Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Encyclopedia
Meinhard II from the House of Meinhardin was ruling Count of Gorizia (as Meinhard IV) from 1258 until 1271 and Count of Tyrol
from 1258 until his death. In 1286 he also acquired the Duchy of Carinthia
with the March of Carniola
.
He was the son of Count Meinhard I of Gorizia-Tyrol
and Countess Adelheid of Tyrol (died 1275/79).
His younger son Henry VI succeeded him as Carinthian duke and in 1307 was elected King of Bohemia
; his eldest daughter Elisabeth by marriage with Albert I of Habsburg
became Queen of the Romans in 1298.
In 1259, young Meinhard emerged from the custody of the Archbishop of Salzburg
to claim his heritage. When the inheritance rights to, and properties of, Gorizia and Tyrol were divided in 1271 between him and his younger brother Albert I, he received Tyrol, starting the Tyrolean line of the Meinhardiner dynasty. He struggled to acquire the lordship over the Bishoprics of Trento
and Brixen
and also acquired several territories in the Inn
valley. He is therefore known as the creator of Tyrol as an independent territory. Meinhard also had roads built and coins minted, especially the silver coin "Zwainziger" (twenty). The type was copied elsewhere in Europe and became widely known as Groschen.
As a supporter of German king Rudolph of Habsburg
in his conflict with King Ottokar II of Bohemia
, he received Carinthia and Carniola as a pledge in 1276 and finally as a fief in 1286, thus becoming the first Duke of Carinthia in his dynasty. As far as can be ascertained, he had no ancestry in earlier Carinthian ducal families, whereas he was a distant descendant of some early Meranian lords of Istria
and Carniola. His investiture of the duchy included a provision that in extinction of his male line, the Habsburgs would be its heirs. This materialized in 1335 upon the death of his son Henry.
Meinhard died in 1295 at Greifenburg
, Carinthia.
(c 1227-73), the daughter of Duke Otto II
and widow of King Conrad IV
, King of the Romans. Thus he was the stepfather of Conrad III of Jerusalem, Duke of Swabia and claimant of the Kingdom of Sicily
who was killed in 1268. With Elisabeth he had the following children:
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
from 1258 until his death. In 1286 he also acquired the Duchy of Carinthia
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
with the March of Carniola
March of Carniola
The March of Carniola was a southeastern state of the Holy Roman Empire in the High Middle Ages, the predecessor of the Duchy of Carniola. It corresponded roughly to the central Carniolan region of present-day Slovenia...
.
He was the son of Count Meinhard I of Gorizia-Tyrol
Meinhard I of Gorizia-Tyrol
Meinhard I was Count of Gorizia from the House of Meinhardin was from 1231 and Count of Tyrol from 1253 until his death. He was the son of Count Engelbert III of Gorizia and Mathilda of Andechs, half-sister of Duke Berthold IV of Merania...
and Countess Adelheid of Tyrol (died 1275/79).
His younger son Henry VI succeeded him as Carinthian duke and in 1307 was elected King of Bohemia
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
; his eldest daughter Elisabeth by marriage with Albert I of Habsburg
Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Habsburg was King of the Romans and Duke of Austria, the eldest son of German King Rudolph I of Habsburg and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenburg.-Life:...
became Queen of the Romans in 1298.
In 1259, young Meinhard emerged from the custody of the Archbishop of Salzburg
Archbishopric of Salzburg
The Archbishopric of Salzburg was an ecclesiastical State of the Holy Roman Empire, its territory roughly congruent with the present-day Austrian state of Salzburg....
to claim his heritage. When the inheritance rights to, and properties of, Gorizia and Tyrol were divided in 1271 between him and his younger brother Albert I, he received Tyrol, starting the Tyrolean line of the Meinhardiner dynasty. He struggled to acquire the lordship over the Bishoprics of Trento
Bishopric of Trent
The Bishopric of Trent is a former ecclesiastical territory roughly corresponding to the present-day Northern Italian autonomous province of Trentino. It was created in 1027 and existed until 1802, when it was secularised and absorbed into the County of Tyrol held by the House of Habsburg...
