Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by KasparBot (talk | contribs) at 17:30, 22 May 2016 (migrating Persondata to Wikidata, please help, see challenges for this article). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen
Berthold IV, relief by Franz Anton Xaver Hauser in the choir of Freiburg Minster
Bornc. 1125
Died(1186-12-08)8 December 1186
Noble familyHouse of Zähringen
Spouse(s)Heilwig of Frohburg
Ida, Countess of Boulogne
FatherConrad I, Duke of Zähringen
MotherClementia of Luxembourg-Namur
Territories in what is now Switzerland, c. 1200. The green parts were held by the Dukes of Zähringen

Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen (c. 1125 – 8 December 1186) was a Duke of Zähringen and Rector of Burgundy. He founded numerous cities, including Fribourg.

Life

Berthold IV succeeded his father, Conrad I, in 1152 as Duke of Zähringen. Berthold also claimed the title of "Duke of Burgundy", which he had agreed upon with Barbarossa to receive after conquering the Cisjuran ("French") territories of Burgundy together and also helping him out in his Italian campaign in 1152. However, the conquest of Burgundy failed and in 1156 the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa instead married Beatrice, the daughter of the last Count of Burgundy of the House of Ivrea.[1] This interfered with Berthold's claims and Berthold was given the title of Rector of Burgundy and was made overlord over the Transjuran ("Swiss") parts of Burgundy, Geneva, Lausanne and Sion.

The rivalry with Duke Frederick IV of neighbouring Swabia caused him to fight on the side of Welf VI in the Feud of Tübingen (1164-1166). In 1173, he became overlord of Zurich.

An entry in the necrology of the Abbey of Saint Peter in the Black Forest reads [Berchtoldus 4. dux de Zaeringen, offcium cum 5 candelis. Depositio Iohannis Tüfer abbatis] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help): "Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen donated 5 candles for the memory of John the Baptist".[2]

Marriages and issue

Berthold IV was married to Heilwig of Frohburg, with whom he had three children:

  • Berthold V, the last Duke of Zähringen. After his death, the counts of Kyburg and Urach inherited the Zähringen possessions
  • Agnes, married to Count Egino IV of Urach — According to the necrology of Tennenbach Abbey, she was the daughter of Berthold V[3]
  • Anna, married to Count Ulrich III of Kyburg

References

  • Gerd Tellenbach (1955), "Berthold IV.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 2, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 160–161
  • Georg von Wyß (1875), "Berthold IV., Herzog von Zähringen", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 2, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 538–541

Footnotes

  1. ^ E. Heyck: Geschichte der Herzöge von Zährigen, Freiburg 1891, pp. 329
  2. ^ [Necrologium minus Monasterii S. Petri Nigrae Silvae] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), in: [Monumenta Germaniae historica — Necrologia Germania] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), vol. I, p. 337
  3. ^ [Necrologium Tennenbacense — Necrologia Germania] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), vol. I. p. 340
Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen
Born: c. 1125 Died: 8 December 1186
Preceded by Duke of Zähringen
1152-1186
Succeeded by