Bernhard von Spanheim (or Sponheim; 1176 or 1181 – 4 January 1256), a member of the noble
House of Sponheim
The House of Sponheim or Spanheim was a medieval Germans, German noble family, which originated in Rhenish Franconia. They were Imperial immediacy, immediate Counts of County of Sponheim, Sponheim until 1437 and Dukes of Duchy of Carinthia, Carint ...
, was
Duke 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, and was the first newly created Imperial State after the original German stem duchy, stem duc ...
for 54 years from 1202 until his death. A patron of
chivalry
Chivalry, or the chivalric language, is an informal and varying code of conduct that developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It is associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood, with knights being members of ...
and
minnesang, Bernhard's reign marked the emergence of the Carinthian duchy as an effective territorial
principality
A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...
.
Family
In 1122 Bernhard's ancestor Count
Henry of Sponheim, descending from
Rhenish Franconia
Rhenish Franconia () or Western Franconia () denotes the western half of the central Kingdom of Germany, German stem duchy of Franconia in the 10th and 11th century, with its residence at the city of Worms, Germany, Worms. The territory located on ...
, had inherited the
Imperial estate
An Imperial Estate (; , plural: ') was an entity or an individual of the Holy Roman Empire with representation and the right to vote in the Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire), Imperial Diet ('). Rulers of these Estates were able to exercise signi ...
of Carinthia. Upon his death in the following year, he was succeeded by his younger brother
Engelbert, Bernhard's great-grandfather.
His father was Duke
Herman of Carinthia
Herman of Carinthia (1105/1110 – after 1154), also called Hermanus Dalmata or Sclavus Dalmata, Secundus, by his own words born in the "heart of Istria", was a philosopher, astronomer, astrologer, mathematician and translator of Arabic works int ...
, who had reigned from 1161 until 1181. He was at first succeeded by Bernhard's elder brother Duke
Ulrich II, who reigned for two decades but died childless on 10 August 1202, whereafter Bernhard succeeded him. His mother was
Agnes of Austria (c. 1151/54 – 13 January 1182), a member of the
House of Babenberg
The House of Babenberg was a noble dynasty of Austrian Dukes and Margraves. Descending from the Popponids and originally from Bamberg in the Duchy of Franconia (present-day Bavaria), the Babenbergs ruled the imperial Margraviate of Austria from ...
.
Reign
Bernhard had actually been
regent
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
over the Carinthian duchy since his elder brother Duke Ulrich II had fallen seriously ill, possibly with
leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...
, after he had joined the
Crusade of 1197. In the conflict between the rivaling House of Hohenstaufen and the
Welfs around the German throne upon the death of Emperor
Henry VI, he originally continued his brother's support for their Hohenstaufen relative
Philip of Swabia but turned to the Welf
Otto IV
Otto IV (1175 – 19 May 1218) was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218.
Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a follower of his uncle Richard the Lionheart, who made him Count of Poitou in 1196 ...
after Philipp's assassination in 1208 and attended his
coronation
A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...
in Rome. Bernhard again switched sides to Philip's nephew
Frederick II, who had been elected
King of the Romans
King of the Romans (; ) was the title used by the king of East Francia following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward.
The title originally referred to any German king between his election and coronatio ...
in 1212 and finally prevailed.
Bernhard remained a loyal supporter of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. He backed the efforts by Grand Master
Hermann von Salza
Hermann von Salza (or Herman of Salza; – 20 March 1239) was the fourth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1210 to 1239. A skilled diplomat with ties to the Frederick II and the Pope, Hermann oversaw the expansion of the ...
to reach a reconciliation between Emperor Frederick II and
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the Pa ...
and sealed a 1230 peace agreement in the church of
San Germano. He later also intermediated in the conflict between the emperor and his rebellious son King
Henry VII; in 1237, he supported the election of Henry's younger brother King
Conrad IV. However, in his later years, having established marital relationships with the Bohemian
Přemyslid dynasty
The Přemyslid dynasty or House of Přemysl (, , ) was a Bohemian royal dynasty that reigned in the Duchy of Bohemia and later Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia (9th century–1306), as well as in parts of Poland (including Silesia ...
and the
Counts of Andechs, he turned away from straitened Frederick II towards the ultramontane party. In 1247 he achieved the election of his younger son
Philip
Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...
as
Archbishop of Salzburg
The Archdiocese of Salzburg (; ) is a Latin Church, Latin rite archdiocese of the Catholic Church centered in Salzburg, Austria. It is also the principal diocese of the ecclesiastical province of Salzburg. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian ...
.

