Upper Alsace (southern

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

) was a landgraviate 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 ...

centred on Ensisheim and Landser, north of the County of Ferrette (Pfirt). The counts of Habsburg ruled the territory from the 1130s down to its cession to France in the 17th century.

History

In 1130, the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

, Lothair III of Supplinburg in order to diminish the power of the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

family in the region, merged three local regions into several larger fiefs. The County of Sundgau, County of Ferrette, and the parts west of the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

from the

Duchy of Swabia The Duchy of Swabia (; ) was one of the five stem duchy, stem duchies of the medieval Kingdom of Germany, German Kingdom. It arose in the 10th century in the southwestern area that had been settled by Alemanni tribes in Late Antiquity. While th ...

were merged to form the new Landgraviate of Upper Alsace. In 1188, the first mentions of the landgraviate appear in official records, however the date of probable creation was around 1130. The landgraviate included the prementioned areas, along with several Seigneuries and

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world throughout history, including cities such as Rome, ...

s located in Upper Alsace. Albert III, Count of Habsburg, received the Landgraviate of Upper Alsace from the Emperor Frederick I in 1186. Frederick's son, Duke Frederick V, was his lord with the title of duke of Alsace (''Elisatiae dux''). On 9 May 1469, Duke

Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...

of Burgundy acquired the Landgraviate of Upper Alsace and the County of Ferrette for 50,000 Rhenish florins. At the time of its purchase, the landgraviate was heavily mortgaged and pawned. Landser was mortgaged to Thüring von Hallwill for 7,000 florins. On 20 September Charles appointed Peter von Hagenbach as the "grand bailiff (''Landvogt'') of Ferrette and Alsace" with his seat at Ensisheim. This official was a successor of the previous Austrian-appointed ''Landvogt'', and thus in the service of the landgrave of Upper Alsace. The ''Landvogtei'' (bailiwick) of Alsace itself was an imperial office then mortgaged to the

Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy Roman Empero ...

. On 14 April 1646, the imperial ambassador Maximilian von und zu Trauttmansdorff, during negotiations to end the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, offered "Upper and Lower Alsace and the Sundgau, under the title of Landgraviate of Alsace" to the French. There was no such territory, since Alsace was at the time divided into several jurisdictions held by competing powers. The Archduke Ferdinand Charles held the Landgraviate of Upper Alsace, while a relative held the ''Landvogtei'' (bailiwick) of

Hagenau Haguenau (; or ; ; historical ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Département in France, department of France, of which it is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture. It is second in size in the Bas-Rhin only to Strasbourg ...

with a protectorate over the Décapole (a league of ten imperial cities).

Landgraves

The landgraviate was owned by the 'landgrave of Upper Alsace', which was always a member of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

from 1324 by inheritance. The first landgrave of the area was Werner II, Count of Habsburg, and was succeeded by his family. The last landgrave was Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * Kaeppelin, Charles E. R, and Mary L. Hendee. '' Alsace Throughout the Ages''. Franklin, Pa: C. Miller, 1908. * Putnam, Ruth.
Alsace and Lorraine: From Cæsar to Kaiser, 58 B.C.–1871 A.D.
' New York: 1915. * * * * * __NOTOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Alsace, Upper History of Haut-Rhin Counties of the Holy Roman Empire Landgraves of the Holy Roman Empire Territories of the Valois dukes of Burgundy

History

Landgraves

See also

Notes

References

Sources