Suilbergau, also known as Suilbergi, and Sülberggau, was an early medieval county in the province of

Eastphalia Eastphalia ( �stˈfaːlən Eastphalian: ''Oostfalen'') is a historical region in northern Germany, encompassing the eastern '' Gaue'' (shires) of the historic stem duchy of Saxony, roughly confined by the River Leine in the west and the Elbe a ...

, in the

Duchy of Saxony The Duchy of Saxony () was originally the area settled by the Saxons in the late Early Middle Ages, when they were subdued by Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 772 CE and incorporated into the Carolingian Empire (Francia) by 804. Upon the 84 ...

Geography

Allgemeiner historischer Handatlas - Deutschland um das Jahr 1000 - Ausschnitt Provinz Ostfalen

The '' gau'' comprised the narrow strip of land between the

Solling The Solling () is a range of hills up to high in the Weser Uplands in the German state of Lower Saxony, whose extreme southerly foothills extend into Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. Inside Lower Saxony it is the second largest range of hill ...

forest and the

Leine The Leine (; Old Saxon ''Lagina'') is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller and the Weser and is long. The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia. About downriver ...

river, and connected to each other by the

Ilme The Ilme is a left-bank, western tributary of the River Leine in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is long. The river begins at the pond in the centre of the Solling hills at an elevation of and flows initially northwards to Dassel, then in an easter ...

river. It bordered the counties of Wikanafeld and

Aringo Aringo is a frazione of Montereale, in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo, region of Italy The regions of Italy () are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italy, Italian Republic, constituting its second Nomenclature of Ter ...

in the north, Rittigau in the east, the county of Moringen in the south and

Allgäu The Allgäu (Standard ) is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the Alps. The main rivers flo ...

in the west. Several villages in the eastern part of Suilbergau are now incorporated by

Einbeck Einbeck (; Eastphalian: ''Aimbeck'') is a town in the district Northeim, in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, on the German Timber-Frame Road. History Prehistory The area of the current city of Einbeck is inhabited since prehistoric times. Vario ...

; several villages in the western part are now part of

Dassel Dassel is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district Northeim. It is located near the hills of the Solling mountains. Geography The city covers an area of . Buildings and streets make up about 10% of this area while 26% ...

. Suilbergau was the property of the

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 ...

, but the

diocese of Hildesheim The Diocese of Hildesheim () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. Founded in 815 as a missionary diocese by King Louis the Pious, his son Louis the German appointed the famous former archbishop of Rheims, Ebbo, as bishop. ...

, which bordered Suilbergau to the north, had influence over the church in Dassel. In the west, Suilbergau bordered the

diocese of Paderborn The Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn () was an ecclesiastical principality (Hochstift) of the Holy Roman Empire from 1281 to 1802. History The Diocese of Paderborn was founded in 799 by Pope Leo III. In the early years it was subordinated to t ...

, which also had an interest in the area.

History

Little is known about the history of Suilbergau. Its thingstead was on a hill between what is now Strodthagen and

Sülbeck Sülbeck is one of the oldest villages in the town of Einbeck, district Northeim (district), Northeim, Germany. The development of the village is connected to the saline springs. These were used to produce brine and salt for some hundred years. ...

, two villages that now belong to Einbeck. Suilbergau is mentioned in an early document as "

pagus In ancient Rome, the Latin word (plural ) was an administrative term designating a rural subdivision of a tribal territory, which included individual farms, villages (), and strongholds () serving as refuges, as well as an early medieval geograp ...

sulbergowe", when it was bestowed on

Corvey Abbey The Princely Abbey of Corvey ( or ) is a former Benedictine abbey and ecclesiastical principality now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was one of the half-dozen self-ruling '' princely abbeys'' of the Holy Roman Empire from the Late Middl ...

, and witnessed by Reinold I of Dassel. Several men are mentioned in a

cartulary A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll ('' rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the fo ...

written by the monks of

, on the western border of Suilbergau. These men are: * Emmo (822 - 826) * Theodger (826 - 853) * Geroldus (854 - 877) * Sigifridus (877) * Bernhardus (900 - 916)Karl Christian Lorsch
''Ein Blick auf die Geschichte des Königreichs Hannover''
Google Books. (1827) p. XLI] Early in the 12th century, Reinold I of Dassel, father of

Rainald of Dassel Rainald of Dassel (c. 1120 – 14 August 1167) was Archbishop of Cologne and Archchancellor of Italy from 1159 until his death. A close advisor to the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick Barbarossa, he had an important influence on Imperial p ...

, appears in documents. He and his sons established the

county of Dassel A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...

References

{{coord missing, Germany Carolingian counties Duchy of Saxony Former states and territories of Lower Saxony