A territorial prince (''princeps terre'') at his own judgement, Bernhard concentrated on regional politics and aimed at extending his estates against rivalling territorial princes like Patriarch
Berthold of Aquileia or the
Bishops of Bamberg controlling the city of
Villach and important trade routes to
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, albeit without much success. Moreover, the Salzburg archbishops were able to strengthen their position by establishing the
suffragan
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...
dioceses of
Seckau and
Lavant in 1218 and 1225 respectively, while the duke picked a long-time quarrel with Count
Meinhard III of Gorizia around the small
Greifenburg estates.
In turn, Bernhard entrenched a ducal centre of force comprising the city triangle of
Sankt Veit, where he established a
mint in 1205,
Völkermarkt, and
Klagenfurt, the later Carinthian capital that he had transferred to its present location in 1246. Bernhard's court in Sankt Veit was the site of festive chivalrous
tournaments
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
and a venue of minnesingers like
Walther von der Vogelweide. In his ''Frauendienst'' poem,
Ulrich von Liechtenstein renders his arrival in Carinthia in the guise of a
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
in 1227, when Duke Bernhard received him with the
Slovene salutation ''Buge waz primi, gralva Venus'' ("God be with you, royal Venus").
Bernhard's hopes to extend his influence after the extinction of the
Austrian Babenberg dynasty in 1246 were disappointed. Nevertheless, he gained control over the strategically important
Loibl Pass and
Seeberg Saddle, leading through the
Karawanks
The Karawanks or Karavankas or Karavanks (; , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia to the south and Austria to the north. With a total length of in an east–west direction, the Karawanks chain is o ...
mountain range to the adjacent
March of Carniola
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 ...
in the south, where his son
Ulrich III in 1248 became landgrave (''dominus Carniolae'') upon his marriage with
Agnes of Andechs, daughter of Duke
Otto I of Merania. He is also credited as founding the
Kostanjevica (''Landstraß'')
Cistercian
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
Abbey in
Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola ( ; ) is a traditional region in Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south an ...
about 1234. Bernhard is buried at
St. Paul's Abbey in the Lavanttal.
Marriage and children

Duke Bernhard's exalted rank corresponds to his wedding with Judith, daughter of the
Přemyslid King
Ottokar I of Bohemia
Ottokar I (; 1155 – 1230) was Duke of Bohemia periodically beginning in 1192, then acquired the title of King of Bohemia, first in 1198 from Philip of Swabia, later in 1203 from Otto IV of Brunswick and in 1212 (as hereditary) from ...
and the
Árpád princess
Constance of Hungary, in 1213. Four known children result from the marriage:
*
Ulrich III (c. 1220–1269), Duke of Carinthia 1256–1269, Margrave of Carniola since 1248
*Bernhard of Carinthia (d. before 1249)
*Margaret of Carinthia (d. before 1249)
*
Philip of Spanheim (d. 21/22 July 1279),
Archbishop of Salzburg
The Archdiocese of Salzburg (; ) is a Latin Church, Latin rite archdiocese of the Catholic Church centered in Salzburg, Austria. It is also the principal diocese of the ecclesiastical province of Salzburg. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian ...
from 1247 to 1256 and
Patriarch of Aquileia
This is a list of bishops and patriarchs of Aquileia in northeastern Italy. For the ecclesiastical history of the diocese, see Patriarchate of Aquileia.
From 553 until 698 the archbishops renounced Papal authority as part of the Schism of the T ...
from 1269 to 1273.
The relationship with the Přemyslid dynasty became crucial, when Bernhard's son Duke Ulrich III died without heirs in 1269. His younger brother Philip was claimant to the estates of Carinthia and Carniola, he nevertheless could not prevail against his first cousin King
Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II (; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Austria, Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his death in 1278 ...
, who in 1268 had signed an inheritance treaty with late Duke Ulrich. Though Philip even reached his enfeoffment by the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
king
Rudolf I of Germany
Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany of the Habsburg dynasty from 1273 until his death.
Rudolf's imperial election of 1273, election marked the end of the Interregnum (Holy Roman Empire), Great Interregnum whic ...
in 1275, he could not assume the rule after King Ottokar II was killed at the 1278
Battle on the Marchfeld
The Battle on the Marchfeld (''i.e. Morava (river), Morava Field''; ; ; ); at Dürnkrut, Austria, Dürnkrut and Jedenspeigen took place on 26 August 1278 and was a decisive event for the history of Central Europe for the following centuries. T ...
.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spanheim, Bernhard Von
12th-century births
1256 deaths
Dukes of Carinthia
People from Klagenfurt
Burials at Saint Paul's Abbey, Lavanttal