The County of Württemberg was a historical territory with origins in the realm of the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is a German dynasty and former royal family from Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then calle ...

, the heart of the old

Duchy of Swabia The Duchy of Swabia (German: ''Herzogtum Schwaben'') was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German Kingdom. It arose in the 10th century in the southwestern area that had been settled by Alemanni tribes in Late Antiquity. While the ...

. Its capital was

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Sw ...

. From the 12th century until 1495, it was a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

. It later became a

duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between ...

and, after the breakup of the Holy Roman Empire, a kingdom.

Etymology

This county was named after a hill of the same name in the district of Untertürkheim in Rotenberg,

, on which Wattenberg Castle stood until 1819. Until about 1350, the county appeared in records only with the spelling "Wirtenberg".

History

The

first appeared in the late 11th century. The first family member mentioned in records was Konrad I, in 1081, who is believed to have built the castle. The Württembergs became

counts 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 ...

in the 12th century. In 1250, the

House of Hohenstaufen 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 dynas ...

's reign over the

ended; this allowed the Württembergs to expand their territory to include the duchy.

(which later became the capital) was included within the county as a result of the marriage between Ulrich I and Mechthild of

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden i ...

in 1251. The Württemberg territory expanded further under the rule of Ulrich III, Eberhard II and Eberhard III. Under Eberhard III, Württemberg assimilated the

County of Montbéliard The Princely County of Montbéliard (french: Comté princier de Montbéliard; german: Grafschaft Mömpelgard), was a princely county of the Holy Roman Empire seated in the city of Montbéliard in the present-day Franche-Comté region of France. ...

(german: Mömpelgard) through the betrothal of his son,

Eberhard IV Eberhard IV of Berg, count of Altena (also called Eberhard I von Altena) (1140 – 23 January 1180, buried in Altenberg), was a son of Adolf IV, Count of Berg and Altena. He married Adelheid von Arnsberg (van Cuyck) (died 1200), a daughter of Hei ...

, to

Henriette, Countess of Montbéliard Henriette (1387 – 14 February 1444) was Sovereign Countess of Montbéliard from 1397 until 1444. She was the daughter of Henry of Orbe (died 1396), and the heiress of her grandfather, Stephen, Count of Montbéliard. Her great-grandfather was H ...

in 1397. In 1442, the

Treaty of Nürtingen The Treaty of Nürtingen was a treaty in German history, signed on 25 January 1442. It divided the county of Württemberg between count Ludwig I and his brother count Ulrich V. The county had first been divided on 23 April 1441 following Ulrich's ...

was signed between Ulrich V and his brother Ludwig I. As a result, Württemberg was divided into two parts. Ulrich received the Stuttgart area (Württemberg-Stuttgart), including the towns of

Bad Cannstatt Bad Cannstatt, also called Cannstatt (until July 23, 1933) or Kannstadt (until 1900 in Germany, 1900), is one of the outer stadtbezirke, or city boroughs, of Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Bad Cannstatt is the oldest and most populous ...

, Göppingen,

Marbach am Neckar Marbach am Neckar is a town about 20 kilometres north of Stuttgart. It belongs to the district of Ludwigsburg, the Stuttgart region and the European metropolitan region of Stuttgart. Marbach is known as the birthplace of Friedrich Schiller, to ...

, Neuffen,

Nürtingen Nürtingen () is a town on the river Neckar in the district of Esslingen in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. History The following events occurred, by year: *1046: First mention of ''Niuritingin'' in the document of Speyer ...

, Schorndorf and

Waiblingen Waiblingen (; Swabian: ''Woeblinge'') is a town in the southwest of Germany, located in the center of the densely populated Stuttgart region, directly neighboring Stuttgart. It is the capital and largest city of the Rems-Murr district. , Wai ...

. Ludwig received the

Bad Urach Bad Urach () is a town in the district of Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 14 km east of Reutlingen, at the foot of the Swabian ''Alb'' (or Swabian Alps in English), and is known for its spa and therapeutic bath. N ...

section (Württemberg-Urach), including the towns of Balingen, Calw, Herrenberg,

Münsingen Münsingen (Highest Alemannic: ''Münsige'') is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the former municipality of Trimstein merged into Münsingen, and on 1 January ...

Tuttlingen Tuttlingen ( Alemannic: ''Duttlinga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Tuttlingen. Nendingen, ''Möhringen'' and ''Eßlingen'' are three former municipalities that belong to Tuttlingen. Tuttlingen is located in Swabia ea ...

and

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in three ...

. This section grew to include the County of Montbéliard as well after the death of Henriette in 1444. As a result of the Treaty of Münsingen in 1482 and the Treaty of Esslingen in 1492, Count Eberhard V succeeded in reuniting Württemberg and rose to the rank of

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

. The childless Eberhard became the sole ruler of this reunited country. The reigning Count Eberhard VI of Württemberg-Stuttgart was designated as his successor, and was to govern in association with a committee of twelve "honourables", representatives of the country's two estates (lords and commons). In 1495, under the Imperial Diet of Worms summoned by Emperor Maximilian I, the county became the

Duchy of Württemberg The Duchy of Württemberg (german: Herzogtum Württemberg) was a duchy located in the south-western part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was a member of the Holy Roman Empire from 1495 to 1806. The dukedom's long survival for over three centuries ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wurttemberg County of Württemberg Counties of the Holy Roman Empire County

County A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

States and territories established in 1083 States and territories established in 1482 States and territories disestablished in 1495

1080s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1490s disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1083 establishments in Europe 1495 disestablishments in Europe Former states and territories of Baden-Württemberg Medieval Germany