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List of counts at Sponheim

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Coat of arms of the House of Sponheim

The County of Sponheim went through roughly three main phases during the course of the centuries. The first one lasted from the beginnings in the 11th century until the first divisions of the county between two Sponheimish lines around 1234. In this first period the region was ruled by a single count.

In the second phase the county was managed by two counts. The “Further” County (Vordere Grafschaft) of Sponheim was ruled by the line Sponheim-Kreuznach with residence at Castle Kauzenburg near Kreuznach. The "Hinder" County (Hintere Grafschaft) of Sponheim was ruled by the Sponheim-Starkenburg line, with residence at first at Castle Starkenburg near Enkirch and after 1350 at Castle Grevenburg near Trarbach. This phase lasted nearly to the extinction of both lines in 1437.

Finally in the third phase both parts of the county were managed by joint rulers as a condominium. The management of the “Hinder” County of Sponheim was divided between a collateral palatine line (House of Palatinate-Simmern, later House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, later still House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld) and Baden, the management of the “Further” County of Sponheim roughly between Baden and the Electoral Palatinate. The ruling houses of the Sponheimish condominium were matrilineal descendants of the House of Sponheim and took on the title of Count at Sponheim (Graf zu Sponheim).

Counts of Sponheim

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House of Sponheim

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Division of Sponheim under House of Sponheim rule

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County of Sponheim
(1st creation)
(c.1030-1218)

County of
Upper Sponheim
(1218-1417)
County of
Lower Sponheim
(1218-1417)
County of Sponheim
(2nd creation)
(1417-1437)


Table of rulers

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Ruler Born Reign Death Ruling part Consort Notes
Eberhard I c.990?
? 		c.1030? – 1044 County of Sponheim Hedwig of Nellenburg
at least one child 		1044
aged 53-54		 First known count of the family.
Siegfried I c.1010?
First son of Eberhard I and Hedwig of Nellenburg 		1044 – 7 February 1065 County of Sponheim Richardis of Lavanttal
four children 		7 February 1065
aged 54-55		 Also Count in the Puster Valley and Margrave of the Hungarian March
Stephen I c.1020?
(Possible) Second son of Eberhard I and Hedwig of Nellenburg 		7 February 1065 – 1080 County of Sponheim ? of Stromberg
at least one child 		1080
aged 59-60		 Possibly a brother or a cousin of Siegfried.
Stephen II c.1050?
Son of Stephen I 		1080 – 1118 County of Sponheim Sophia of Formbach
c.1092
five children 		1118
aged 67-68
Meginhard I c.1085
Son of Stephen II and Sophia of Formbach 		1118 – 1136 County of Sponheim Matilda of Mörsberg-Nellenburg
four children 		1136
aged 50-51		 Also Count of Winterthur.
Godfrey I c.1115
Son of Meginhard I and Matilda of Mörsberg-Nellenburg 		1136 – 1159 County of Sponheim Matilda of Lorraine?
eight children 		1159
aged 43-44
Godfrey II c.1140
Son of Godfrey I and Matilda of Lorraine 		1159 – 1183 County of Sponheim ? of Veldenz
seven children 		1183
aged 42-43
Council of Regency (1183-1189) Died during the Fifth Crusade. After his death, his children split the Sponheim domains.
Godfrey III c.1175
Son of Godfrey II 		1183 – 1218 County of Sponheim Adelaide, Countess of Sayn
1202
five children 		c.1218
aged 42-43
John I c.1205
First son of Godfrey III and Adelaide of Sayn 		1218 – 1266 County of Upper Sponheim ? of Altena-Isenberg
five children 		1266
aged 60-61 		Children of Godfrey III, divided the county. John inherited the Upper part with residence in Starkenburg; Simon inherited the Lower part with residence in Kreuznach.
Simon I c.1210
Second son of Godfrey III and Adelaide of Sayn 		1218 – 8 April 1264 County of Lower Sponheim Margaret of Hengebach
(1225-1290)
11 December 1240
six children 		8 April 1264
aged 53-54
John I the Lame c.1245
Son of Simon I and Margaret of Hengebach 		8 April 1264 – 28 January 1290 County of Lower Sponheim Adelaide of Leiningen-Landeck
15 March 1265
seven children 		28 January 1290
aged 44-45
Henry I c.1235
Son of John I 		1266 – 1 August 1289 County of Upper Sponheim Blancheflor of Julich
three/four children 		1 August 1289
aged 53-54
John II c.1265
Son of Henry I and Blancheflor of Julich 		1 August 1289 – March 1324 County of Upper Sponheim Catherine of Ochsenstein
(d.1313)
3 June 1290
three children 		March 1324
aged 58-59 		Father and son, co-rulers. Henry predeceased John, and he was succeeded by his minor grandchild.
Henry II the Younger c.1295
Son of John II and Catherine of Ochsenstein 		c.1310 – October 1323 Lauretta of Salm
January 1315
one child 		October 1323
aged 27-28
Simon II c.1270
First son of John I and Adelaide of Leiningen-Landeck 		28 January 1290 – 1336 County of Lower Sponheim
(at Kastellaun)		 Elisabeth of Falkenburg
November 1293
nine children 		1336
Kastellaun
aged 65-66 		Sons of John I, shared rule in the county, from their separate residences.
John II c.1270
Second son of John I and Adelaide of Leiningen-Landeck 		1290 – 11 March 1340 County of Lower Sponheim
(at Kreuznach)		 Unmarried 11 March 1340
aged 69-70
Regency of Lauretta of Salm (1324-1331) Lauretta was regent in name of her child, John III. In spite of being engaged in a trial of strength with one of the most powerful and influential princes of her time, the Elector of Trier Baldwin of Luxembourg, she devoted herself to putting Sponheim on a firm political and economic footing.
John III The Elder c.1315
Son of Henry II and Loretta of Salm 		March 1324 – 30 December 1398 County of Upper Sponheim Matilda of the Palatinate
1331
three children 		30 December 1398
aged 82-83
Waleran 1305
Kastellaun
Son of Simon II and Elisabeth of Falkenburg 		1336 – 13 February 1380 County of Lower Sponheim Elisabeth of Katzenelnbogen
9 August 1330
six children 		13 February 1380
aged 74-75		 Inherited the domains of his father (Kastellaun) and uncle (Kreuznach).
Simon III c.1335
Son of Waleran and Elisabeth of Katzenelnbogen 		13 February 1380 – 30 August 1414 County of Lower Sponheim Maria of Vianden
(1337 – 21 October 1400)
23 July 1348
three children 		30 August 1414
aged 78-79
John IV c.1335
Son of John III and Matilda of the Palatinate 		30 December 1398 – 1411 Conty of Upper Sponheim Elisabeth of Sponheim-Kreuznach
(d.18 April 1395)
1346
one child 		1411
aged 75-76
Elisabeth 1365
Daughter of Simon III and Maria of Vianden 		30 August 1414 – 31 July 1417 County of Lower Sponheim Engelbert III of the Mark
5 April 1381
no children

