County of Sponheim - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century. The name comes from the municipality of Sponheim

Sponheim

Sponheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany.-History:Sponheim was the capital of the County of Sponheim. There was a Benedictine abbey here which was founded in 1101 by Stephan II, Count of Sponheim not far from the countly residence at...

, where the counts had their original residence

Castle Sponheim

Castle Sponheim is a medieval ruin in Burgsponheim on the edge of the Hunsrück in Rhineland-Palatinate and original residence of the Counts of Sponheim. Significant portions of the castle remain standing.-Site:...

Geography

The territory was located roughly between the rivers Rhine, Moselle and Nahe

Nahe

The Nahe River is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, Germany, a left tributary to the Rhine. It has also given name to the wine region Nahe situated around it....

, in the present state of Rhineland-Palatinate

Rhineland-Palatinate

Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....

, around the Hunsrück

Hunsrück

The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle , the Nahe , and the Rhine . The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel...

region. It bordered the Electorate of Trier to the north and west, the Raugraviate, the Electorate of Mainz and the Electoral Palatinate to the east and the County of Veldenz to the south and west, among other states.

Beginnings

The family of Sponheim, also of Spanheim, is documented since the 11th century. There are two main branches which are with certainty related, but whose exact relationship is still debated. The branch of the Dukes of Carinthia descends from Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim

Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim

Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim is considered the patriarch of the House of Sponheim and all of its lateral branches, the Counts of Lebenau and the Counts of Ortenburg. Originally he came from Rhenish Franconia, where he was born at Castle Sponheim.- Family life:About his parents little is known...

. The Rhenish branch which retained the County of Sponheim descends from Stephan I, Count of Sponheim

Stephan I, Count of Sponheim

Stephan I, Count of Sponheim is the patriarch of the Rhenish branch of the House of Sponheim, which ruled over the County of Sponheim. He was closely related to Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim, patriarch of the Carinthian Sponheimish branch, but the exact relationship between the two dynasts is...

.

The county originated from various inheritances which were united in the family's hands, including possessions from the Counties of Nellenburg

Stockach

Stockach is a town in the district of Konstanz, in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Location:It is situated in the Hegau region, about 5 km northwest of Lake Constance, 13 km north of Radolfzell and 25 km northwest of Konstanz....

and Stromberg

Stromberg (Hunsrück)

Stromberg is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the eastern edge of the Hunsrück, approx. 10 km west of Bingen....

and jurisdiction of the Gaugrafen of Trechirgau

Trechirgau

The Trechirgau was a mediaeval administrative district, a gau. It belonged to the Duchy of Lorraine. Its exact extent is only roughly known and it lay in the triangle formed by Enkirch, Koblenz and Oberwesel.- History :...

(Berthold-Bezelin dynasty). The Sponheimish countly office is supposedly derived from the countly office of Trechirgau. The family of the Counts of Sponheim founded in the 12th century the monastery of Sponheim, where in the 11th century a church had already been built. Through the famous abbot from Sponheim Johannes Trithemius

Johannes Trithemius

Johannes Trithemius , born Johann Heidenberg, was a German abbot, lexicographer, historian, cryptographer, polymath and occultist who had an influence on later occultism. The name by which he is more commonly known is derived from his native town of Trittenheim on the Mosel in Germany.-Life:He...

is a large quantity of information available about the counts and the monastery. He wrote the so-called Sponheimer Chronic and arranged a collection of documents for posterity.

First divisions, Rear and Front Counties, 13th to 15th centuries

Around 1225 the county was divided in two, which in turn were ruled by two lines of the House of Sponheim

House of Sponheim

The House of Sponheim or Spanheim was a noble family of the Holy Roman Empire in the High Middle Ages. They were Dukes of Carinthia from 1122 until 1269 and Counts of Sponheim until 1437...

. The line Sponheim-Starkenburg ruled over the "Rear County" based on Starkenburg

Starkenburg, Rhineland-Palatinate

Starkenburg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...

