The Wormsgau ( la, pagus wormatiensis) was a medieval

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the East Frankish (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

) stem duchy of

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper ...

, comprising the surroundings of the city of

Worms Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany Worms () is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of Frankfurt am Main. It had ...

and further territories on the left bank of the

Upper Rhine The Upper Rhine (german: Oberrhein ; french: Rhin Supérieur) is the section of the Rhine between Basel in Switzerland and Bingen in Germany, surrounded by the Upper Rhine Plain. The river is marked by Rhine-kilometres 170 to 529 (the sc ...

river. Together with the neighbouring Nahegau and

Speyergau Speyergau was a medieval county in the East Frankish (German) stem duchy of Franconia. It was centred around the administrative centre of Speyer and roughly covered the former Roman administrative area of Civitas Nemetum, which is today the south ...

, it belonged to the central

Rhenish Franconia Rhenish Franconia (german: Rheinfranken) or Western Franconia () denotes the western half of the central German stem duchy of Franconia in the 10th and 11th century, with its residence at the city of Worms. The territory located on the banks of ...

n possessions of the Imperial

Salian dynasty The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the la ...

Overview

The Wormsgau covered large parts of the present-day

Rhenish Hesse Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (german: Rheinhessen) is a region and a former government district () in the German state of Rhineland- ...

and Palatinate regions, originally stretching northwards just before

Coblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman military post by Drusus around 8 B.C. Its nam ...

Lotharingia Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...

. The city of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

belonged likewise to it as, to the start of the 9th century, also

Boppard Boppard (), formerly also spelled Boppart, is a town and municipality (since the 1976 inclusion of 9 neighbouring villages, ''Ortsbezirken'') in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, lying in the Rhine Gorge, a ...

, which in reality c. 825 was already lost again. In the 10th century the Wormsgau lost extended lands in the North, mostly to the benefit of the Nahegau, like

Ingelheim Ingelheim (), officially Ingelheim am Rhein ( en, Ingelheim upon Rhine), is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. The town sprawls along the Rhine's west bank. It has been Mainz-Bingen's district seat ...

in 937,

Spiesheim Spiesheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location As a winegrowing centre, Spieshei ...

in 960,

Saulheim Saulheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location The municipality lies in Rhenis ...

in 973 and

Flonheim Flonheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a '' Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location The municipality lies in the middl ...

in 996, until the

Selz The Selz is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and a left hand tributary of the Rhine. It flows through the largest German wine region, Rheinhessen (Rhenish Hesse). It rises near the village of Orbis in the county of Donnersbergkrei ...

river defined the northern border. The losses could be partially compensated through expansion up the Rhine and to the West, especially in the Palatinate Forest range.

Counts in Wormsgau

Robertians The Robertians (sometimes called the Robertines in modern scholarship) are the proposed Frankish family which was ancestral to the Capetian dynasty, and thus to the royal families of France and of many other countries. The Capetians appear first ...

# Rupert I (Robert I) (722/757 attested, † before 764) 732 ''dux'' in Haspengau, 741/742 ''comes palatinus'' (

Count Palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...

), ca. 750 Count in Oberrhein- and Wormsgau, 757 royal ''missus'' in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, ∞ ca. 730 Williswint († after 768) founded in the 12 July 764

Abbey of Lorsch Lorsch Abbey, otherwise the Imperial Abbey of Lorsch (german: Reichsabtei Lorsch; la, Laureshamense Monasterium or ''Laurissa''), is a former Imperial abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about east of Worms. It was one of the most renowned monasteries ...

, heiress in the Upper Rhine and of

Hahnheim Hahnheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location Hahnheim lies between Mainz and Worms ...

Rheinhessen Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (german: Rheinhessen) is a region and a former government district () in the German state of Rhineland- ...

, heiress of Count Adalhelm # Robert II (Rutbert II o. Hruodbertus) (770 attested, † 12 July 807), his grandson, 795/807 Count in Worms- and Oberrheingau, 795 Lord to

Dienheim Dienheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location Dienheim lies between Mainz and W ...

, ∞ I Theoderata (Tiedrada) (766/777 attested, † before 789), ∞ II Isengarde, 789 # Robert III (Rutpert III) († before 834) his son, 812/830 Count in Wormsgau, Count in Oberrheingau, 825 imperial ''missus'' in Bishopric of Mainz, ∞ ca. 808 Wiltrud (Waldrada) of

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Widonen #

Guntram Saint Gontrand (c. 532 in Soissons – 28 March 592 in Chalon-sur-Saône), also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third eldest and ...

, his son, Count in Wormsgau 815/837 # Ruadbert (Robert), 817 Count in Saalgau, Oberrheingau and Wormsgau (frankish

Babenberger The House of Babenberg was a noble dynasty of Austrian Dukes and Margraves. Originally from Bamberg in the Duchy of Franconia (present-day Bavaria), the Babenbergs ruled the imperial Margraviate of Austria from its creation in 976 AD until its ...

