Lahngau

The Lahngau was a Frankish gau in the early Middle Ages. He covered the area of the middle and lower Lahn in today's states of Hesse and Rhineland- Palatinate. The surviving name of the Gaus are Pagus Loganahe or Pagus Logenensis.

Historically, it is the Lahngau to the East Frankish heartland of Conradines. The district was divided into 900 before the Oberlahngau and Niederlahngau.

Location

The western boundary of the Lahngaus ran approximately at today's Montabaur. West of Lahngaus to the Rhine, there was the Engersgau with center in the Neuwied Basin. The northwestern boundary marked the watershed of the Westerwald. To the northwest and north of the Lahngaus there was the Auelgau with municipal center victory mouth and probably in the winning country. To the north and northeast of the Lahngaus concurred with the Hessengau, the former settlement area of ​​the chat. As the Lahngau was the Hessengau temporarily ruled by the Konradihaus Africans. Southeast of the Lahngaus there was the Wettereibagau ( Wetterau ). To the south, separated by the watershed of the Taunus, there was the Königssondergau.

The Franconian districts subdivided into the districts of the center marks. For these districts were names such as " (sub ) gau ", " Zente " or "Mark " used. In Oberlahngau the Dautpher marrow, which is first mentioned in 791, the Haigerer Mark and Herborner Mark passed. Perfgau and Erdagau were probably also Untergaue of Lahngaus. The assignment of the center Mark Kalle Bacher center / Kallenberg head north of modern Lohnberg is unclear and depends on the assumed boundary line. With the increasingly dense population centers, the brands were divided or established new ones. Original centering marks of Niederlahngaus were probably the stretching forest to Dietkirchen, the Hadamar Mark, the Ellarer Mark and Zente Winnenberg - Höhn.

Niederlahngau

The exact demarcation of the boundary between the Upper and Lower Niederlahngau is not known. Some historians, the limit is approximately on the watershed between Solms Bach and Weil, east of Weilburg, suspected. Christian Spielmann write this in 1894: "Because the castle was in Niederlahngau. It extended west to the east Ulmbach and Weil about the Nister to Pfahlgraben and the Gelbach and Aar. The former ... brothers ( Conrad the Elder, Gebhard, Eberhard and Rudolf) shared the Niederlahngau such that Konrad the eastern half, Eberhard took over the western half; ". Other historians believe the border west of Weilburg. So Hellmuth Gensicke called the watershed between Kerkerbach and Elbbach as possible limit. For this reason, the exact assignment Weilburg is controversial. In the following, it is assumed in accordance with the interpretation Gensickes of a boundary west Weilburg.

For important ecclesiastical center, Dietkirchen developed (mentioned 841 as " ecclesia Dietkircha "). The Lubentiuskirche was the seat of an archdeaconry, which covered all areas of the right bank of the Archbishopric of Trier in the Middle Ages.

History

Originally the territory of Lahngaus was in the settlement area of ​​the Ubii. After the migration of the Ubii by 39 BC the area was sparsely populated. Until the mid- 3rd century AD it became the border between the Franks in the Westerwald, the Chatti in what is now northern Hesse, and Alamanni in the Taunus and Wetterau in the. In 5/6 Century the Franks succeeded in gaining the supremacy; the Chatti were divided into the Frankish tribal group, the Alemanni were Frankish protectorate. Thus, the Franks were able to include the territory of the Lahngaus into their empire. During the phase of the Frankish conquest of the Frankish family Conradines was able to prevail as the leading house in Lahngau. The Conradines had close family links with the Carolingians and Robertinern

An important role in the management of Lahngaus took over the pins and Urpfarreien. At the beginning of Conradine dominion in Lahngau was only the monastery of St. Lubentius in Dietkirchen, which was probably founded in the 6th century. However, the first mention of this pin was only 841 as " monasterium " ( hermitage ). In 845 Count Gebhard founded the monastery of St. Severus in chain Bach, which he still moved in his lifetime to Gemünden. At the beginning of the 10th century was followed by other Conradine American foundations: the monastery of St. George in Limburg ( 910), Abbey of St. Walpurgis in Weilburg ( 912) and pen of St. Mary in Wetzlar (914 /15).

