Eberhard I, Count of Württemberg
| Eberhard I, Count of Württemberg | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Spouse(s) | N.N. Margaret of Lorraine Irmengard of Baden |
| Noble family | House of Württemberg |
| Father | Ulrich I, Count of Württemberg |
| Mother | Agnes of Silesia-Legnica |
| Born |
13 March 1265 Stuttgart |
| Died | 5 June 1325 (aged 60) Stuttgart |
| Buried | Stiftskirche, Stuttgart |
Eberhard I (13 March 1265, Stuttgart - 5 June 1325, Stuttgart) was Count of Württemberg from 1279 until his death. He was nicknamed 'der Erlauchte' or the Illustrious Highness.
Eberhard's half-brother and predecessor Ulrich II took office at the age of about eleven years. It is generally assumed that he stood under the guardianship and regency of Count Hartmann I of Grüningen. Ulrich II died in 1279 and his guardian Hartmann in 1280, allowing Eberhard to exercise unrestricted reign of the County of Württemberg from 1280.
His father, Ulrich I, had extended the Württemberg territory and the anti-king Henry Raspe IV had legitimized his conquests. However, when Rudolph I was elected Emperor, these territories had to be returned to the Empire. Rudolph created bailiwicks to administer the reclaimed imperial territories. He appointed his brother-in-law Albrecht II, Count of Hohenberg-Rotenburg. as Vogt of the new bailiwick of Lower Swabia. Rudolph's aim was to re-establish the Duchy of Swabia, which had been leaderless after the execution in 1268 of Conradin, the last member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. To this end, he appointed his young son Rudolph II as Duke of Swabia. Eberhard resisted these measures. Despite being weaker, he managed exploit the situation after Rudolph's death in 1291 and achieve military successes against Albrecht of Hohenberg-Rotenburg.
Rudolph's successor Adolph of Nassau, did not try to extend his power base into Swabia. After Adolph was overthrown in 1298, Eberhard promised to support his successor Albert I, the oldest son of Rudolph of Habsburg. In return, Albert appointed him Vogt of Lower Swabia. Eberhard used this position to safeguard his territorial claims. It wasn't until 1305 that he again came into military conflict with Albrecht.
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