Abbey Wettingen Abbey (Kloster Wettingen) was a Cistercian monastery in Wettingen in the Swiss canton of Aargau. It was founded in 1227 and dissolved during the secularisation of 1841, but re-founded at Mehrerau in Austria in 1854. The buildings ar ...
in 1227, and the Mariazell-
Wurmsbach Abbey Wurmsbach Abbey (Kloster Mariazell-Wurmsbach) is a monastery of Cistercian nuns located in Bollingen, a locality of Rapperswil-Jona, in the Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. It is located on the north shore of upper Lake Zürich. The house is ...
in 1259. On 28 August 1232 a document confirms an exchange of goods between members of the noble families of Kyburg and Rapperswil in the villages of ''Oberwesin'' and ''Niderwesin'' that were in the possession of Kyburg to 1264 respectively of Rapperswil to 1283, the nucleus of the monastic community "in den Wyden", a community of lay women or
beguines The Beguines () and the Beghards () were Christian lay religious orders that were active in Western Europe, particularly in the Low Countries, in the 13th–16th centuries. Their members lived in semi-monastic communities but did not take form ...
which was Count Rudolf IV von Rapperswil donated certain duties, and lands "in den Widen" to establish the
Dominikanerinnenkloster Maria Zuflucht Weesen Abbey (Dominikanerinnenkloster Maria Zuflucht, ''ODSHLT'') is a monastery of Dominican nuns located in Weesen, Switzerland, Weesen in the Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. The Dominican convent is located at the foot of a terraced hillside ...
in 1259. Initially, the community was supported by Predigerkloster Zürich because its close relationship to the House of Rapperswil. On the peninsula at Oberbollingen, the St. Nicholas Chapel is mentioned, where around 1229 a small
Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
(first associated with the
Rüti Abbey Rüti, which comes from the Old High German word , meaning " clearing", is a popular name for towns in the German speaking part of Switzerland. It can refer to the following: *Rüti, Glarus in Glarus *Rüti, Zürich Rüti (sometimes written as ' ...
) monastery was established; in 1267 it was united with the nearby Mariazell-Wurmsbach nunnery.
St. Martin Busskirch Busskirch is a village (''Kirchdorf'') within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Geography The village is located along the northern shore of the ''Obersee'' lakeshore between Jona and Bollingen. ...
is one of the oldest churches around the Lake Zürich and was until 1229 the parish church of the family. There even the citizens of Rapperswil had to attend services, until Count Rudolf II of Rapperswil built the ''Stadtpfarrkirche'' on ''Herrenberg'' next to the Rapperswil castle on the ''Lindenhof'' hill. At that time, the House of Rapperswil had possessions in what is now Eastern and Central Switzerland. They bore the title of count from 1233, as a partisan of the
Staufer The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...
kings. Besides also the
Urseren The Urseren (also ''Ursern'') is the valley of the upper Reuss in Uri, Switzerland, running southwest to northeast, from Realp to Hospental and Andermatt. Separated from the main valley of Uri, it connects to the Valais via the Furkapass, t ...
valley in 1240, and since the 13th centuries,
Lützelau Lützelau (Old High German: ''little island'') is an island located, with the neighbouring island of Ufenau, in Lake Zürich in Switzerland between Rapperswil ( away) and Freienbach ( away). Geography Lützelau lies in Höfe district in the Can ...
island has belonged to the family, later to the community of Rapperswil (now called ''Ortsbürgergemeinde''); its
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
was used to build the Rapperswil castle, the parish church and the town walls. The house of Rapperswil became extinct again in 1283, with the death of the 18-year-old Count Rudolf V, after which emperor
Rudolf I Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death. Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which h ...
acquired their fiefs, and the family had to sold large parts of the former bailiwick. Great parts of the remaining property of the
Herrschaft Rapperswil The House of Rapperswil respectively Counts of Rapperswil (''Grafen von Rapperwil'' since 1233, before ''Lords'') ruled the upper ''Zürichsee'' and ''Seedamm'' region around Rapperswil and parts of, as of today, Swiss cantons of St. Gallen, G ...
passed to the house of Homberg, represented by Count Ludwig († April 27, 1289) by first marriage of
Elisabeth von Rapperswil Elisabeth von Rapperswil (also ''von Habsburg-Laufenburg'', ''von Homberg''; c.1251/1261 – 1309) was the last countess of the House of Rapperswil, and secured by her second marriage the female line of the Counts of Rapperswil and the ext ...
and their son,
Wernher von Homberg Wernher von Homberg (also ''Werner''; ''Hohenberg'', 1284 – 21 March 1320) was a knight in the service Emperor Henry VII, and later of Frederick the Fair. His Minnesang poems are recorded in the ''Codex Manesse''. Wernher's father was Ludwig o ...
. Around 1309 the remaining bailiwick's rights passed to Count Rudolf († 1315) of
Habsburg-Laufenburg This is a family tree of the Habsburg family. This family tree only includes male scions of the House of Habsburg from 1096 to 1564. Otto II was the first to take the Habsburg Castle name as his own, adding "von Habsburg" to his title and creati ...
by second marriage of Elisabeth of Rapperswil, the sister of Rudolf V, followed by her son, Count Johann I († 1337) and his son, Johann II († 1380).