) # Rutpert IV (Robert I der Starke) (X 15 September or 25 July 866 in the

Battle of Brissarthe The Battle of Brissarthe was fought on 2 July 866, between the Franks and a joint Breton-Viking army near Brissarthe, Neustria. It was marked by the death of Robert the Strong, the Neustrian margrave, and Ranulf I, the duke of Aquitaine. I ...

) brother of Guntram, 836-after 840 Count in Wormsgau, 852 Abbot of Saint-Martin-de-Marmoutier by

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metro ...

, 853

Count of Tours During the early Middle Ages, the count of Tours was the ruler of the old Roman ''pagus Turonicus'': the city of Tours and its hinterland, the Touraine. Under the Merovingians, counts at Tours were appointed local representatives of the king, such ...

, 861/866 ''nobilis Franciae'' (Franzien,

Ile de France Ile may refer to: * iLe, a Puerto Rican singer * Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places * Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria * Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language * Isoleucine, an amino acid * Another ...

) and

Count of Paris Count of Paris () was a title for the local magnate of the district around Paris in Carolingian times. After Hugh Capet was elected King of France in 987, the title merged into the crown and fell into disuse. However, it was later revived by the ...

, ∞ I NN, probably Agane, ∞ II start of 864 Adelaide (Aelis) of

(† after 866) daughter of Count Hugo of Tours ( Etichonen) and of Bava, widow of Conrad I, Count of

Aargau Aargau, more formally the Canton of Aargau (german: Kanton Aargau; rm, Chantun Argovia; french: Canton d'Argovie; it, Canton Argovia), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capit ...

and

Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...

, Count of

Linzgau Linzgau is a historic region in Southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located north of Lake Constance and south of the Danube valley. Geography The region is bounded by the shore of Lake Constance on the south, the Hegau regi ...

(

Welfen The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconian family from the Meus ...

) # Walaho IV (Werner IV) († probably before 890),

(?), Count in Wormsgau after 840 ∞ Oda, daughter of Rutbert III # Megingoz I, 876, probably Count in Wormsgau ( Wilhelminer), ∞ NN, probably a sister of Roberts des Starken

Salian dynasty The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the la ...

# Werner V(† probably 920), Salier, Count in Nahegau,

and Wormsgau ca. 890/910, ∞ NN from the House of the Konradiner

Konradiner

# Konrad Kurzbold († 30 June 948), 906/907 and 932 Count in Wormsgau, 910 Count in Niederlahngau, 927 Count in

Ahrgau The Ahrgau (also Argau) was a medieval Frankish ''gau'' that lay either side of the River Ahr in the north of the present-day German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, but also reached the gates of Bonn (the Kottenforst forest still belonged to the Ah ...

, Count in Lobdengau, founded 910 the Abbey St. Georg in

Limburg an der Lahn Limburg an der Lahn (officially abbreviated ''Limburg a. d. Lahn'') is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Limburg lies in western Hessen between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn. The t ...

, where he was also buried

Salian dynasty The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the la ...

# Konrad der Rote († 955), son of Werner V, Count in Nahegau, Speyergau, Wormsgau and Niddagau, Count in

, Duke of

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

, ∞ ca. 947 Liutgard of Saxony (* 931, † 953) daughter of King

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...

( Liudolfinger) # Otto „of Worms“ († 1004), his son, Count in Nahegau, Speyergau, Wormsgau, Elsenzgau,

Kraichgau The Kraichgau () is a hilly region in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Odenwald and the Neckar to the North, the Black Forest to the South, and the Upper Rhine Plain to the West. To the east, its boundary is c ...

Enzgau The Enz is a river flowing north from the Black Forest to the Neckar in Baden-Württemberg. It is 106 km long. Its headstreams – the Little Enz (german: Kleine Enz) and the Great Enz or Big Enz (''Große Enz'') – rise in the Northern B ...

, Pfinzgau and

Ufgau Ufgau (Old High German ''Ufgowe'', ''Uffgau''; ''Usgau, Osgau''; ''pagus auciacensis'') was a historical county ('' gowe'') of the duchy of Franconia, along the Oos River and the lower Murg, delimited to the south by the counties of Albgau and O ...

, Duke of

Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Bavarian group. Carin ...

# Heinrich „von Worms“ († 989/1000) his son, Count in Wormsgau, ∞ Adelheid († probably 1039/1046), sister of the Counts Adalbert and Gerhard ( Matfriede) # Conrad II der Jüngere (* probably 1003, † 1039) his nephew, Count in Nahegau, Speyergau and Wormsgau, Duke of Carinthia (1036-1039)

Literature

* Geschichtlicher Atlas der Rheinlande, 7. Lieferung, IV9: Die mittelalterlichen Gaue, 2000, 1 Kartenblatt, 1 Beiheft, bearbeitet von Thomas Bauer, {{Coord, 49.6319, 8.3652, display=title Former states and territories of Rhineland-Palatinate Worms, Germany