Meinhard I of Gorizia-Tyrol
Encyclopedia
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 († 1220) and Mathilda of Andechs
, half-sister of Duke Berthold IV of Merania
. He came in control over all his family's Gorizian possessions upon the death of his uncle Meinhard the Old, and of Tyrol by marriage as a fief of his father-in-law Count Albert III of Tyrol.
Meinhard strongly supported Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen
in his conflict with Pope Innocent IV
and in return was appointed Imperial governor of the Duchy of Styria
and the March of Carniola
after the last Babenberg Duke Frederick II the Warlike
had died without heirs in 1246. From 1250 onwards also governor in the Duchy of Austria
, Meinhard facing the fall of the Hohenstaufen dynasty did not prevail: his rule in Carniola was challenged by the Carinthian House of Sponheim
and in Austria and Styria he was expelled by Bohemian
prince Ottokar II Přemysl
in 1251.
Meinhard, backed by Albert III of Tyrol, then tried to gain control over the Duchy of Carinthia
but failed in an unsuccessful campaign against Duke Bernhard von Spanheim
and his son Philipp, the elected Archbishop of Salzburg
. On September 8, 1252, he was finally defeated and arrested at Greifenburg
. According to the rules of the Treaty of Lieserhofen
, concluded on December 27, 1252 he had to give his sons Meinhard II and Albert to Phillip as hostages. Both were imprisoned at Burg Hohenwerfen
in Salzburg and not released until 1258. Meinhard and Albert III also had to pay a compensation and to renounce certain possessions including Mittersill
, Virgen
, Matrei
and Oberdrauburg
.
After the death of Albert III of Tyrol in 1253, Meinhard and his brother-in-law, Gebhard of Hirschberg, split Tyrol, of which Meinhard took the southern part with Meran. His son Meinhard II re-acquired the Hirschberg lands from Gebhard's heirs in 1284 and two years later also received Carinthia from German king Rudolph of Habsburg
.
Meinhard I died in 1258 and is buried at Tirol Castle.
County of Gorizia
The County of Görz was a county based around the town of Gorizia in the present-day Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of north-eastern Italy.Count Meinhard, descendant of the Bavarian Meinhardiner noble family with possessions around Lienz in Tyrol, is mentioned as early as 1107...
from the House of Meinhardin was from 1231 and Count of Tyrol
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 1253 until his death. He was the son of Count Engelbert III of Gorizia († 1220) and Mathilda of Andechs
Counts of Andechs
The House of Andechs was a feudal line of German princes in 12th and 13th century. The Counts of Dießen-Andechs obtained territiories in northern Dalmatia on the Adriatic seacoast, where they became Margraves of Istria and ultimately Dukes of a short-lived Imperial State named Merania from 1180 to...
, half-sister of Duke Berthold IV of Merania
Berthold IV, Duke of Merania
Berthold IV was the Count of Andechs and first Duke of Merania , that is, the seacoast of Dalmatia and Istria of the House of Andechs...
. He came in control over all his family's Gorizian possessions upon the death of his uncle Meinhard the Old, and of Tyrol by marriage as a fief of his father-in-law Count Albert III of Tyrol.
Meinhard strongly supported Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
in his conflict with Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV , born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was pope from June 25, 1243 until his death in 1254.-Early life:...
and in return was appointed Imperial governor of the Duchy of Styria
Duchy of Styria
The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern Austrian state of Styria and the Slovene region of Styria from its settlement by Germans and Slavs in the Dark Ages until the present...
and 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...
after the last Babenberg Duke Frederick II the Warlike
Frederick II, Duke of Austria
Frederick II, known as the Quarrelsome or the Warlike , from the House of Babenberg, was the duke of Austria and Styria from 1230 to 1246....
had died without heirs in 1246. From 1250 onwards also governor in the Duchy of Austria
Archduchy of Austria
The Archduchy of Austria , one of the most important states within the Holy Roman Empire, was the nucleus of the Habsburg Monarchy and the predecessor of the Austrian Empire...