Rapperswil-Habsburg-Laufenburg


Feud between the former city councils of Zürich and Brun's regime from 1336 to 1350

On 12 July 1336
Rudolf Brun Rudolf Brun (1290s – 17 September 1360) was the leader of the Zürich guilds' revolution of 1336, and the city's first independent mayor. Since 1234, Zürich had been governed by an aristocratic council. One third of the council's members w ...
, mayor of the city of Zürich, defeated his political opponents, the former members of the ''Rat'' (council) of Zürich, of which around 12 members found refuge by count Johann I in Rapperswil. The
feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
(German: ''Fehde'') of the so-called ''Äusseres Zürich'' coalition was supported by the Rapperswil bailiwick, some knights and noble families, and Count Johann became the leader of the opposition in the
city of Zürich A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
. Latter was supported among others by the
House of Toggenburg A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...
as its military arm, as well as by the
Einsiedeln Abbey Einsiedeln Abbey (german: Kloster Einsiedeln) is a Benedictine Catholic monastery in the village of Einsiedeln in the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, in recognition of Meinrad of Einsiedeln, a he ...
which supported Brun's regime. The counselors hoped for support by Count Johann and offered probably in return the forgiveness of debt of Rapperswil, as some sources hypothesize. Some, if not most of the refugees, were decades before their exile
vassals A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...
of the Counts of Rapperswil, including the ancient councilors family Bilgeri those members lost six of their seats in the council of Zürich. Johann I was killed in 1337 in the course of a battle at the
Grynau Castle The Grynau Castle (Swiss German: ''Grynau'', ''Grinau'' and ''Schloss Grynau'') is the name of a castle tower in the municipality of Tuggen in the canton of Schwyz, built by the House of Rapperswil in the early 13th century AD. Geography The ...
against Zürich-Toggenburg troops. Count Johann's children – Johann II, the oldest of three sons, Rudolf and Gotfrid (and their sister Agnes) – were set under guardianship of Albrecht, Duke of Austria, sealed by a document between the city of Zürich and the German King respectively Duke Albrecht on 21 November 1337. The document included also a peace contract and regulations, but as well as the documents in the following years − between the city of Zürich and Austria – It included among others: ''Johann's children got the documents related to their rights in Raprechtswile'' and their possessions in the ''March'' (Alt-Rapperswil) area. Furthermore, the document also included the Zürich councils (''äussere Bürger'') who refuged to Rapperswil and financial compensations by the former councils to Brun's entourage, they remained banned until 1342, and the ''äussere'' former councils had to ''pledge allegiance to the King and to the citizenry of Zürich''. In compensation, the goods and lands of the ''äussere'' former councils had to be refund by the ''innere'' (meaning the Guild councils), ''as long as their property was not sold'' (by Brun's entourage). These restrictions also included Johann I's children – the German king had to vouch for Brun's regime, Duke Albrecht for Rapperswil and the underage Rapperswils Counts. The feud was continued '' Johann II'' in the late 1340s, but there also were a short time alliance with the city of Zürich: On 28 September 1343 Count Johann II and his brothers Rudolf and Gotfried ''von Habsburg'' and the citizens of Rapperswil signed a document for an ''eternal confederacy'' with the city council and the citizens of Zürich. An attempted coup by the aristocratic opposition, known as ''äusseres Zürich'', in Zürich was forcefully put down on 23/24 February 1350: Count Johann II, now the opposition's leader, was arrested for two years, and the town walls of Rapperswil, its castle and Altendorf castle were destroyed by Brun in 1350.