and Brixen
Bishopric of Brixen
The Bishopric of Brixen is a former Roman Catholic diocese and also a former ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire in the present province of South Tyrol. The bishopric in the Eisack/Isarco valley was established in the 6th century and gradually received more secular powers...
and also acquired several territories in the Inn
Inn River
The Inn is a river in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube and is approximately 500km long. The highest point of its drainage basin is the summit of Piz Bernina, at 4,049 metres.- Geography :...
valley. He is therefore known as the creator of Tyrol as an independent territory. Meinhard also had roads built and coins minted, especially the silver coin "Zwainziger" (twenty). The type was copied elsewhere in Europe and became widely known as Groschen.
As a supporter of German king Rudolph of Habsburg
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...
in his conflict with King Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II , called The Iron and Golden King, was the King of Bohemia from 1253 until 1278. He was the Duke of Austria , Styria , Carinthia and Carniola also....
, he received Carinthia and Carniola as a pledge in 1276 and finally as a fief in 1286, thus becoming the first Duke of Carinthia in his dynasty. As far as can be ascertained, he had no ancestry in earlier Carinthian ducal families, whereas he was a distant descendant of some early Meranian lords of Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
and Carniola. His investiture of the duchy included a provision that in extinction of his male line, the Habsburgs would be its heirs. This materialized in 1335 upon the death of his son Henry.
Meinhard died in 1295 at Greifenburg
Greifenburg
Greifenburg is a market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is situated in the Drava valley on the southern slope of the Kreuzeck mountain range...
, Carinthia.
Marriage and children
Meinhard's wife from 1258 was Elisabeth of BavariaElisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Germany
Elisabeth of Bavaria was the queen consort of Conrad IV of Germany.-Family:She was the eldest daughter of Otto II, Duke of Bavaria and Agnes of the Palatinate...
(c 1227-73), the daughter of Duke Otto II
Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Otto II of Bavaria was the Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine . He was a son of Louis I and Ludmilla of Bohemia and a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty.- Biography :...
and widow of King Conrad IV
Conrad IV of Germany
Conrad IV was king of Jerusalem , of Germany , and of Sicily .-Biography:...
, King of the Romans. Thus he was the stepfather of Conrad III of Jerusalem, Duke of Swabia and claimant of the Kingdom of Sicily
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
who was killed in 1268. With Elisabeth he had the following children:
- Elisabeth (1262-1312), wife of Albert I, Duke of Austria (1248-1308), became queen-consort of the Romans in 1298
- Otto of Gorizia-TyrolOtto III of CarinthiaOtto III of Carinthia was a member of the Meinhardiner family. He was Duke of Carinthia from 1295 to 1310. He was also Count of Gorizia and Vienna...
(d 1310), father of Elisabeth of CarinthiaElisabeth of CarinthiaElisabeth or Elizabeth was the daughter of Otto III of Carinthia by his wife Euphemia of Silesia-Liegnitz. She was born in Gorizia.-Family:...
, queen-consort of Sicily as wife of Peter II of SicilyPeter II of SicilyPeter II was crowned King of Sicily in 1321 and gained full sovereignty when his father died in 1337.... - Albert of Carinthia, died 1292
- Louis of Gorizia-Tyrol, died 1305
- Henry VI (c 1270-1335), married Anna PřemyslovnaAnne of BohemiaAnne of Bohemia was Queen of England as the first wife of King Richard II. A member of the House of Luxembourg, she was the eldest daughter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, and Elizabeth of Pomerania....
, daughter of King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia, elected King of Bohemia 1306 and 1307-10, Duke of Carinthia 1310-35, Count of Tyrol, father of Countess Margaret Maultasch of Tirol - Agnes of Carinthia (died 1293), wife of Frederick I, Margrave of MeissenFrederick I, Margrave of MeissenFrederick I, called the Brave or the Bitten was margrave of Meissen and landgrave of Thuringia.-Life:...
(1257-1323), grandson of Emperor Frederick II; her only son Frederick of Meissen predeceased his father.