Engelberg, founded in 1120 by Konrad of Sellenbueren with monks from Muri, holds its high valley under Titlis as a closed lordship.
Henry V's privilege of 1124 let it choose its own advocate, which kept it out of the hands of the great noble houses. It is a small lordship, but a whole valley on the edge of Unterwalden.
Who holds it
- Name
- Heinrich (Henry I)
- Title
- Abbot of Engelberg
- Since
- 1197
- Confidence
- medium
Abbot 1197-1223 (en.wikipedia), a monk of St. Blasien like his predecessors Frowin (1143/47-1178) and Berchtold (1178-1197).
What it holds
- The valley of Engelberg: lordship of the abbey
- Estates in Unterwalden and beyond
How it was acquired
Foundation of 1120; imperial privilege of 1124 with free choice of advocate; papal confirmation of its territory in 1236.
How things stand that morning
Held by the abbey.
Wealth
Cattle and pasture; the scriptorium's prestige.
Threats
- Pressure from the Unterwalden communities and noble neighbours
Advocates and rivals
An advocate of the abbey's own choosing (not pinned for 1200); the people of Unterwalden.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Foundation and privileges well attested; the abbot's dates from en.wikipedia.
On the map: Drawn as the modern municipality of Engelberg.
Primary sources for Staufen
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Marbach (compiled to 1238, the section on 1198 to 1210 written in the early 13th century). Alsatian annals on the Staufen side of the Upper Rhine. Read online
- Annals of Reiner of Saint James, Liège, Reiner of Liège (1197 to 1230, kept year by year). Contemporary annals kept inside Liège. Read online
- Chronicle of Burchard of Ursberg, Burchard of Ursberg (about 1229 to 1230, reworked by Conrad of Lichtenau). Written a generation later by a fierce partisan of the Staufen and a critic of Innocent III. Read online
- Chronicle of Otto of St Blasien, Otto of St Blasien (about 1209 to 1210). A Swabian continuation of Otto of Freising written from the Staufen side. Read online
- Chronicle of Reinhardsbrunn; Chronicle of St Peter's, Erfurt (Erfurt chronicle in the 13th century; Reinhardsbrunn compilation about 1340 to 1349 from older annals). The two Thuringian chronicles. Read online
- Chronicle of the Slavs, by Arnold of Lübeck, Arnold of Lübeck (about 1209 to 1210). Arnold continues Helmold and writes from Lübeck, close to Danish, Welf and Baltic affairs. Read online
- Royal Chronicle of Cologne (in stages from about 1175 to about 1250; the section on 1198 to 1220 written soon after the events). The fullest German narrative of the throne war from the Welf and Cologne side. Read online
- Annals of Jarloch (Gerlach), abbot of Milevsko, Jarloch of Milevsko (about 1200 to 1220). The last Bohemian narrative before 1200, continuing Vincentius of Prague. Read online
23 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.