Peace agreement and exchange of goods to Habsburg-Austria

The peace agreement on 1 September 1352 between Count Albrecht von Oesterreich and the city of Zürich was adjusted by two furthers documents. The first one was the agreement between the Counts ''Hans'' (Johann II), Rudolf and Gotfrid, and the city of Zürich; it was sealed on 19 September 1352, and the brothers had to confirm among others that they will also ''condone their relatives who supported the city of Zürich''. The second document included that ''Johann's II imprisonment in Zürich shall be forgotten'', all prisoners shall be released, and even Count Albrecht would support the city of Zürich against the counts ''Johans, Rudolf und Gotfrid von Habsburg'' so needed, sealed by ''Markgraf Ludwig von Brandenburg'' on 23 September 1352. Another document was related to the costs of the captivity of Rapperswil citizens in Zürich which was sealed on 20 May 1358 by relatives of the ''new lord'' Count ''Rudolf von Österreich'' in ''Rapreswile'', namely Ott von Missouw, Fridrich von Waslze, Heinrich der Raspe, Heinrich der Brunner, Wolfgang von Winden, Johanse von Platzhein and Vogt Johans von Langenhart.


Division of the estate between Count Johann I's children

The division of an estate between the Counts'' Rudolf, Gotfrid and Johan von Habsburg'' was regulated in a document on 1 July 1354: # ''
Johan Johan * Johan (given name) * Johan (film), ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** Johan (album), ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunav ...
'' received the ''town of Rapperswil with all accessories and what is on this side of Zürichsee'' (Lake Zürich); 110 pound annual interest on the tax from Glarus, who have pledged for 400 silver marks to the Dukes of Austria; the right to initiate all pledged assets at the right bank of the lake and the castle Greifenberg and the valley of Fischental. # ''Rudolf'' received the city and castle of Laufenburg with all accessories; all pledged goods "inwendig und zwüschent or zuwendig" (literally: within and between or towards) ''the Aare river and the Aare gorge''; the Sisgau county; an estate in Reinach which is pledged to Ulrich Tutman von Aarau; the mortgaged castle Herznach, and if Rudolf should trigger this pledge he has to pay to his sister Agnes, a nun in the Säckingen Abbey, an annuity of 14 marks of silver annually. He is committed to adhere debt of the three brothers by his personal property liability for the amount of 4300 ''Gulden''. # ''Gotfrid'' received Alt-Rapperswil with all accessories, the March and the Wägital area; the pledged property on the left bank of Zürichsee; the city of Rheinau and the Klettgau county with all accessories. # Shared ownership of the three brothers were their feud; the Homberg castle and a good at Blanckenburg. # Johan, Rudolf and Gotfrid confirmed that the division took place by mutual consent. In support, they ask her uncle Count Imer von Strassberg, the baron Hug von Gutenberg and knight Cuonrat Berensess who were present at the division to seal the document. Sealed by the three brothers and the three witnesses on 1 July 1354. The remains of the former ''Herrschaft Rapperswil'' – Rapperswil and some surrounding villages excluding
Jona Jona may refer to: * Jona, Switzerland, a village of the municipality Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland * Jona (river), in the cantons of Zürich and St. Gallen in Switzerland * Jona (album), ''Jona'' (album), an album by Jona Viray People with the giv ...
– were sold by Count Johann II and his brothers, Rudolf (IV) and Gottfried (II), to the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
family and partially ( Höfe) to the city of Zürich, as the house of Rapperswil was not able to rebuild the town and the destroyed castles – the rights passed over to Albrecht II, Duke of Habsburg-Austria. All rights related to lands in the ''Höfe'' district including the settlements at Bäch, Pfäffikon and Wollerau were sold by Count ''Goetfrid von Habsburg''-Rapperswil on 19 May 1358.


