Duchy of Zähringen
| House of Zähringen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country |
Duchy of Carinthia March of Verona Margraviate of Baden |
| Titles | Count, Duke, Margrave |
| Founded | c. 962 |
| Founder | Berthold I |
| Final ruler | Berthold V |
| Deposition | 1218 |
Zähringen is the name of an old German noble family in Swabia, who founded a large number of cities in what are today Switzerland and the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from Zähringen castle near Freiburg im Breisgau, now in ruins, which the dukes founded in 1120. While the junior line who first assumed the title 'Duke of Zähringen', a cadet branch of the House of Baden, became extinct in 1218, the senior line persists and currently uses the title 'Margrave of Baden, Duke of Zähringen'.
In the German language the word Zähringer is used for 'House of Zähringen'.
The earliest known member of the family was one Berthold, Count in the Breisgau (d. 982), first mentioned in 962. In view of his name, he may have been related with the Alemannic Ahalolfing dynasty. Berthold's great-grandson Count Berthold I of Zähringen (d. 1078) held several lordships (Herrschaften) in the Breisgau, in Thurgau, Ortenau, and Baar. By his mother, he was related to the rising Hohenstaufen family.
Emperor Henry III had promised his liensman Berthold of Zähringen the Duchy of Swabia, but this was not fulfilled, as upon Henry's death, his widow Agnes of Poitou in 1057 appointed Count Rudolf of Rheinfelden. In compensation, Berthold was made Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona in 1061. However, this dignity was only a titular one, and Berthold actually lost it when in the course of the Investiture Controversy he joined the rising of his former rival Rudolf of Rheinfelden against German king Henry IV in 1073. His son Berthold II, who like his father fought against Henry IV, inherited a lot of the lands of Rudolf's son Count Berthold of Rheinfelden in 1090 (though not his comital title, that stayed with the family von Wetter-Rheinfelden) and in 1092 was elected Duke of Swabia against Frederick I of Hohenstaufen. In 1098 he reconciled with Frederick, renounced all claims to Swabia and instead concentrated on his possessions in the Breisgau region, assuming the title of a "Duke of Zähringen". He was succeeded in turn by his sons, Berthold III (d. 1122) and Conrad (d. 1152).
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