Hermann I (, ; around 1333 – 21 March 1385),

Count of Celje The Counts of Celje () or the Counts of Cilli (; ) were the most influential Late Middle Ages, late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-day Slovenia. Risen as Feudalism, vassals of the House of Habsburg, Habsburg dukes of Duchy of ...

, was a Styrian nobleman, who was head of the House of Celje between 1359 and 1385. In the first decade, he ruled together with his older brother

Ulrich Ulrich () is a Germanic given name derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements ''Othala rune, uodal-'' meaning "heritage" and ''-rih'' meaning "king, ruler". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Al ...

. After Ulrich's death, Hermann took over the custody of his nephew

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 ...

and ruled as the ''de facto'' head of the family. Under his rule, the House of Celje began expanding its influence from its power base in present-day

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

and southern

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

and the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. By marriage to the Bosnian princess

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

, whose exact parentage is disputed, Hermann became the brother-in-law either of the Hungarian and Polish king Louis the Great, or of the Bosnian king

Tvrtko I Stephen Tvrtko I ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Stjepan/Stefan Tvrtko, Стјепан/Стефан Твртко; 1338 – 10 March 1391) was the king of Bosnia, first king of Kingdom of Bosnia, Bosnia. A member of the House of Kotromanić, h ...

. His son Hermann II further expanded the family's wealth and influence. By the time of his death, Hermann I was the largest landowner in the territory of present-day Slovenia, where his possessions significantly outnumbered those of his

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

liege lord Homage (/ˈhɒmɪdʒ/ or ) (from Medieval Latin , lit. "pertaining to a man") in the Middle Ages was the ceremony in which a feudal tenant or vassal pledged reverence and submission to his feudal lord, receiving in exchange the symbolic title t ...

Life

Little is known of Hermann's early life. He was the second-born son of Frederick of Sanneck, first

, and his wife Diemut from the noble Wallsee family. His father had inherited the

Celje Castle Celje Castle (), also known as Celje Upper Castle () or Old Castle (), is a castle ruin in Celje, Slovenia, formerly the seat of the Counts of Celje. It stands on three hills to the southeast of Celje, where the river Savinja meanders into the L ...

and took possession of it in 1332, but it's unclear whether Hermann was born there or in the nearby Žovnek Castle, their ancestral home. After his father's death in 1359 or 1360, Hermann took over the family estates which were significantly enlarged during his father's tenure, and ruled them together with his older brother Ulrich I. This was in accordance with the family tradition which avoided splitting the inheritance among brothers, and instead opted for shared rule among them. After Ulrich's death in 1368, Hermann became the sole administrator of the Celje estates, ruling also in the name of his 7-year old nephew

. Together with his son Hermann II and nephew William, Hermann took part in the crusade against Samogitians in 1377, as part of the entourage of Duke Albert III of Austria. Hermann died in 1385, and was succeeded by his second-born son Hermann, as his first-born son Hans died already in 1372.

Marriage and children

Hermann was married to Catherine of Bosnia, a princess from the ruling

Kotromanić dynasty The House of Kotromanić ( sr-cyrl, Котроманић, Kotromanići / Котроманићи) was a late medieval Bosnian noble and later royal dynasty. Rising to power in the middle of the 13th century as bans of Bosnia, with control ove ...

. Their first born son John (Hans) died at the age of nine. Two children survived infancy: * Hermann II, a claimant to the Bosnian throne;Čepič et al. (1979): Zgodovina Slovencev. Ljubljana, Cankarjeva založba. Str. 216. married Anna of Schaunberg and had issue, among whom Barbara of Cilli, Holy Roman Empress. * Walburga, married Bernhard of Ptuj (Pettau), no issue.

Family

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hermann 01 of Celje 1330s births 1485 deaths Counts of Celje