Extinction

Although Countess
Elisabeth von Rapperswil Elisabeth von Rapperswil (also ''von Habsburg-Laufenburg'', ''von Homberg''; c.1251/1261 – 1309) was the last countess of the House of Rapperswil, and secured by her second marriage the female line of the Counts of Rapperswil and the ext ...
was able to continue the line and secured the Habsburg-Laufenburg line the extensive possessions of Rapperswil in Zürichgau. But the Homberg-Rapperswil line extinct with the death of Wernher von Homberg, and the Habsburg-Laufenburg line in 1408, when Johann IV von Habsburg-Laufenburg died without male heirs.


Counts of Rapperswil


House of Rapperswil


Rapperswil's successor houses

Following the death of Ludwig von Homberg who left a son from Elisabeth, Werner, the countess married again with Rudolf of Habsburg-Laufenburg, son of the count of Kyburg. After her death she might have divided her patrimony.


House of Homberg The House of Homberg (also spelled ''Honberg'', historically '' Hochinberc, Hochenberg''; also Thierstein, ''Tierstein'') was a noble family of medieval Switzerland; they had the title of count from late 11th to early 16th century. They ruled ove ...

* 1289- 21 March 1320: Werner of Homberg, he might have succeeded after his father's death on his part of Elisabeth's patrimony.


House of Habsburg-Laufenburg

* 10 April 1309 – 21 September 1337: Johann I, inherited his possessions after Elisabeth's death. * 21 September 1337 – 17 December 1380: Johann II * 17 December 1380 – 11 January 1392: Johann III * 11 January 1392 – 18 May 1408: Johann IV, first cousin of Johann III, as son of Rudolf, brother of Johann II. * 18 May 1408 - 1460: Ursula, married Count Rudolf III of Sulz; They had children. After Ursula's death in 1460, the Habsburg-Laufenburg patrimony fell to the County of Sulz.


Members of the House of Rapperswil

The genealogy is extremely patchy and incomplete, the family may be in fact extinct several times in the 'male line', estimated at least around 1190 and according to historical documents at 1283, even the female line was continued by
Elisabeth von Rapperswil Elisabeth von Rapperswil (also ''von Habsburg-Laufenburg'', ''von Homberg''; c.1251/1261 – 1309) was the last countess of the House of Rapperswil, and secured by her second marriage the female line of the Counts of Rapperswil and the ext ...
. The line of counts of Rapperswil may be counted back to the 9th century, when their ancestors were called ''Counts of Wandelberg'':


Line of the first counts of Wandelberg

*Reginger ** Rudolf I von Wandelberg *** Rudolf II von Wandelberg **** Vezilo von Wandelberg ***** Rudolf **** Eppo (d.1012) ***** Rudolf III von Wandelberg (d.1048) ****** Ulrich I von Rapperswil (*1036; †1098): Vogt of Einsiedeln, Count of Wandelberg and 1st Count of Rapperswil ****** Wirand (died in Rome) ****** Rudolf (d. 26 May 1101) ** Wirunt, Wirendus, Wirund, Wem, Wirand, Verendus (d.1026): 996 to 1026 the abbot of Einsiedeln ** Ottokar