(Hintere Grafschaft Sponheim), and the line Sponheim-Kreuznach over the "Front County" based on Kreuznach (Vordere Grafschaft Sponheim).

This partition took place among the sons of Count Gottfried III of Sponheim, who died abroad while participating in the Fifth Crusade

Fifth Crusade

The Fifth Crusade was an attempt to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid state in Egypt....

. Gottfried had married Adelheid of Sayn

Sayn

Sayn was a mediæval German County located in the Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. There were two Counties of Sayn: the first County emerged in 1139. It became closely associated with the County of Sponheim early in its existence. Count Henry II was notable for being accused of...

, sister of the last Count of Sayn Heinrich III. His estate was divided between their three sons Johann I, Heinrich and Simon I. Simon, the youngest brother, received the Front County of Sponheim and set as his residence castle Kauzenburg near Kreuznach. Heinrich married the heiress of Heinsberg

Heinsberg

Heinsberg is the capital of the district Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx...

, received a portion of the Saynish inheritance and founded the Sponheimish line of the Lords of Heinsberg. Johann became heir to Sayn and to the Rear County of Sponheim, residing in castle Starkenburg (from 1350 on Castle Grevenburg

Grevenburg

Grevenburg was a castle in Traben-Trarbach in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. The castle was formerly the residence of the Rear County of Sponheim and today is a ruin following its destruction by the French in 1734.- History :...

became residence).

Johann I's sons divided their father's estate in 1265. Gottfried received the County of Sayn, whose direct heirs are today the Counts of Sayn-Wittgenstein

Sayn-Wittgenstein

Sayn-Wittgenstein was a county of mediæval Germany, located in the Sauerland of eastern North Rhine-Westphalia. Sayn-Wittgenstein was created when Count Salentin of Sayn-Homburg married the heiress Countess Adelaide of Wittgenstein in 1345...

. Heinrich I, Count of Sponheim-Starkenburg became heir to the Rear County of Sponheim.

Both territories were widely fortified throughout the centuries, what becomes evident through the existence of around twenty-one castles which can still be visited today (most as ruines) in the former sovereignty of the counts.The County of Sponheim included throughout its history the following fortifications: Allenbach, Alt-Wolfstein, Argenschwang, Birkenfeld, Böckelheim, Dill, Tannenfels, Ebernburg

Burg Ebernburg

The Burg Ebernburg , is a castle above the town of Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....

, Frauenburg, Gemünden/Hunsrück, Grafendahn, Grevenburg

Grevenburg

, Gutenberg, Herrstein, Kastellaun

Castle Kastellaun

Castle Kastellaun is a ruined medieval castle in Kastellaun in the Rhein-Hunsrück district in Rheinland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :The ruins of the castle are on the castle hill above the town of Kastellaun and are connected to the former wall of the town.- History :Constructed in the 13th...

, Koppenstein, Kreuznach, Naumburg, Sponheim

Castle Sponheim

, Starkenburg, Winterburg, Zollburg Feud

Feud

A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...

s with the neighboring Electorates of Mainz and Trier were common, with some giving birth to southwestern German legends such as the tale of Michel Mort. The Rear County and the Front County were also not always in terms with each other regarding political affiliation. During the dispute between the German Kings Friedrich der Schöne and Ludwig the Bavarian the Rear County supported Ludwig, while Front-Sponheim advocated for Friedrich. Ludwig's victory resulted in political strengthening of Rear-Sponheim. Around that time the Front County had itself been administratively parted between the brothers Johann II of Sponheim-Kreuznach and Simon II of Sponheim-Kreuznach, with forest Soonwald defining the limits. Count Walram of Sponheim-Kreuznach reunited the Front County. Walram became known as a military leader who commanded many confronts, including inter-Sponheimish ones, although those were not of higher importance.

