The Countship of Isenburg-Limburg was a state of 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 the 13th and 14th centuries, based around the city of
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 Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn.
The t ...
in modern
Hesse
Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
, Germany.
House of Limburg
The short-lived House of Limburg (or House of Isenburg-Limburg) was a collateral line of the House of Isenburg. From the House of Limburg came several canons in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
and
Trier
Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
. The House of Limburg also had familial relationships to the Houses of
Nassau
Nassau may refer to:
Places Austria
* Nassau (Groß Sankt Florian), incorporated village of Groß Sankt Florian
Bahamas
*Nassau, The Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas
Canada
*Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upp ...
and
Westerburg
Westerburg () is a small town of roughly 6,000 inhabitants in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is named after the castle built on a hill above the medieval town centre (''Burg'' is German for “castle”)
Geograph ...
in addition to the other lines of the House of Isenburg.
Territory and rights of the Lordship of Limburg
The core of the territory was the town of Limburg an der Lahn and the
Vogt
An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...
ship of St. George's Cathedral in Limburg. It also included the villages of Elz, Neesbach (a part of present-day
Hünfelden
Hünfelden is a municipality in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany. Hünfelden lies on the ''Hühnerstraße'', an historic part of ''Bundesstraße'' 417.
Geography
Location
Hünfelden lies in the Taunus north of Wiesbaden, 9 km ...
), Oberbrechen and Werschau (both now parts of
Brechen
Brechen is a municipality in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Brechen lies in the southeastern part of the Limburg Basin between the Taunus and the Westerwald. The sparsely wooded land of loess hills is crossed ...
), and the Werode Zent. Along with it went the Lordship of Cleeberg, including the places Cleeberg, Oberkleen, and Ebergöns (all now part of
Langgöns
Langgöns is a municipality in the district of Gießen, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 10 km south of Gießen.
Due to the town's convenient proximity to several former U.S. military bases; Ayers Kaserne, Giessen Army Depot, and Ray Barr ...
), Brandoberndorf (now part of
Waldsolms
Waldsolms is a municipality located in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Waldsolms lies in the Hochtaunus Nature Park between Wetzlar and Usingen.
Neighbouring communities
Waldsolms is bordered on the north by the town of ...
), and a share of Schloss Schaumburg (in
Balduinstein
Balduinstein () is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North ...
). The Lordship of Cleeberg and the share in Schaumburg, however, were later given away as a dowry.
The feudal lords of the Countship of Limburg were the
Landgraviate of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse () was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a single entity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided among the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.
History
In the early Middle Ages, the territory of He ...
,
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Electorate of Mainz ( or '; ), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop-Elec ...
, and the Holy Roman Empire, each owning a third.
Limburg Castle was the residence of the Counts of Limburg, who built the majority of the structures still extant today. Gerlach I was probably the builder of the residential tower. In 1379 a fire burned parts of the castle. In 1400 John II built the southern two-story hall.History of Limburg Castle Retrieved on 2009-02-14.
The rulers of the house were buried in the Cathedral in Limburg. Construction of the cathedral had begun in 1212, and was completed by the counts in 1232. It remains the city church today. The town's
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
monastery was founded under Gerlach IV. John I of Limburg built St. Peter's Chapel between 1289 and 1298.
History
The Lordship of Limburg passed to the House of Isenburg between 1219 and 1221 as an inheritance through the male line of the extinct
House of Leiningen
The House of Leiningen is the name of an old German noble family whose lands lay principally in Alsace, Lorraine, Saarland, Rhineland, and the Palatinate. Various branches of this family developed over the centuries and ruled counties with Imp ...
Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
, their father Count Henry I of Isenburg-Grenzau between 1220 and 1227, chose Limburg as his residence. He took the title Lord of Limburg in 1248. On May 22, 1258, Gerlach and Henry divided the inheritance between themselves. Gerlach won sole possession of the city of Limburg and took the title Gelach I, Count of Limburg.