House of Rapperswil

This list is based on known genealogical trees of the family: * Ulrich I von Rapperswil (*1036; †1098): Vogt of Einsiedeln, Count of Wandelberg and 1st Count of Rapperswil ** Rudolf I (* 1059; † 1110), Count of Wandelberg (as Rudolf IV) and Count of Rapperswil (as Rudolf I), possibly abdicated and became 9th abbot of Einsiedeln *** Ulrich II (* 1084; † 1129), Count of Wandelberg and Rapperswil **** Rudolf II von Rapperswil († 1173), Count of Wandelberg (as V) and Count of Rapperswil ***** Rudolf III von Rapperswil (* around 1160; † 1217 or 1218), Count of Rapperswil , moved the home of the house ''Alt-Rapperswil'' from Altendorf (SZ) to Rapperswil (SG), founded the city of
Rapperswil Rapperswil ( Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dia ...
at the former ''Endingen'' village ****** Rudolf IV von Rapperswil (1185 - 28 July 1262), Count of Rapperswil, married 1) Matilda of Kyburg, and then, before 1259, 2) Mechthild von Neifen. Cited on 25 June 1250, 27 July 1255 and 3 August 1261. ******* 1) Anna von Rapperswil (* 1230/40; † 30 May 1253); some sources suggest that she was daughter of Count Rudolf and Matilda of Kyburg. The origin of her mother may explain her marriage around 1251/52 with Count Hartmann V of Kyburg, her cousin. ******* 1)
Elisabeth von Rapperswil Elisabeth von Rapperswil (also ''von Habsburg-Laufenburg'', ''von Homberg''; c.1251/1261 – 1309) was the last countess of the House of Rapperswil, and secured by her second marriage the female line of the Counts of Rapperswil and the ext ...
(* 1240; † 10 April 1309), Countess of Rapperswil, married with 1) Count Ludwig von Homberg and later with 2) Count Rudolf von Habsburg-Laufenburg ******* 2) Vinzenz (*1260 †1261) ******* 2) Rudolf V von Rapperswil (* 1262 †15 January 1283), born posthumously, Count of Rapperswil. ****** Ulrich IV von Rapperswil († after 1229 or 1254), Count of Rapperswil, according to Heinrich Murer. Also known as Ulrich of Greifenberg. ****** Heinrich von Rapperswil (d. 30 January 1246, Wettingen), founded
Wettingen Abbey Wettingen Abbey (Kloster Wettingen) was a Cistercian monastery in Wettingen in the Swiss canton of Aargau. It was founded in 1227 and dissolved during the secularisation of 1841, but re-founded at Mehrerau in Austria in 1854. The buildings ar ...
; married in 1220 Mechtidis von Wetter, sister of Count Lutold I von Wetter. He married also Anna von Homberg (d. 14 June 1230, Jerusalem). If he had children, he had: ******* Anna (died 1227 or 1240), Heinrich Murer identifies this daughter as Count Hartmann V of Kyburg's wife ******Guta von Rapperswil (* c.1185; † 1229), married Diethelm I, Count of Toggenburg. ******Adelheid von Rapperswil (* c.1185; † 1213), married Walter III von Vaz. ******Unknown sister, married Johann von Strätlingen **** Heinrich, nothing is known about him; ***** An unknown male, cited as ''Rodolphus frater eius'' in 1177 ***** U(da)lrich von Rapperswil († 1206): Abbot of Einsiedeln, also mentioned as «OLRICVS. DEI. GRA. HEREMITARV. ABBAS» **** Ulrich III von Rapperswil († 1155), Count of Wandelburg and possibly 5th Count of Rapperswil, as he is counted in Heinrich Murer's tree, so he might have co-ruled with his brother. Heinrich Murer gives him two children: ***** Ulrich, Heinrich Murer identifies this son as Ulrich, abbot of Einsiedeln († 1206). ***** Elisabetha/Guta († 1226). Heinrich Murer identifies this daughter as Count Diethelm I of Toggenburg's wife **** Gebezo († c.1153) **** Warin († 1172), Abbot of Einsiedeln


