Landenberg was a noble family in
medieval Switzerland
The early history of Switzerland begins with the earliest settlements up to the beginning of Habsburg rule, which in 1291 gave rise to the independence movement in the central cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden and the growth of the Old Swis ...
.
History
By the beginning 14th century, they were the most powerful family of eastern Switzerland, separating into four lines, Alt-Landenberg, Landenberg-Greifensee, Hohenlandenberg and Breitenlandenberg.
The main line was extinct early, Rudolf I and his son Pantaleon both falling in the
battle of Morgarten in 1315. The Landenberg-Greifensee line was the most successful during the 14th century but was outlived by the Hohenladenberg and Breitenlandenberg ones. Breitenlandenberg proved the most successful in the longer run, rising to significant power in the 15th century and lasting into the 19th.
The influence of the Landenberg-Greifensee line peaked in the 1350s with Hermann IV, whose sons came into financial difficulties and had to sell a number of castles, among them Alt-Landenberg and Greifensee. The reasons for this decline was their close ties with the house of
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 ...
, which was itself struggling with difficulties and losing its hold over the territory due to both the rise of the city of
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 the
growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy began as a late medieval alliance between the communities of the valleys in the Central Alps, at the time part of the Holy Roman Empire, to facilitate the management of common interests such as free trade and to ensure ...
.
The Breitenlandenberg and Hohenlandenberg lines overcame this crisis by allying themselves with Zürich, adopting Zürich citizenship. Their territorial influence remained confined to the
Zürcher Oberland
The Zürcher Oberland ("Zurich highlands") in Switzerland, is the hilly south-eastern part of the canton of Zurich, bordering on the Toggenburg, including the districts of Uster, Hinwil, Pfäffikon as well as the Töss Valley as far as the dist ...
due to the pressure of territorial expansion from both Zürich and the Swiss Confederacy, but by the end of the 14th century they became again very wealthy and gave out major credits to the cities of Winterthur and Constance.
The Hohenlandenberg line owned
Andelfingen until 1434.
The Breitenlandenberg line rose to great importance in
Zürichgau in the 15th century. They had Zürich citizenship from the 14th century, and often intermarried with families of the Zürich patriciate like Schäfli. They also entered the
Old Zürich War
The Old Zurich War (german: Alter Zürichkrieg), 1440–46, was a conflict between the canton of Zurich and the other seven cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy over the succession to the Count of Toggenburg.
In 1436, Count Friedrich VII of ...
on the side of Zürich, and
Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg
Landenberg was a noble family in medieval Switzerland.
History
By the beginning 14th century, they were the most powerful family of eastern Switzerland, separating into four lines, Alt-Landenberg, Landenberg-Greifensee, Hohenlandenberg and Br ...
was beheaded with his entire garrison at the siege of
Greifensee in 1444. The knights of Breitenlandenberg also fought with Zürich, this time on the side of the Swiss, in the
Burgundy Wars
The Burgundian Wars (1474–1477) were a conflict between the Burgundian State and the Old Swiss Confederacy and its allies. Open war broke out in 1474, and the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, was defeated three times on the battlefield in t ...
.
They declined from the 16th century and sold the ancestral Breitenlandeberg castle in the 17th century, residing mostly in Zürich, although they retained jurisdiction in a number of communes, at
Salenstein
Salenstein is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in Kreuzlingen District in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
Salenstein was the home village of Napoleon III, who lived at Castle Arenenberg in his youth.
H ...
into the 18th century. The male line of Breitenlandenberg was extinct in the 1870s.
Alt-Landenberg
*Beringer, fl. 1209
*Rudolf I, d. 1315
Landenberg-Greifensee
*Hermann I
*Hermann II (d. 1306)
*Hermann IV (d. 1361), son of Hermann II, married Elisabeth of Schellenberg (d. 1340) and Diemut von Roteneck
Hohenlandenberg
*Beringer II, known for his belligerence and fraud, which resulted in the castle of Hohenlandenberg being destroyed in 1344
*Jakob, married Barbara of
Hegi
Hegi is a quarter in the district 2 of Winterthur.
It was formerly a part of Oberwinterthur
Oberwinterthur is a district in the Swiss city of Winterthur. It is district number 2.
The district comprises the quarters Talacker, Guggenbühl, Z ...
**sons Ulrich and Hugo IV, the latter
bishop of Constance
The Prince-Bishopric of Constance, (german: Hochstift Konstanz, Fürstbistum Konstanz, Bistum Konstanz) was a small ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the mid-12th century until its secularisation in 1802–1803. In his dua ...
in 1496
*Ulrich
Breitenlandenberg
*Hermann I (d. before 1377), married Adelheid of Radegg-Blumberg. From 1330 at Turbenthal.
*Albrecht I (d. 1388, at the
battle of Näfels
The Battle of Näfels was fought on 9 April 1388 between the Canton of Glarus, supported by its allies of the Old Swiss Confederation, and the Duchy of Austria ruled by the House of Habsburg. It was a decisive victory for Glarus, which achieved i ...
), married Verena of Ebersberg
*Hermann IV "Schöch" (d. 1437), married Ursula Truchsess of
Diessenhofen
Diessenhofen is a village and a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. The village is situated on the south shore of the High Rhine just opposite the German town of Gailingen am Hochrhein.
History
Diessenhofe ...
**sons of Hermann IV were Hermann,
bishop of Constance
The Prince-Bishopric of Constance, (german: Hochstift Konstanz, Fürstbistum Konstanz, Bistum Konstanz) was a small ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the mid-12th century until its secularisation in 1802–1803. In his dua ...
, Kaspar, abbot of
St. Gall abbey
The Abbey of Saint Gall (german: Abtei St. Gallen) is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian Renaissance, Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Sa ...
,
Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg
Landenberg was a noble family in medieval Switzerland.
History
By the beginning 14th century, they were the most powerful family of eastern Switzerland, separating into four lines, Alt-Landenberg, Landenberg-Greifensee, Hohenlandenberg and Br ...
who fell in the
Old Zürich War
The Old Zurich War (german: Alter Zürichkrieg), 1440–46, was a conflict between the canton of Zurich and the other seven cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy over the succession to the Count of Toggenburg.
In 1436, Count Friedrich VII of ...
, and Rudolf V.
*Rudolf V (d. 1460), married Agathe
Muntprat (d. 1505)
*Frischhans (1446-1516), married Margaretha of
Büsingen
*Hans (d. 1540), married Blanchefleur of
Rechberg
The House of Rechberg is the name of an old noble comital family in Swabia during the Holy Roman Empire period. They were sovereign counts of Rechberg and Rothenlöwen. As a mediatized house (mediatized by Württemberg in 1806), the family belo ...
, knighted in 1476 at the
battle of Grandson
The Battle of Grandson, which took place on 2 March 1476, was part of the Burgundian Wars, and resulted in a major defeat for Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundian State, Burgundy, at the hands of the Old Swiss Confederacy, Swiss.
Prelude
In ...
*Johann Rudolf (d. 1551)
*Hans Rudolf (d. 1606)
*Hans Dietrich (1571-1620), at
Salenstein
Salenstein is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in Kreuzlingen District in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
Salenstein was the home village of Napoleon III, who lived at Castle Arenenberg in his youth.
H ...
*Hartmann Friedrich (1617-1677) at Salenstein
*Wolf Dietrich I (1655-1733), at Salenstein
*Wolf Dietrich (1712-1796), at Salenstein
*Hans Caspar (1735-1798)
References
*
*J. Studer, ''Die Edeln von Landenberg'', 1904
External links
{{Authority control
History of Zürich
Swiss noble families
Roman Catholic families
Schramberg