The County Palatine of Tübingen was a state of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

in the

medieval period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

. The dynasty, originally based in Nagold, managed to acquire extensive holdings over the course of their time in power, distinguishing themselves by founding a large number monasteries in their territories. By the time of the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...

, several factors contributed to their economic decline, including the expenses of keeping court and extravagant donations to the monasteries they founded. The line itself experienced fragmentation into numerous cadet branches, the longest-lasting of which were the Counts of Tübingen-Lichteneck (until 1664) and the

Counts of Montfort Count of Montfort may refer to: * Counts of Montfort (Swabia) * Count of Montfort-l'Amaury, France {{dab ...

(1787).

History

The oldest documented count of Nagold is Anselm of Nagoldgau the Elder, who is as recorded as possessing Kuppingen (modern Herrenberg-Kuppingen) in the year 966. He is followed by Anselm of Nagoldgau the Younger, who is mentioned in records from 1027 and 1048. Between these two (the only two counts designated "of Nagold''gau''") a certain Count Hugo I of Nagold, presumably from the same family, appears in 1007, when he was invested with the royal estates of Holzgerlingen and the Imperial forest at

Schönbuch Schönbuch (; ) is an almost completely wooded area southwest of Stuttgart and part of the Southern German Escarpment Landscape (German language, German: ''südwestdeutsches Schichtstufenland''). In 1972, the central zone of Schönbuch became the ...

. The city of

Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, 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 (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...

first appears in official records in 1191, and the local castle, ''Hohentübingen'', has records going back to 1078 (as "castrum Twingia") when it was besieged by Henry IV,

King of Germany This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (), from Treaty of Verdun, the division of the Francia, Frankish Empire in 843 and Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in ...

in the context of the

Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest (, , ) was a conflict between church and state in medieval Europe, the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture), abbots of monasteri ...

. Hugo III (who also founded Blaubeuren Abbey in 1085) would nevertheless submit to the king in 1079. From 1146, Hugo V (1125-1152) would bear the title of

count palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...

(''Pfalzgraf''), as Hugo I of Tübingen. This promotion is presumably due to services rendered to Conrad III, the first

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 dynast ...

king of Germany, elected in 1138. By that point, the office of count palatine was no longer tied to its original task of maintaining a royal palace (whence the term “palatine”), but instead indicated that the holder exercised a certain degree of power and authority as the king's official representative within a

stem duchy A stem duchy (, from '':wikt:Stamm, Stamm'', meaning "tribe", in reference to the Franks, Saxons, Baiuvarii, Bavarians and Alemanni, Swabians) was a constituent duchy of the Kingdom of Germany at the time of the extinction of the Carolingian dyna ...

, making Hugo second only to the

Duke of Swabia The Dukes of Swabia were the rulers of the Duchy of Swabia during the Middle Ages. Swabia was one of the five stem duchy, stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most no ...

. As count palatine, he was also granted the right to exercise judicial powers in the king's stead, in addition to hunting rights, the right to collect customs, and the right to mint coins – as demonstrated by the Tübingen

pfennig The pfennig (; . 'pfennigs' or 'pfennige' ; currency symbol, symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former Germany, German coin or note, which was an official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valua ...

, which appears starting in 1185. Hugo II (1153–82) gained

Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...

and other property in

Raetia Curiensis Raetia Curiensis (in Latin; , ) was an early medieval province in Central Europe, named after the preceding Roman province of '' Raetia prima'' which retained its Romansh culture during the Migration Period, while the adjacent territories in the ...

, Tettnang and Sigmaringen by marriage to Elizabeth of Bregenz. In 1171, Hugo II founded Marchtal Abbey, and his first son Rudolph I would go on to found Bebenhausen Abbey in 1183. Rudolph also acquired

Gießen Giessen, spelled in German (), is a town in the German state () of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 university students. Th ...

via marriage to Matilda, countess of Gleiburg, which would later be sold to the

landgraves of Hesse The Landgraviate of Hesse () was a Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a single entity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided among the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. History In the early ...

in 1264. Hugo's second son founded the Montfort dynasty, as Hugo I, Count of Montfort (d. 1230). Upon the death of Rudolph I, his and Matilda's eldest son

Rudolph II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–16 ...

(1224-1247) became ruler of Horb,

Herrenberg Herrenberg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Härrabärg'' or ''Haerebärg'') is a town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 30 km south of Stuttgart and 20 km from Tübingen. After Sindelfingen, Böblingen, and Leonberg, it ...

, and Tübingen. Their second son

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

would go on to found the Asberg-Gießen-Böblingen line. Rudolph II's son, originally Rudolph III of Tübingen, started what would be known as the Herrenberg Line, as Rudolph I of Scheer (d. 1277).