Houses of Homberg and Habsburg-Laufenburg

*
Elisabeth von Rapperswil Elisabeth von Rapperswil (also ''von Habsburg-Laufenburg'', ''von Homberg''; c.1251/1261 – 1309) was the last countess of the House of Rapperswil, and secured by her second marriage the female line of the Counts of Rapperswil and the ext ...
(* 1251; † 10 April 1309), 13th Count(ess) of Rapperswil, married with 1) Count Ludwig von Homberg (12th Count of Rapperswil) and later with 2) Count Rudolf III von Habsburg-Laufenburg ** 1) Cäcilia von Homberg (* 1280; † after 1320): daughter of Countess Elisabeth and Ludwig von Homberg ** 1) Werner von Homberg-Rapperswil or Hohenberg (* 1284; † 21 March 1320, Genoa): son of Elisabeth von Rapperswil and Ludwig von Homberg;
Minnesang (; "love song") was a tradition of lyric- and song-writing in Germany and Austria that flourished in the Middle High German period. This period of medieval German literature began in the 12th century and continued into the 14th. People who wr ...
, Vogt von Einsiedeln, since 1309 Reichsgraf and Reichsvogt of
Waldstätte ' (, "forested sites") is a term which has been used since the early thirteenth century to refer to the (singular: , "sites"), or later ''Ort'' (plural: , "place") or (plural: , "estate") of the early confederate allies of Uri, Schwyz and Unter ...
, inherited territories that today form the northern part of the canton of Schwyz ** 1) Anna ** 1) Klara, married Egino V. von Matsch ** 1) Rudolf ** 1) Ludwig II von Homberg (d.1315) ** 2) Johann(es) I. von Habsburg-Laufenburg (* 1 January 1295; † 21 September 1337), 14th Count of Rapperswil, married Agnes von Werd (d.12 June 1352) *** Johann(es) II. von Habsburg-Laufenburg (*1 January 1330; † 17 December 1380), 15th Count of Rapperswil. Political opponent of Rudolf Brun, Mayor of Zürich, was arrested for two years in Zürich after Brun besieged the city of Rapperswil, Minnesang. Married Verena von Neuenberg (Neuchâtel, d. 1372) **** Johann(es) III. von Habsburg-Laufenburg (d. 11 January 1392), 16th Count of Rapperswil **** Verena *** Adelaide (d.1370), married Heinrich IV von Montfort-Tettnang *** Agnes, who became a nun in the Säckingen Abbey: *** Rudolf IV von Habsburg-Laufenburg (d. September 1383), Count of Habsburg-Laufenburg, married Verena Gonzaga ***** Johann(es) IV von Habsburg-Laufenburg (d. 18 May 1408), 17th Count of Rapperswil, married Agnes von Landenburg ****** Ursula von Habsburg-Laufenburg (* before 1400 † 1460), 18th Count(ess) of Rapperswil, married Count Rudolf von Sulz ****** Agnes von Habsburg-Laufenburg (d.1409) ***** Agnes von Habsburg-Laufenburg (d. 1425), married Donat I of Toggenburg *** An unknown person, brother/sister *** Elisabeth, married Johann II von Waldburg Elisabeth von Habsburg-Laufenburg
/ref> ***Gottfried III von Habsburg-Laufenburg (d. 1375), married Elisabeth von Ochsenstein and Agnes von Teck; left no descendants * Albrecht von Rapperswil (Raprechtswil): Minnesang mentioned in
Codex Manesse The Codex Manesse (also Große Heidelberger Liederhandschrift or Pariser Handschrift) is a ''Liederhandschrift'' (manuscript containing songs), the single most comprehensive source of Middle High German ''Minnesang'' poetry, written and illustrat ...
(folio 192v)


References


Bibliography

* Eugester, Erwin, ''Adlige Territorialpolitik in der Ostschweiz. Kirchliche Stiftungen im Spannungsfeld früher landesherrlicher Verdrängungspolitik''. Zürich 1991, . * Gull, F., ''Die Grafen von Rapperswyl'', Archives héraldiques suisses/ Schweizerisches Archiv für Heraldik/ Archivio araldico Svizzero, 1892, nr.6, DOI
10.5169
* Sablonier, Roger, ''Adel im Wandel. Untersuchungen zur sozialen Situation des ostschweizerischen Adels um 1300''. Chronos-Verlag, Zürich 1979/2000. . * Sablonier, Roger, ''Gründungszeit ohne Eidgenossen: Politik und Gesellschaft in der Innerschweiz um 1300''. hier + jetzt, Baden 2008, .


External links

{{Authority control Swiss nobility Medieval Switzerland People from Rapperswil-Jona History of the canton of St. Gallen History of Zürich Counties of the Holy Roman Empire