Conrad I of Sanneck (, ; ? – before 1255), Lord of Žovnek (Sanneck, in German), was a

free noble The term ''edelfrei'' or ''hochfrei'' ("free noble" or "free knight") was originally used to designate and distinguish those Germanic noblemen from the Second Estate (see Estates of the realm social hierarchy), who were legally entitled to atone ...

in the March of Savinja in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, in what is now

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 and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. He was an ancestor of the

House of Celje The Counts of Celje () or the Counts of Cilli (; ) were the most influential late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-day Slovenia. Risen as vassals of the Habsburg dukes of Styria in the early 14th century, they ruled the County ...

, founded by his grandson

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

. He was born to the free noble (roughly equivalent to a

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

) Gebhard II of Sanneck. Little is known of his youth. He flourished between 1220 and 1241, when his name is present in various sources,Fugger Germadnik Romanda et al. (2001): ''Razstava Grofje Celjski (1999; Celje)''. Celje, Pokrajinski muzej Celje, p. 13. showing that he was the owner of large

allod Allod, deriving from Frankish language, Frankish ''alōd'' meaning "full ownership" (from ''al'' "full, whole" and ''ōd'' "property, possession"; Medieval Latin ''allod'' or ''allodium''), also known as allodial land or proprietary property, was ...

s in the

Savinja The Savinja () is a river in northeast Slovenia which flows mostly in the Upper and Lower Savinja Valley () and through the cities of Celje and Laško. The Savinja is the main river of the Savinja Alps (Sln. ''Savinjske Alpe''). It flows into ...

Valley, then part of the

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 1237, the

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 ...

Berthold of Andechs-Merania invested him with several

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

s in

Carniola Carniola ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region still tend to identify with its traditional parts Upp ...

and in the

Windic March The Windic March (; also known as Wendish March) was a medieval frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Lower Carniola () region in present-day Slovenia. In Slovenian historiography, it is known as the Slovene Mar ...

. Sources show that Conrad had a relatively large number of

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

s, among whom the Auersperg family. It was Conrad who first used the traditional coat-of-arms of the House of Sanneck, two red stripes on a silver shield. Conrad was mentioned by the minnesanger

Ulrich von Liechtenstein Ulrich von Liechtenstein (c. 1200 – 26 January 1275) was a German minnesinger, poet and knight of the Middle Ages. He wrote poetry in Middle High German and was author of noted works about how knights and nobles might lead more virtuous lives. ...

in his '' Frauendienst'' as a participant of the

tournament 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 concen ...

Friesach Friesach () is a historic town in the Sankt Veit an der Glan (district), Sankt Veit an der Glan district of Carinthia (state), Carinthia, Austria. First mentioned in an 860 deed, it is known as the oldest town in Carinthia. Geography Location Fri ...

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

. Conrad very likely wrote poetry himself, being considered the same person as "the Knight from Sanneck" mentioned in the famous '' Liederhandschrift'' (book of poetry), known as the

Codex Manesse The Codex Manesse (also or Pariser Handschrift) is a (a German term for a manuscript containing songs) which is the single most comprehensive source of Middle High German ''Minnesang'' poetry. It was written and illustrated manuscript, illustr ...

Family

Conrad married the noblewoman Sophie of Pfannberg-Peggau. They had six children:Grdina Ivan (1994). ''Celjski knezi v Evropi''. * Conrad II of Sanneck * Liutpold III of Sanneck * Gebhard III of Sanneck *

Ulrich of Sanneck Ulrich of Sanneck (, ; around 1255 – 1316), Lord of Žovnek (Sanneck, in German), was a free noble (roughly equivalent to a baron) in the March of Savinja in what was then the Holy Roman Empire and is now in Slovenia. During the struggle betw ...

, who eventually became his father's sole heir *Sophia *Gertrud

Family tree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad 01 of Sanneck 1255 deaths Counts of Celje