The relationship between the Counts of Limburg and the citizenry of the city was tense. In 1279 the citizens expelled Gerlach I from the city. After negotiations, he was able to return to his castle, but he had to grant the citizenry far-reaching freedoms. In 1288, Gerlach participated together with Nassau and Westerburg at the
Battle of Worringen
The Battle of Worringen was fought on 5 June 1288 near the town of Worringen (also spelled Woeringen), which is now part of Chorweiler, the northernmost borough (Stadtbezirk) of Cologne. It was the decisive battle of the War of the Limburg Succe ...
on the side of the
Archbishop of Cologne
The Archbishop of Cologne governs the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne in western North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, the archbishop was ''ex officio'' one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled the Electorate of Cologne ...
,
Siegfried II of Westerburg
Siegfried (or Sigfrid) II of Westerburg (before 1260 – 7 April 1297, in Bonn) was Archbishop of Cologne from 1275 to 1297.
Siegfried was the second son of Siegfried IV, Count of Runkel in Westerburg (died 1266). His older brother was Henry (' ...
.
The dynasty of the House of Limburg was active on behalf of the German kings. In particular,
John I John I may refer to:
People
Religious figures
* John I (bishop of Jerusalem)
* John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople
* John I of Antioch (died 441)
* Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505
* Pope John I, P ...
worked from 1292 to 1298 for his brother-in-law, King Adolf of Nassau, who was married to John's sister
Imagina of Isenburg-Limburg
Imagina of Isenburg-Limburg (ca. 1255 – 29 September 1313?) was the Queen consort of Adolf of Nassau, King of Germany.
Life
Imagina was born in about 1255 (probably in Limburg an der Lahn) to Gerlach I of Limburg and Imagina of Blieskastel. ...
. Despite his participation in the
Battle of Göllheim
The Battle of Göllheim was fought on 2 July 1298 between the forces of duke Albert I of Habsburg (German: Albrecht) and king Adolf of Nassau following the unilateral decision of the prince electors, without any formal election, to dethrone Ad ...
on the side of King Adolf, he was later able to gain the favor of Adolf's opponent and successor, King
Albert of Habsburg
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s
* Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street mar ...
.
The city of Limburg an der Lahn was strategically important due to its location on the main trade route from
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
to
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. This led to frequent conflicts with neighbouring lordships and made the city a target of robber-barons. As a result, the city was heavily fortified by the Counts of Limburg. Towers were built around the city in 1315. In 1343 walls and a moat were added to surround the town.
Under Gerlach II, the city of Limburg achieved its highest medieval flowering. The chronicler Tilemann Elhen von Wolfhagen writes in his chronicle of Limburg before 1402 that, before the plague, the city could summon over 2,000 weapons-capable citizens. Gerlach constructed the stone bridge over the Lahn and laid out suburbs in front of the Dietz and Frankfurt Gates and the approach to the bridge. With a fire in 1342 and the first wave of the
Black Death
The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...
in 1349, however, began its economic decline.
In 1344 half of the castle, town and lordship was pledged to
Baldwin of Luxembourg
Baldwin of Luxembourg (c. 1285 – 21 January 1354) was the archbishop and elector of Trier and archchancellor of Burgundy from 1307 to his death. From 1328 to 1336, he was the administrator of the archdiocese of Mainz and from 1331 to 1337 (w ...
,
Archbishop of Trier
The Diocese of Trier (), in English historically also known as ''Treves'' () from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.
In 1365, Gerlach III died in the plague without male heirs. With the permission of
Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V (; 1310 – 19 December 1370), born Guillaume de Grimoard, was head of the Catholic Church from 28 September 1362 until his death, in December 1370 and was also a member of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was the only Avignon pope ...
, his brother
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
put aside the office of
Canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western canon, th ...
of Trier Cathedral and took over the rule of Limburg as John II. John II died in 1406 as the last male representative of the House of Limburg. The Archbishopric of Trier finally took over the city and the whole of the Lordship of Limburg.
Counts of Isenburg-Limburg
References
Sources
* (Unchanged reprint of the baroque 1720 edition from Verlag Winckler, Wetzlar).
* .
*