Herman II, Count of Weimar-Orlamünde ( – 27 December 1247) was a member of the

House of Ascania The House of Ascania () was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Principality of Anhalt, Anhalt. The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ' ...

. He ruled the

County of Weimar-Orlamünde A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...

from 1206 until his death.

Life

He was the youngest son of Count Siegfried III ( – 1206) and his wife Sophie (1159 – ), a daughter of King

Valdemar I of Denmark Valdemar I Knudsen (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), also known as Valdemar the Great (), was King of Denmark from 1154 until his death in 1182. The reign of King Valdemar I saw the rise of Denmark, which reached its medieval zenith under his s ...

. After his father died in 1206, Hermann II ruled Weimar-Orlamünde jointly with his brother Albert II. He came increasingly into conflict with Landgrave

Herman I Herman I may refer to: * Herman I (Archbishop of Cologne) (died in 924) * Herman I, Duke of Swabia (died in 949) * Herman I, Count Palatine of Lotharingia (died in 996) * Herman I, Margrave of Meissen (died in 1038) * Herman I, Margrave of Baden ( ...

of Thuringia, who occupied Schauenforst Castle between Orlamünde and Rudolstadt. In 1214, Herman of Thuringia took Herman of Weimar-Orlamünde prisoner at Weimar Castle. Landgrave Louis IV of Thuringia also fought against the brothers Herman and Albert. Despite the continuing troubles with Thuringia, Herman II managed to expand his territorial sovereignty. He founded the city of

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

and a

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery at Oberweimar. In the conflict between the Houses of

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

and

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 ...

, he sided with the Hohenstaufen. His never-ending

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

s eventually caused the downfall of his dynasty. The areas around the two main towns remained separate territories and so it was logical that around 1265 his sons Herman III and Otto III divided the county into two almost independent counties of Weimar and Orlamünde.

Marriage and issue

Herman II married Princess Beatrix of Andechs-Merania, the daughter of Duke

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

of Merania. She was the heir to the Lordship of

Plassenburg Plassenburg is a castle in the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria. It is one of the most impressive castles in Germany and a symbol of the city. It was first mentioned in 1135. The Plassenberg family were Ministerialis, ministerial of the counts of And ...

, including

Kulmbach Kulmbach () is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town, once a stronghold of the Principality of Bayreuth, is renowned for its University of Life Sciences, a branch of the University of Bayreuth, the massive Plasse ...

and Mittleberg, and to the Lordship of Berneck, including

Goldkronach Goldkronach (East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a Town#Germany, town in the Bayreuth (district), district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated near the Fichtel Mountains, 12 km northeast of Bayreuth. Hist ...

, meinau,

Wirsberg Wirsberg is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to ...

, Pretzendorf, Zwernitz Castle and Trebgast. Herman II and Beatrix had the following children: * Herman "the Elder", was a clergyman * Herman III (), inherited Orlamünde * Otto III "the Magnificent" ( – 13 May 1285), married Agnes of Truhendingen ( – ), inherited Weimar, Rudolstadt and Plassenburg *

Sophie Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Soph ...

, married in 1259 to Count Henry VIII of Weida ( – 17 September 1280) * Otto "the Younger", canon at

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

from 1265 to 1308

References

Sources

External links

Entry at genealogie-mittelalter.de

Entry for Beatrix of Andechs-Merania in genealogy database by Herbert Stoyan
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Herman 02 Weimar Orlamunde House of Ascania Counts of Weimar-Orlamünde 12th-century births Year of birth uncertain 1247 deaths

Life

Marriage and issue

References

Sources

Further reading

External links