, Meinhard facing the fall of the Hohenstaufen dynasty did not prevail: his rule in Carniola was challenged by the Carinthian 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...
and in Austria and Styria he was expelled by Bohemian
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...
prince Ottokar II Přemysl
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....
in 1251.
Meinhard, backed by Albert III of Tyrol, then tried to gain control over 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....
but failed in an unsuccessful campaign against Duke Bernhard von Spanheim
Bernhard von Spanheim
Bernhard von Spanheim was Duke of Carinthia for 54 years from 1202 until his death.-Family:...
and his son Philipp, the elected 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....
. On September 8, 1252, he was finally defeated and arrested 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...
. According to the rules of the Treaty of Lieserhofen
Seeboden
Seeboden is a village and municipality in the Spittal an der Drau district in Carinthia, Austria, EU.-Geography:-Location:Seeboden is located at the western end of the Millstätter See immediately next to the district capital Spittal an der Drau....
, concluded on December 27, 1252 he had to give his sons Meinhard II and Albert to Phillip as hostages. Both were imprisoned at Burg Hohenwerfen
Burg Hohenwerfen
Hohenwerfen Castle stands on a rock approximately 40 km south of the Austrian city of Salzburg. The castle is majestically surrounded by the Berchtesgaden Alps and the Tennengebirge mountain range...
in Salzburg and not released until 1258. Meinhard and Albert III also had to pay a compensation and to renounce certain possessions including Mittersill
Mittersill
Mittersill is a city in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria, in the Pinzgau region of the Alps. It is located on the Salzach River. It had a population of 5,464 in 2005.- Geography :...
, Virgen
Virgen
Virgen is a municipality in the district of Lienz in Tyrol in Austria.-External links:...
, Matrei
Matrei in Osttirol
Matrei in Osttirol is a municipality in the district of Lienz in Tyrol in Austria.-Location:-External links:...
and Oberdrauburg
Oberdrauburg
Oberdrauburg is a market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau at the western rim of the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is situated near the Kärntner Tor , where the Drava river crosses the border from East Tyrol to Carinthia. In the west it shares border with the Tyrolian municipality of...
.
After the death of Albert III of Tyrol in 1253, Meinhard and his brother-in-law, Gebhard of Hirschberg, split Tyrol, of which Meinhard took the southern part with Meran. His son Meinhard II re-acquired the Hirschberg lands from Gebhard's heirs in 1284 and two years later also received Carinthia from 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...
.
Meinhard I died in 1258 and is buried at Tirol Castle.
Marriage and children
About 1237, Meinhhard married Adelaide, daughter of Albert III of Tyrol. They had four known children:- Adelheid († 1291), married Count Frederick I of OrtenburgGrafschaft OrtenburgThe Ortenburger were a medieval noble family in the Duchy of Carinthia, with roots in Bavarian nobility. An affiliation with the Counts of Ortenburg-Neuortenburg, a branch line of the Rhenish Franconian House of Sponheim, is not established. Little is known about their reasons for settlement in...
- Meinhard IIMeinhard, Duke of CarinthiaMeinhard II from the House of Meinhardin was ruling Count of Gorizia from 1258 until 1271 and Count of Tyrol from 1258 until his death...
(1238-1295), Count of GoriziaCounty of GoriziaThe County of Görz was a county based around the town of Gorizia in the present-day Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of north-eastern Italy.Count Meinhard, descendant of the Bavarian Meinhardiner noble family with possessions around Lienz in Tyrol, is mentioned as early as 1107...
and TyrolCounty of TyrolThe 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...
, Duke of CarinthiaDuchy of CarinthiaThe 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.... - Albert I († 1304), Count of Gorizia
- Bertha († 1267), married Conrad, Count of WullenstettenSendenThe town of Senden is the second-largest town of the district of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria and is located at the border to Baden-Württemberg. The town belongs to the Donau-Iller-Nahverkehrsverbund...