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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

House of Sponheim

Ruler Born Reign Death Ruling part Consort Notes
Eberhard I ? c.1030?-1044 1044 Sponheim Unknown First known count of the family.
Siegfried I c.1010 1044-1065 7 February 1065 Sponheim Unknown Also Count in the Puster Valley and Margrave of the Hungarian March
Stephen I ? 1065-1080 1080 Sponheim ? of Stromberg
at least one child		 Cousin or brother of Siegfried.
Stephen II ? 1080-1118 1118 Sponheim Sophia of Formbach
c.1092
five children
Meginhard I c.1085 1118-1136 1136 Sponheim Matilda of Mörsberg-Nellenburg
one child		 Also Count of Winterthur.
Godfrey I c.1115 1136-1159 1159 Sponheim Matilda of Lorraine?
two children
Godfrey II ? 1159-1183 1183 Sponheim ? of Veldenz
one child
Godfrey III c.1175 1183-1218 c.1218 Sponheim Adelaide of Sayn
1202
five children		 Died during the Fifth Crusade. After his death, his children split the Sponheim domains.
John I c.1205 1218-1266 1266
Upper Sponheim		 ? of Altena Isenberg
five children		 Son of Godfrey III, inherited the Upper part of the county, with residence in Starkenburg.
Simon I c.1210 1218-1264 8 April 1264
Lower Sponheim		 Margaret of Hengebach
c.1240
six children		 Son of Godfrey III, inherited the Lower part of the county, with residence in Kreuznach.
John I the Lame c.1245 1264-1290 28 January 1290
Lower Sponheim		 Adelaide of Leiningen-Landeck
c.1265
seven children
Henry I c.1235 1266-1289 1 August 1289
Upper Sponheim		 Blancheflor of Julich
three/four children
John II the Lame c.1265 1289-1324 22 February/29 March 1324
Upper Sponheim		 Catherine of Ochsenstein
three children		 His heir predeceased him, being succeeded by his minor grandchild.
Henry II the Younger c.1295 c.1310-1323 October 1323
Upper Sponheim		 Loretta of Salm
January 1315
one child		 Co-ruler of his father, died five months before him.
Simon II c.1270 1290-1336 1336
Lower Sponheim		 Elisabeth of Falkenburg
c.1293
nine children 		Sons of John I, shared rule in the county: John ruled from Kreuznach; Simon ruled from Kastellaun.
John II c.1270 1290-1340 11 March 1340
Lower Sponheim		 Unknown/Unmarried
Loretta of Salm (regent) c.1300 1324-1331 1345
Upper Sponheim		 Henry II the Younger
January 1315
one child		 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 1331-1398 30 December 1398
Upper Sponheim		 Matilda of the Palatinate
1331
three children
Waleran 1305 1336/40-1380 1380
Lower Sponheim		 Elisabeth of Katzenelnbogen
9 August 1330
six children		 Inherited the domains of his father (Kastellaun) and uncle (Kreuznach).
Simon III c.1330 1380-1414 30 August 1414
Lower Sponheim		 Maria of Vianden
c.1345
three children
John IV c.1335 1398-1413/14 16 October 1413/12 April 1414
Upper Sponheim		 Elisabeth of Sponheim-Kreuznach
1346
one child
Elisabeth c.1360 1414-1417 31 July 1417
Lower Sponheim		 Engelbert III of the Mark
c.1381
no children

Rupert Pepin of the Palatinate
c.1390
no children		 Eldest surviving daughter of Simon III. After her death, her estates were reunited with those of the Starkenberg line.
John V & III 1359 1413/14-1417 24 October 1437
Upper Sponheim 		Walpurga of Leiningen
c.1415
five children 		In 1417, after the death of Elisabeth, Count of Sponheim-Kreuznach, he reunited Sponheim once more, but died with no descendants. The family became extinct.
1417-1437 Sponheim

Successors in Upper and Lower Sponheim

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

  • O.C. = Oldest Count

References

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