County of Sponheim

County of Sponheim
Grafschaft Sponheim  (German)
State of the Holy Roman Empire
11th century – 1804
Coat of arms of Upper Sponheim
Location of the County of Sponheim
Capital		Sponheim Traben-Trarbach Kreuznach
Government		Principality
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Established	the 11th century
•	Partitioned to Starkenburg and Kreuznach	about 1225
•	Divided between Baden, Palatinate-Simmern-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld and the Electoral Palatinate	1437
•	Joined Upper Rhenish Imperial Circle	1500
•	Annexed by the First French Empire	1804
Preceded by Succeeded by Rhenish Franconia Lorraine (duchy) Kingdom of Prussia Grand Duchy of Oldenburg Kingdom of Bavaria

Coat of arms of Upper Sponheim

The County of Sponheim (German: Grafschaft Sponheim, former spelling: Spanheim, Spanheym) was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century. The name comes from the municipality of Sponheim, where the counts had their original residence.

The territory was located roughly between the rivers Rhine, Moselle and Nahe, in the present state of Rhineland-Palatinate, around the Hunsrück region. It bordered the Electorate of Trier to the north and west, the Raugraviate, the Electorate of Mainz and the Electorate of the Palatinate to the east and the County of Veldenz to the south and west, among other states.

The family of Sponheim, or Spanheim (German: Spanheimer), is documented since the 11th century. There are two main branches which are certainly related, but whose exact relationship is still debated. The branch of the Dukes of Carinthia descends from Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim. The Rhenish branch which retained the County of Sponheim descends from Stephan I, Count of Sponheim.