Rupert IV of Nassau, german: Ruprecht IV. von Nassau (died after 1 January 1239),Dek (1970). was

Count 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: ...

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

. He later became a Knight of the

Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

Life

Rupert IV was the second son of Count

Walram I of Nassau Walram I of Nassau, german: Walram I. von Nassau (Dek (1970).Van de Venne & Stols (1937). – 1 February 1198Hesselfelt (1965).Vorsterman van Oyen (1882).), also known as Walram I of Laurenburg, was Count of Nassau and is the oldest Nassau wh ...

Cawley.Vorsterman van Oyen (1882). and a certain Kunigunde, possibly a daughter of a count of

Sponheim Sponheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany. History Sponheim was the capital of the County of Sponheim. Sponheim Abbey There was a Benedictine abbey which was founded in 1101 by Step ...

or a daughter of Poppo II, Count of

Ziegenhain Ziegenhain is a municipality in the district of Altenkirchen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It used to be part of the mayoralty of Weyerbusch In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as th ...

. Rupert is mentioned for the first time in a charter dated 20 March 1198, together with his mother and his brother Henry II. This mention means that he and his brother were of age at that time, that is to say, they had reached the age of 12. Rupert is mentioned as count of Nassau between 1198 and 1230. He reigned with his brother Henry. Rupert's father had received the ''Königshof''

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

from Emperor

Frederick I Frederick I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I, Count of Zoller ...

in reward for his support of the emperor in the conflicts of 1170–1180.Reuling. The Nassau possessions in this area were expanded around 1214 when Rupert's brother Henry received the Imperial Vogtship (''

Reichsvogtei ''Reichsvogt'' (; ''Imperial Advocate'') was the term for the office of a ''Vogt'' that was nominated by the king of the Holy Roman Empire as his representative. Especially in what is now Switzerland, the ''Reichsvogt'' was a very influential pos ...

'') over Wiesbaden and the surrounding ''

Königssondergau The Königssondergau (German for "King's Special District") was a Frankish '' gau'' (district) which existed in the area north of the confluence of the Rhine and Main rivers in Germany, from Frankish times until the end of the 12th century. Ofte ...

'', which he held as

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

doms. About the year 1200, Rupert, together with his brother Henry, began building Sonnenberg Castle on a spur of Spitzkippel peak in the

Taunus The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is ''Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are ''Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and ''Altkönig'' (798 m). The Taunus range spans ...

above Wiesbaden. This was intended for protection against the Archbishop of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

and its vassals, the

Lords of Eppstein The Lords of Eppstein () were a family of German nobility in the Middle Ages. From the 12th century they ruled extensive territories in the Rhine Main area from their castle in Eppstein, northwest of Frankfurt, Germany. History Between 1180 and 11 ...

, who held the lands bordering Wiesbaden. However, the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

of St. Martin's Cathedral in

claimed Sonnenberg as their own. To settle the dispute, Nassau paid 30 Marks to the cathedral chapter in 1221 to acquire the land of Sonnenberg Castle. They were also forced to recognize the sovereignty of the Archbishops of Mainz over Sonnenberg, taking the castle as a fief of Mainz. Template - Grand Master of the Teutonic Order

Template - Grand Master of the Teutonic Order

Rupert is mentioned as a Knight of the

in 1230. Rupert died after January 1, 1239, and bequeathed his legacy to the Order. This would eventually lead to conflict between the

House of Nassau The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count o ...

and the Order.

Marriage and children

Rupert married before 11 December 1215Cawley quotes from a charter dated 11 December 1215, in which ''‘Heinricus und Roppertus comites de Nassovva’'' with the consent of ''‘uxorum nostrarum Methildis et Gertrudis’'' bought property from Mainz cathedral. From this can be concluded that Rupert and Gertrud were already married on 11 December 1215. All genealogies however state that the marriage took place "before 1221". to Gertrud (died ca. 1222), possibly a daughter of the Count of Cleeberg. From this marriage no children are known.

Sources

* * *

References

External links

Die territoriale Entwicklung Nassaus
by Ulrich Reuling. . Retrieved on 2009-01-26.

Retrieved on 2009-01-31. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rupert 04, Count of Nassau Counts of Nassau 12th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire 13th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 13th-century deaths