Ulrich I (25 February 1265), nicknamed the Founder (), was

Count of Württemberg 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: ...

from 1241 until his death in 1265.

Life

Ulrich's relation to his predecessors is uncertain. The historian Hansmartin Decker Hauff labelled Ulrich as a son of Hermann of Württemberg and Irmengard of Ulten. Hermann, of which very little is known, is probably a son of

Hartmann, Count of Württemberg Hartmann I (1160–1240) was the Count of Württemberg. Hartmann I and his brother Ludwig III, Count of Württemberg, Ludwig III both called themselves “Count of Württemberg” at the time, so it is assumed that they administered the county ...

. Ulrich is believed to have been a cousin to Hartmann II, Count of Grüningen, and to have a paternal relation with Albert IV, Count of Dillingen. He was twice married. From his marriage to Mechthild of Baden, daughter of Hermann V, he had two daughters, and a son, who succeeded him as Ulrich II. From his second marriage to Agnes of Schlesien-Liegnitz, he had another son, Eberhard I, and possibly another daughter.

Count of Württemberg

The argument between

Emperor Frederick II Frederick II (, , , ; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI of the Ho ...

and the Popes

Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the P ...

and

Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV (; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universities of Parma and Bolo ...

had effects on conditions in the duchy of

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

, of which Württemberg was a part. After Frederick's

excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in Koinonia, communion with other members o ...

and deposition by the Council of Lyon, Ulrich joined Anti-king

Henry Raspe Henry Raspe (; – 16 February 1247) was the Landgrave of Thuringia from 1231 until 1239 and again from 1241 until his death. In 1246, with the support of the Papacy, he was elected King of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV, but his conteste ...

and William of Holland, against Frederick's son

Conrad IV Conrad (25 April 1228 – 21 May 1254), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the only son of Emperor Frederick II from his second marriage with Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem. He inherited the title of King of Jerusalem (as Conrad II) up ...

. With Ulrich's support, Conrad IV was defeated. Ulrich used the situation, to develop his power within Swabia. After the death of Conrad IV in 1254, however, his two-year-old son

Conradin Conrad III (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), called ''the Younger'' or ''the Boy'', but usually known by the diminutive Conradin (, ), was the last direct heir of the House of Hohenstaufen. He was Duke of Swabia (1254–1268) and nominal King ...

was recognized as Duke of Swabia. Conradin's guardian,

Louis II, Duke of Bavaria Louis the Strict () (13 April 1229 – 2 February 1294) was Duke of Upper Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1253. He is known as Louis II or Louis VI following an alternative numbering. Born in Heidelberg, he was a son of Otto II W ...

, annexed the territories that Ulrich had gained from defeating Conrad IV, to Swabia. Ulrich was forced to concentrate on the middle

Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...

valley as the basis of the

county of Württemberg The County of Württemberg was a historical territory with origins in the realm of the House of Württemberg, the heart of the old Duchy of Swabia. Its capital was Stuttgart. From the 12th century until 1495, it was a county within the Holy Roman ...

. His marriage to Mechthild of Baden allowed him to gain control of the region from the Margravate of Baden.

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, future capital of Württemberg was given to Württemberg by Baden as a wedding gift.

Issue

with Mechthild of Baden, daughter of Hermann V of Baden * Agnes of Württemberg * Mechthild of Württemberg * Ulrich II with Agnes of Schlesien-Liegnitz, daughter of Bolesław II the Horned * Eberhard I * Irmengard of Württemberg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulrich I, Count of WArttemberg 1220s births 1265 deaths 13th-century counts of Württemberg Burials at Stiftskirche, Stuttgart Royal reburials