Decline

By the early 1300s, Count Palatine Gottfried I ("Götz") was deeply in debt to Bebenhausen Abbey. He signed over extensive rights to the abbey, even transferring control of Böblingen and Calw. In 1311, Henry VII placed the imperial ban on Count Eberhard I of Württemberg, and Gottfried was appointed '' Feldhauptmann'' in the imperial army, defeating Eberhard in May of that year. In a show of gratitude, the city of Esslingen assumed Gottfried's debts to the abbey, and he was able to recover the two towns. Before long, however, his sons and his grandson Gottfried III would find themselves so deep in debt that they would enter into another debt-relief agreement, this time with the city of Tübingen, with

Ulrich III, Count of Württemberg Ulrich III (1286/129111 July 1344) was County of Württemberg, Count of Württemberg from 1325 until his death in 1344. Life Ulrich was born between 1286 and 1291 to Count Eberhard I, Count of Württemberg, Eberhard I and an uncertain mother, e ...

(Eberhard's son) acting as guarantor. For a nine-year period, the city would enjoy a wide range of privileges, including the right to elect their own '' Amtmänner'' (bailiffs) and to determine how their tax revenues were to be distributed. But in 1342, Gottfried found himself in conflict with Ulrich. Ordered by Emperor

Louis the Bavarian Louis IV (; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian (, ), was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 until his death in 1347. Louis' election as king of Germany in 1314 was cont ...

to make full restitution, he was forced to sell Tübingen to Ulrich for 20,000 gold hellers. Throughout the Middle Ages, the individual branches of the dynasty died out one after another: Horb by 1293, Asberg after 1357, Böblingen by 1377, with Herrenberg lasting until 1677. The last male member of the family to bear the name was Johann Georg, illegitimate son of Conrad William of Tübingen-Lichteneck. He served the duke of Württemberg in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

as commander of the defenses at '' Hohentübingen'' Castle''.'' In 1677, he died with no male heirs''.'' After the county palatine was sold to 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 ...

(or donated to Bebenhausen Abbey), it has since been part of the

Duchy of Württemberg The Duchy of Württemberg () was a duchy located in the south-western part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was a Imperial Estate, state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1495 to 1803. The dukedom's long survival for over three centuries was mainly du ...

(1495–1806), the

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806. Geogr ...

(1806–1918), the

Free People's State of Württemberg The Free People's State of Württemberg () was a state which existed in the Weimar Republic and from 1933 in Nazi Germany. History Revolution in Württemberg With the German revolution near the end of World War I, the Kingdom of Württembe ...

(1918–1945) and

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

(since 1952).

Coat of Arms

The arms of the Counts Palatine of Tübingen always consist of the same basic design, but in different color combinations, representing the various branches of the family. The original coat of arms consists of a red three-tailed banner ( gonfanon) with gold rings and fringes on a gold shield. Pfalzgrafenwappen

The counts of Montfort adopted the red banner from the original arms, but placed them on a silver shield instead of a gold one. This version is used as the arms of the Austrian state of

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...

, and also appears as an escutcheon on the state flag. The counts of Werdenberg, who split off from the Montfort line, used a black banner on silver, while Werdenberg-Vaduz used a silver banner on black, and Werdenberg-Sargans a silver banner on red. The latter are featured in the arms of House Fürstenberg, having been acquired by the counts of Fürstenberg after the extinction of the Werdenberg-Sargans-Trochtelfingen line. The arms of the County Palatine of Tübingen – or its cadet branches – have been displayed in the arms of several locations throughout the region, including Tübingen, Herrenberg, Böblingen, and Horb. While Horb later adopted the Hohenberg arms, the other towns have retained them to this day. Herrenberg reversed the colors, with a gold banner on a red shield. As for Tübingen, a pair of crossed arms holding antlers were added above the shield by Duke Ulrich of Württemberg in 1514.

Genealogy

Note: The following lists have been simplified. It does not include persons who died young or who otherwise had no impact on the overall course of the family's history. # Hugo I of Tübingen (= Hugo V of Nagold), (†ca. 1152), shortly before 1146 promoted to ''Count Palatine of Swabia'', ∞ Hemma of Zollern, daughter of Frederick I, Count of Zollern ## Frederick, Count Palatine of Tübingen, 1152-1162 ## Hugo II (1115-1182), Count Palatine of Tübingen 1152-1182, ∞ Elizabeth, Countess of Bregenz, heir to

, Montfort, and Sigmaringen; daughter of Rudolph I, Count of Bregenz ### Rudolph I (1160-1219), Count Palatine of Tübingen 1182-1219; founded Bebenhausen Abbey in 1183; ∞ Matilda, Countess of Gleiburg, heir of

#### Rudolph II (†1247), Count Palatine of Tübingen,

Vogt An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

of Sindelfingen ##### Hugo IV (†1267), Count Palatine of Tübingen, Count of Horb, founder of the ''Horb line'' ###### Rudolph (*1259; †1280), member of the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

###### Ludwig, Count of Horb; after his death, Horb was acquired by the Counts of Hohenberg via marriage to his sister ###### Liutgard ∞ Burkhard IV of Hohenberg ##### Rudolph I "der Scheerer" (†1277), Count of Tübingen in

