Robert IV, Count of Nassau

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Coat of Arms of the Counts of Laurenburg and Nassau (12th century)

Robert IV of Nassau (German: Ruprecht) (died ca. 1240) was an early member of the House of Nassau. The House of Nassau would become an important aristocratic family in Germany, from which are descended the present-day rulers of the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

House of Nassau diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe

The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count of Nassau", then elevated to the princely class as "Princely Counts".

Germany Federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe

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Biography

Robert IV was the second son of Count Walram I of Nassau and Kunigunde of Ziegenhain (a town now part of Schwalmstadt, Hesse), daughter of Count Poppo II of Nidda. [1] On his father's death in 1198, he became co-Count of Nassau, with his brother, Henry II.

Schwalmstadt Place in Hesse, Germany

Schwalmstadt is the largest town in the Schwalm-Eder district, in northern Hesse, Germany. It was established only in 1970 with the amalgamation of the towns of Treysa and Ziegenhain together with some outlying villages to form the town of Schwalmstadt.

Hesse State in Germany

Hesse or Hessia, officially the State of Hesse, is a federal state (Land) of the Federal Republic of Germany, with just over six million inhabitants. The state capital is Wiesbaden; the largest city is Frankfurt am Main.

Nidda, Hesse Place in Hesse, Germany

Nidda is a town in the district Wetterau, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the Nidda river, approximately 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Frankfurt am Main.

Walram I had received the Königshof Wiesbaden from Emperor Frederick I in reward for his support of the emperor in the conflicts of 1170-1180. [2] Nassau’s possessions in this area were expanded around 1214 when Henry II received the Imperial Vogtship ( Reichsvogtei ) over Wiesbaden and the surrounding Königssondergau , which he held as fiefdoms. [3] In about 1200, Robert, together with his brother, began building Sonnenberg Castle on a spur of Spitzkippel peak in the Taunus above Wiesbaden. This was intended for protection against the Archbishopric of Mainz and its vassals, the Lords of Eppstein, who held the lands bordering Wiesbaden. However, the cathedral chapter of St. Martin in Mainz claimed Sonnenberg as their own. To settle the dispute, Nassau paid 30 Marks to the cathedral chapter in 1221 to acquire the land of Sonnenberg Castle. Henry was also forced to recognize the sovereignty of the Archbishops of Mainz over Sonnenberg, taking the castle as a fief of Mainz. [4]

Wiesbaden Place in Hesse, Germany

Wiesbaden is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. In January 2018, it had 289,544 inhabitants, plus approximately 19,000 United States citizens. The Wiesbaden urban area is home to approx. 560,000 people.

Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor German Holy Roman Emperor

Frederick I, also known as Frederick Barbarossa, was the Holy Roman Emperor from 2 January 1155 until his death. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 1152. He was crowned King of Italy on 24 April 1155 in Pavia and Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV on 18 June 1155 in Rome. Two years later, the term sacrum ("holy") first appeared in a document in connection with his Empire. He was later formally crowned King of Burgundy, at Arles on 30 June 1178. He was named Barbarossa by the northern Italian cities which he attempted to rule: Barbarossa means "red beard" in Italian; in German, he was known as Kaiser Rotbart, which has the same meaning.

The Königssondergau was a Frankish gau (district) which existed in the area north of the confluence of the Rhine and Main rivers in Germany, from Frankish times until the end of the 12th century. Often mistakenly equated with the Rheingau, the Gau was based around the former Roman administrative district of Civitas Mattiacorum. The name Kunigessuntera is documented the first time in 819. A main court (fiscus) with senior officials were present in Wiesbaden; sub-courts existed in Biebrich and Mosbach.

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Coat of Arms of the Teutonic Order

Before 1229, Robert IV married a woman named Gertrude (her family is not known, but she may have been the daughter of a Count of Kleeberg [5] ). They apparently had one daughter. [6]

In 1230, Robert joined the Teutonic Order. On his death, he bequeathed his legacy to the Order. This would eventually lead to conflict between the House of Nassau and the Teutonic Order. [7]

Teutonic Order Medieval military order

The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious order founded as a military order c. 1190 in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem.

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References

  1. ↑ or a Count of Spanheim. Dek (1970), p. 13.
  2. ↑ Die territoriale Entwicklung Nassaus Archived 2007-10-05 at the Wayback Machine . by Ulrich Reuling. (in German). Retrieved on 2009-01-26.
  3. ↑ Thiele (1994), Table 307. Quoted at Genealogies of the Middle Ages Archived 2007-03-17 at the Wayback Machine .. (in German). Retrieved on 2009-01-29.
  4. ↑ History of Sonnenberg Archived 2007-12-19 at the Wayback Machine ., City of Wiesbaden website. (in German). Retrieved on 2009-01-23.
  5. ↑ Dek (1970), p. 13. Dek also dates the marriage to 1221 and Gertrude's death to 1222.
  6. ↑ Translated from Dutch Wikipedia article on Walram I. Source unknown.
  7. ↑ Thiele (1994), Table 307, quoted at Robert IV, Genealogies of the Middle Ages. Retrieved on 2009-01-31.

Sources

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Zaltbommel Municipality in Gelderland, Netherlands

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Preceded by
Walram I 		co-Count of Nassau
1198–1230 		Succeeded by
none
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