Second divisions, joint regency

In 1417 the line Sponheim-Kreuznach became extinct and the line Sponheim-Starkenburg ruled alone for about 20 years over most of the whole county. Count Walram's granddaughter married Ruprecht Pipan, heir to the Electoral Palatinate, who died of disease after returning from the Battle of Nikopolis at the age of 21. The marriage was childless but nevertheless a small portion of the Front County (less than 1/5) was granted as dowry to the Electors Palatine. In 1437 the line Sponheim-Starkenburg died out also on the male succession, and the counties were managed in joint rule as a condominium (international law)

Condominium (international law)

In international law, a condominium is a political territory in or over which two or more sovereign powers formally agree to share equally dominium and exercise their rights jointly, without dividing it up into 'national' zones.Although a condominium has always been...

by female line heirs from then on until the early 19th century. These rightful successors, which took on the title of Count at Sponheim (Graf zu Sponheim), were the Margraves of Baden

Baden

Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....

, which descended from Mechtild of Sponheim, and the Counts of Veldenz, which descended from Loretta of Sponheim; both Mechtild and Loretta were daughters of Count Johann III of Sponheim-Starkenburg

Johann III, Count of Sponheim-Starkenburg

Johann III, Count of Sponheim-Starkenburg, the Older , reigned over the County of Sponheim for 67 years. He also received many epithets such as "the Noble" and, because of his declining vision, "the Blind".- Life and work :...

. The County of Veldenz was soon inherited by a collateral line of the Counts Palatine of the Rhine through the union of the heiress Anna of Veldenz with Count Palatine Stefan of Simmern-Zweibrücken

Stefan, Count Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrücken

Stephen of Simmern-Zweibrücken was Count Palatine of Simmern and Zweibrücken from 1410.He was the son of King Rupert of Germany and his wife Elisabeth of Nuremberg. After the death of Rupert the Palatinate was divided between four of his surviving sons...

. The rule of the Rear County of Sponheim was thus shared between Baden and Palatinate-Simmern-Zweibrücken

House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken

The House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was the Royal House of Sweden from 1654 to 1720.By this point it had splintered into several different houses...

or Palatinate-Birkenfeld

House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld

Palatinate-Birkenfeld , later Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, was the name of a collateral line of the Palatine Wittelsbachs. The Counts Palatine from this line initially ruled over only a relatively unimportant territory, namely the Palatine share of the Rear County of Sponheim; however, their...

; the rule of the Front County of Sponheim roughly between Baden and the Electoral Palatinate.

Reformation

The Reformation

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...

was instituted in the County of Sponheim in the year 1557, led by Friedrich II, Count Palatine of Simmern

Frederick III, Elector Palatine

Frederick III of Simmern, the Pious, Elector Palatine of the Rhine was a ruler from the house of Wittelsbach, branch Palatinate-Simmern-Sponheim. He was a son of John II of Simmern and inherited the Palatinate from the childless Elector Otto-Henry, Elector Palatine in 1559...

. The county became an important Protestant territory, with exclaves on the Moselle like Enkirch

Enkirch

Enkirch is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...

, Trarbach or Winningen

Winningen

Winningen is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....

, bordering as it did the catholic Electorate of Trier. Warfare with neighboring catholic states would take place intermittently through the centuries, there included the Thirty Years' War

Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....

Annexations

After the Napoleonic Wars, most of the county became a part of Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

,Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine

Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine

The Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine , or simply known as the Lower Rhine Province was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and existed from 1815 to 1822....

, 1822 Rhine Province

Rhine Province

The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...

and the region around Birkenfeld

Birkenfeld

Birkenfeld is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...

became part of Oldenburg

Oldenburg

Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...

. The ruling dinasties of Baden and Wittelsbach received extensive territories in exchange for the loss of Sponheim (compare also literature on the so-called "Sponheim Controversy" between Baden and Bavaria).

