House of Urach

The Counts of Urach was a Swabian noble family of the 12th and 13th century, the (now Bad Urach Baden- Württemberg ) had their headquarters at Urach. The Counts of Urach were descended related to the Earl of Achalm. From their gender, the counts of Freiburg and the Count of Fürstenberg emerged.

History

Origin

In the earlier Gaugrafschaft in Swiggerstal ( Ermstal ) published in the early 11th century, the brothers Rudolf and Egino, whose headquarters was at Dettingen. The origin of the counts with widely scattered possessions in Swabia, in Zürichgau and Thurgau, can not be determined by sources.

  • Older depictions suspect due to possession tradition and name frequency offspring of an Earl " Unruoch " (possibly Unruoch III. From the noble Unruochinger ).
  • Recent representations include an origin of Urach at Aura an der Saale (Würzburg ) that " Urach " brings along a house name would be.

Development

In 1050 the two brothers were initially built the castle Achalm in Reutlingen. Rudolf Achalm and his heirs were there the line of the Counts of Achalm, while the heirs Eginos I of Dettingen built there in the upper Ermstal in Bad Urach another castle. It is not certain whether this was the Wasserburg Urach Urach Castle or the height. As founder come Egino II († 1105), Count in Swiggerstal or his son Egino III. the Younger ( † after 1160 ) into consideration.

The strategic location on an important trade route between the Albaufstieg Neckar region and the plateaus of the Swabian Alb favored the development of Urach. The town received market rights in 1140.

Egino IV extended after the death of Berthold V. 1219 the territory for more possessions due to his marriage in 1180 to Agnes of Zahringen. His son Egino V. prevailed successfully with a side line of Zaehringen in the inheritance dispute. With the castle Zindel stone the scattered possessions were connected im Breisgau and in Baar. He shifted his headquarters to Freiburg. As Egino I. He became Count of Freiburg.

Supported in 1235 Egino V and his brothers Berthold and Rudolf the apostate King Henry VII against his father and the Emperor Frederick II The Castle is taken by Achalm loyal to the emperor besiegers could not be prevented, but in a pitched battle in the Swiggerstal Uracher were its allies and Heinrich Gottfried von Neuffen beaten.

With the fall of the Hohenstaufen rule in 1250, the Count Urach went under. Heinrich von Urach was 1249 Count of Freiburg, 1250 Graf von Furstenberg and Landgraf in Baar. In 1254 he exchanged half of Urach against half of whiting. In 1265 he had to sell at Urach to Count Ulrich of Württemberg probably for lack of funds castle and most possessions.

The Urach line ended with the death of the younger Berthold around the year 1261st Urach was henceforth part of the County of Württemberg.

Significant members

  • Gebhard II of Urach († March 1, 1110 ); Benedictine abbot of the monastery and Hirsau 1104-1107 Bishop of Speyer.
  • Kuno von Urach († 1122), in 1080 chaplain to William the Conqueror, from 1108 cardinal bishop of Praeneste, 1114-1121 papal legate.
  • Egino III. the Younger ( † 1160 or later ) was the first recorded Count of Urach Urach line and perhaps also the founder of the castle. He is regarded as Staufer support and vassal.
  • Egino IV the Bearded (* 1160, † 1230) married the daughter of Duke Berthold IV
  • Conrad of Urach († 1227 ) was cleric of the Cistercian Order. He founded and promoted the Charterhouse Güterstein. In a meteoric career he became the abbot of Clairvaux, Abbot of Citeaux - General and finally Cardinal Bishop of Porto and Santa Rufina. After the death of Pope Honorius III. he should have rejected the election to its successor.
  • Berthold von Urach († 1242 ) was abbot of 1207-21 and 1221-30 Tennenbach Abbot of La Petite.
  • Egino V. the Younger (c. 1185, † 1236 ), first Earl of Urach Freiburg ( Egino I. ), heir to the Zähringerplatz and ancestor of the House of Fürstenberg.
  • Heinrich von Urach († 1283 or 1284), was 1250 Graf von Furstenberg and Landgraf in Baar.

Master list

Note: The list contains information from different representations.

The reuse of the title of Count of Urach

Wilhelmine of Grävenitz (1686-1744) was since July 1707 as the Countess of Urach - officially announced in November - morganatic wife of Duke Eberhard Ludwig von Württemberg ( 1676-1733 ). But the marriage was in 1710 on the intervention of the Emperor declared invalid because the Duchess had not consented to a divorce. 1711 married the Duke the Graevenitz to slip with the Bohemian Count Vrbno, who had to stay abroad,. He was not allowed to consummate the marriage, and received in addition to a significant monetary compensation the title of land steward, Privy Council and War of the Council. As " Landhofmeisterin " returned the Graevenitz unchallenged to Stuttgart back, and took first place at court. Through its influence on the Duke she led for 20 years an almost absolute authority. The Emperor was voted by skillful negotiations, look no further to look into the matter.

Heinrich Karl Friedrich of Württemberg (1772-1838) - a son of Duke Friedrich Eugen was a morganatic marriage with Christine Caroline Alexei. 1821 his daughter Marie was appointed by royal - Württemberg's diploma to the Countess of Urach and 1825 were his wife and a second daughter also this item.

Another morganatic sidelines of the House of Württemberg founded Wilhelm Friedrich Philipp von Württemberg his descendants from his marriage to Dorothea Friederike Wilhelmine Franziska Rhodis of Tunderfelt partially the title of Duke of Urach received.

At this line include:

  • Wilhelm of Urach (1810-1869), since 1867 Duke of Urach, Württemberg Infantry General, Governor of Ulm
  • Karl Wilhelm of Urach (1864-1928), since 1869 Duke of Urach, elected in 1918 as King of Lithuania, but it did not come to accept the kingship
  • Joseph Karl of Urach (1865-1925), prince of Württemberg Colonel, President of Württemberg group of the German Colonial Society
  • Elisabeth of Urach (1894-1962), married to Prince Karl of Liechtenstein
  • Wilhelm of Urach (1897-1957), German mechanical engineer
  • Karl Gero von Urach (1899-1981), German architect and Major
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