, founder of the Herrenberg line Coa House of Tuebingen-Herrenberg

###### Eberhard (†1304), Count Palatine of Tübingen; sold Tübingen to the Böblingen line in 1294 ###### Rudolph II "der Scheerer" (†1317), Count of Tübingen in Herrenberg ####### According to some sources, Conrad I "der Scheerer" (†1376), Count of Herrenberg ######## Conrad II (†1391), Count of Herrenberg; sold Herrenberg to Württemberg in 1382 ######### Anastasia of Tübingen, abbess of St. Margarethen Abbey in Waldkirch Coa House of Asperg

####

(†1252), Count of Asperg-Gießen-Böblingen (the "Asperg Line") ##### Rudolph IV (†1271), Count of Böblingen ###### Gottfried I (†1316), Count of Böblingen, Count Palatine of Tübingen, ∞ Elizabeth of Fürstenberg ####### William (†1327), Count Palatine of Tübingen ######## Gottfried II (†1369), Count Palatine of Tübingen; sold Tübingen to Württemberg in 1342; inherited Lichteneck via his wife, founding the Tübingen-Lichteneck line (see below) ####### Agnes ∞ Ulrich of Rechberg The Elder ##### Ulrich I (†1283), Count of Asperg; sold Gießen to the

Landgraves of Hesse The Landgraviate of Hesse () was a Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a single entity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided among the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. History In the early ...

in 1264 ###### Ulrich II (†1341), Count of Beilstein; sold Asperg to Württemberg in 1340; ∞ Anna, Countess of Löwenstein, heir of Beilstein ####### William (†1357); sold Beilstein to Württemberg in 1340 ### Hugo III of Tübingen (Hugo I of Montfort, 1185–1228/30), Count of Bregenz and Montfort, founder of the Montfort Line,''Hugo I von Tübingen, Graf von Bregenz und Montfort''
from the ''Genealogisches Handbuch zur Schwietzer Gescichte'' 'Genealogical Handbook of Swiss History'' Volume 1, p. 150; cited by Manfred Hiebl. from which arose the Werdenberg Line ## Henry of Tübingen (* ca. 1118, †7 April 1167 in an epidemic in Italy)

Tübingen-Lichteneck Line

# Gottfried II (†1369), Count Palatine of Tübingen, sold Tübingen to Württemberg in 1342, but retained the title of "Count of Tübingen"; via his marriage to Clara of Freiburg, he would become lord of Lichteneck ## Conrad I (†1414), Count of Lichteneck ### Margaretha ∞ Hesso,

Margrave of Baden The Margraviate of Baden () was a historical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. Spread along the right banks of the Upper Rhine in south-western Germany, it was named a margraviate in 1112 and existed until 1535, when it was split into the two ...

### Conrad II (†1449), Count of Lichteneck ### Rudolf "of Scheer" (*1414) #### Conrad II(†1477), Count of Lichteneck; ∞ Anna, Countess of Lupfen ##### George I (†1507), Count of Tübingen, Lord of Lichteneck ###### Conrad III (†1569), Count of Tübingen, Lord of Lichteneck ####### Conrad IV (†1569), Count of Tübingen, Lord of Lichteneck; after 1536 Lord of Lichteneck and Limburg ######## Agathe, Countess of Tübingen, ∞ Eberhard, Count of Hohenlohe († 5 March 1570) ######## George III (†1570 in a fire at Waldenburg Castle during

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

), Count of Lichteneck, ∞ Walpurg, Countess of Erbach ######### Eberhard (*1573, †14 September 1608), Count of Lichteneck, Councillor for the Duchy of Württemberg; starting in 1587, Obervogt of the

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...

########## George Eberhard († 9 September 1631), Count of Lichteneck ########## Conrad William (†1630), Count of Tübingen-Lichteneck ########### Elizabeth Bernhardine (*11 October 1624; † 4 November 1666) ∞ Charles, Count of Salmburg-Neuburg, who would inherit Lichteneck and then sell it in 1664 ######### Albericus (*1573, †25 October 1592 – killed by guards in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

) ####### George II, Count of Tübingen (died unmarried) ###### Henry, Teutonic Knight ###### John, Teutonic Knight ###### Margaret, abbess of Buchau (*1496)

References

*Ludwig Schmid: ''Geschichte der Pfalzgrafen von Tübingen, nach meist ungedruckten Quellen, nebst Urkundenbuch. Ein Beitrag zur schwäbischen und deutschen Geschichte'' 'History of the Counts Palatine of Tübingen : according to mostly unprinted sources and historic documents; a contribution to Swabianand German history'' Bavarian State Library: Fues, Tübingen 1853 . * Gerhard Köbler: ''Historisches Lexikon der deutschen Länder'' 2nd ed., Beck, München 1989. * Decker-Hauff, Hansmartin / Quarthal, Franz ds. ''Die Pfalzgrafen von Tübingen. Städtepolitik - Pfalzgrafenamt - Adelsherrschaft im Breisgau'', Sigmaringen 1981. ;Notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Tubingen, County Palatine Tübingen Counties of the Holy Roman Empire States and territories established in the 11th century 1342 disestablishments