Rupert Pepin of the Palatinate
1392
Alzey
no children 		31 July 1417
Kreuznach
aged 51-52		 After her death, her estates were reunited with those of the Upper Sponheim line.
John V 1359
Son of John IV and Elisabeth of Sponheim-Kreuznach 		1411 – 24 October 1437 County of Sponheim
(at Upper Sponheim until 1417)		 Walpurga of Leiningen
c.1415
five children 		24 October 1437
aged 75-76		 In 1417, after the death of Countess Elisabeth of Lower Sponheim, he reunited Sponheim once more, but died with no descendants. The family became extinct. The county was divided between the heirs of his father's sisters (Matilda and Lauretta): the Margraves of Baden and the Lords of Veldenz.

Successors in Upper and Lower Sponheim

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Upper Sponheim Lower Sponheim
Palatinate-Veldenz
  • Frederick III, Count at Veldenz and Sponheim (1437–1444, O.C. 1437)

Palatinate-Simmern/-Birkenfeld/-Zweibrücken

  • Frederick I, Count Palatine (1444–1480, O.C. 1453)
  • John I (1480–1509)
  • John II (1509–1557, O.C. 1527)
  • Frederick II, 1559 Prince Elector Frederick III (1557–1560), as pledgeholder 1569 to 1571

Palatinate-Zweibrücken

  • Wolfgang at Veldenz (1560–1569)
  • John I (1569–1584 as regent to his brother Charles I)

Palatinate-Birkenfeld

(Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler receives Birkenfeld)

(Palatinate-Bischweiler-Birkenfeld acquires Zweibrücken)

Baden

Electoral Palatinate


(Succession to Palatinate-Simmern line)

Palatinate-Simmern

(Extinction of the Simmern line, succession to Palatinate-Neuburg)

Palatinate-Neuburg

(Rightful successor was Count Palatine Maximilian of Zweibrücken (see “Upper” County))

Baden-Baden

(Extinction of the Baden-Baden line, succession falls to Baden-Durlach line)

Notes

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  • O.C. = Oldest Count

References

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