Literature

Jackman, Donald C.: Sponheim. Medieval German Counties. Medieval Prosopography. http://web.archive.org/web/20040205173219/www.personal.psu.edu/users/d/c/dcj121/prosop/counts/countyA/county11.htm

German language literature

Bergholz, Thomas: Die Grafschaften Sponheim. In: Emil Sehling (Begr.): Die evangelischen Kirchenordnungen des 16. Jahrhunderts. Band 18: Rheinland-Pfalz I. Tübingen 2006, S. 619–684.
Dotzauer, Winfried: Die Vordere Grafschaft Sponheim als pfälzisch-badisches Kondominium 1437–1707/8. Diss. phil. Universität Mainz 1963; Bad Kreuznach 1963
Dotzauer, Winfried: Geschichte des Nahe-Hunsrück-Raumes von den Anfängen bis zur Französischen Revolution. Franz Steiner Verlag 2001, ISBN 3-515-07878-9
Fey, Carola: Die Begräbnisse der Grafen von Sponheim. Untersuchungen zur Sepulkralkultur des mittelalterlichen Adels. Phil. Diss. Gießen, Mainz, 2003, ISBN 3-929135-41-8
Hofmann, Johann: Trorbachische Ehren-Säul: Oder Geschichtliche Beschreibung förderst der Fürstl. Spanheymischen Ober-Amts-Statt Trorbach an der Mosel, Theils auch anderer Ohrt in derselben Gegend, sonderlich des dahin verbürgerten Haupt-fleckens Traben, Rößlin, Stuttgart 1669 (digitalized)
Lehmann, Johann Georg: Die Grafschaft und die Grafen von Spanheim (Sponheim) der beiden Linien Kreuznach und Starkenburg. R. Voigtländer, Kreuznach 1869. Sändig Reprint, 1985, ISBN 978-3-253-02727-7 (digitalized at http://books.google.com/books?id=kKVAAAAAcAAJ, http://books.google.com/books?id=nKVAAAAAcAAJ, ed. 1869)
Mötsch, Johannes: Die Grafschaften Sponheim. (Geschichtlicher Atlas der Rheinlande, Beiheft V/4), Köln: Rheinland-Verlag, 1992, ISBN 3-7927-1341-1
Mötsch, Johannes: Genealogie der Grafen von Sponheim. In: Jahrbuch für westdeutsche Landesgeschichte. Band 13, 1987, S. 63–179,
Mötsch, Johannes: Regesten des Archivs der Grafen von Sponheim 1065–1437. 5 Bände, Koblenz 1987–1991
Mötsch, Johannes: Trier und Sponheim. In: Johannes Mötsch und Franz-Josef Heyen (Hrsg.): Balduin von Luxemburg. Erzbischof von Trier — Kurfürst des Reiches. Festschrift aus Anlaß des 700. Geburtsjahres. Mainz 1985, S. 357–389
Stramberg, Johann Christian von; Weidenbach, Anton Joseph: Das Nahethal. Historisch und topographisch. 5 volumes. (Denkwürdiger und nützlicher rheinischer Antiquarius: Welcher die wichtisten und angenehmsten geographischen, historischen und politischen Merkwürdigkeiten des ganzen Rheinstroms, von seinem Ausflusse in das Meer bis zu seinem Ursprunge darstellt. Abt. II Bd. 16–20) Koblenz, Rud. Friedr. Hergt 1869–1871 (digitalized)
Weydmann, Ernst: Geschichte der ehemaligen gräflich-sponheimischen Gebiete. Ein Beitrag zur deutschen Territorialgeschichte. Dissertation. Konstanz, Ackermann 1899
Wild, Klaus Eberhard: Die Hintere Grafschaft Sponheim als pfälzisch-badische Gemeinsherrschaft (1437–1776). In: Mitteilungen des Heimatvereins Birkenfeld. 1972, Jg. 35, 3–32
Wild, Klaus Eberhard: Zur Geschichte der Grafschaften Veldenz und Sponheim und der Birkenfelder Linien der pfälzischen Wittelsbacher. Birkenfeld 1982

External links

Mötsch, Johannes: Ein Kondominatsbesitz – Die Vordere und die Hintere Grafschaft Spohnheim (website by Wolfgang Morscheck) with good maps. (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5kR0AUVHN)

Höckmann, Thomas: Historical map of Rhineland-Palatinate 1789. Historical Atlas – Germany. (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5kR0osgWA and http://www.webcitation.org/5kR17k3E4)

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