When the Count of Oberlahngaus and Duke of Franconia, Conrad the Younger, was crowned King of the East Frankish 911 Empire, the Conradines had reached the height of its power. At least four stays Conrad are attested for Weilburg. However, the Konradihaus Africans failed to establish itself as a royal dynasty. According to Widukind of Corvey Konrad is supposed to have his brother Eberhard recommended on his deathbed in Weilburg, to make his rival and opponent Henry of Saxony as the successor to the royal office entourage This event is called " Weilburger Testament " applies, however today some historians for one of the Liudolfingern in circulated legend.

The conflict between Eberhard of Franconia, as the successor of Conrad Graf in Oberlahngau, and King Otto I came to the final cleavage of the Conradine African house. In the battle of Andernach on October 2, 939 Eberhard was succeeded by his cousin Konrad Kurz Bold, Count of Niederlahngau, defeated and lost his life. The Conradines branch of the family to Eberhard thus lost control in Oberlahngau. Parts of the rule were transferred to the branch of the family to Konrad Kurzbold, other parts subjected to a Liudolfinger the Kings. In this area, the Count could, after a checkered history, until the 11th century prevail from the House of Gisonen. The area around Weilburg was given by the Liudolfinger kings until the year 1000 to the bishopric of Worms.

In Niederlahngau the Conradines held until the second half of the 10th century. The last one mentioned by name Conradine African Count was 966 The Niederlahngau was transferred to the county Diez. The extensive Conradine African allodium in Niederlahngau came, probably about family relationships, to the Counts of Alt- Leiningen. Up to their extinction in 1220, it was distributed among the related dynasties Nassau, Runkel / Westerburg, Isenburg / Limburg and Virneburg.

Count in Lahngau

Possible ruler of Lahngau might have been:

• Adaltrud, widow of Count in Lahngau, gave 750-779 the monastery of Fulda goods in seltzer, Meinlinten, Book and Neistenbach
• Adrian; His widow Waltrat gave away 821 with the approval of a uuto goods in Bermbach Stetim and monitors of

As Count of undivided Lahngau are attested:

Count in Niederlahngau

As Count in Niederlahngau are attested:

Count in Oberlahngau

Open Questions

The main sources of the history of Lahngaus are high medieval copies of documents. Here, the question always arises whether these documents are based on the original templates or are fakes. If it is based on original templates often unclear whether, at the time the copy partially 500 year old originals were literally or only mutatis mutandis reproduced. The persons named in the documents can not always be clearly identified. Place names are used in today unusual shape and are not always clearly present locations assign. Detailed overviews of ownership are, for this area, until the 12th century, so that the possibility to draw conclusions given limited.

Archaeological findings can be used to check are often incidental findings such as in the context of construction of modern times. Many suspected archaeological sites have not yet been systematically investigated. For these reasons, some essential questions about the history of the Lahngaus are unclear.

So the Lahngau could not originally have belonged to the African Conradine but for robertinischen sphere. By exchanging the beginning of the 9th century the Conradines the robertinischen ownership took over in the eastern kingdom, the Robertiner the Conradine African ownership of the Loire in western France. This process would explain the equation of Udo in Lahngau with Odo of Blois. The extensive free float in Lahngau the monastery Lorsch ( robertinische foundation ) could have its cause here.

The assignment Weilburg to top or Niederlahngau is also controversial. Since the Conradine African branch of the family of Konrad is witness unto the elders as counts in Weilburg comes the assignment a crucial role in the history of Oberlahngaus to.

The development of church organization in Lahngau is also not precisely known. Thus, the role Dietkirchens is questioned as a starting point for a Christianization by the Diocese of Trier by some historians. The archdeacon had been built only with the decline of Conradine dominion by the archbishopric of Trier.

Relationships between the Konradihaus formers and the Count House Diez have so far been neither proved nor disproved. The origin of the Diezer Count House is unknown. The extensive allodium of the counts in the Wormsgau not speak against a Conradine African descent, as well as the Wormsgau belonged to Conradine African sphere of influence.