Ravensberg (County)
| County of Ravensberg | ||||||||||
| Grafschaft Ravensberg | ||||||||||
| State of the Holy Roman Empire (until 1806) | ||||||||||
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.svg) Map of part of the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle in
1560, County of Ravensberg highlighted in red |
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| Capital | Bielefeld | |||||||||
| Government | Principality | |||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | |||||||||
| • | Otto I, Count of Ravensberg |
1140s 1140s |
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| • | Gerhard I, Count of Berg and Ravensberg |
1338 |
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| • | Joined Westphalian Imperial Circle |
1500 |
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John III, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg |
1521 |
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| • | To Brandenburg-Prussia by Treaty of Xanten |
1614 |
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| • | Disestablished | 1807 | ||||||||
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Coat of arms
The County of Ravensberg (German: Grafschaft Ravensberg) was a historical county of the Holy Roman Empire. Its territory was in present-day eastern Westphalia, Germany at the foot of the Osning or Teutoburg Forest.
Ravensberg was first mentioned in the 12th century; its first capital was Burg Ravensberg. The Counts of Ravensberg then had Sparrenberg Castle built in Bielefeld c. 1240–50, which they made their seat.
The county was later inherited by the Duchy of Berg in 1346, which in turn became part of the Duchy of Jülich-Berg in 1423, and ultimately the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg in 1521.
After the War of the Jülich succession, in the Treaty of Xanten in 1614, the County of Ravensberg came to the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which became the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701, and was administered within Minden-Ravensberg from 1719–1807, when it was dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars.
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