Three old royal houses inside Regensburg hold their own precincts and estates, which is one reason the bishop never built a territory in his own city.
St Emmeram, the richest, has lands as far as the Mühlviertel in Austria. Its formal imperial immediacy, though, came only in 1295, on the strength of a forged diploma, and its exemption from the bishop in 1326. On 1 January 1200 these are privileged royal abbeys with immunities, not principalities.
Who holds it
- Name
- Not pinned (three separate heads)
- Title
- Abbot of St Emmeram; abbesses of Niedermünster and Obermünster
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
The sources consulted do not name the abbot of St Emmeram or the abbesses of the two women's houses for 1200. St Emmeram had its own abbot since Bishop Wolfgang separated the abbey from the see in 975, giving the bishop the cell of Chammünster in exchange.
What it holds
- St Emmeram: its precinct in Regensburg and estates in Bavaria; in 853 the Traungau margrave William gave it the land between the Aist and the Naarn in the Mühlviertel and the toll station of Rosdorf on the Danube (their state in 1200 is not pinned); estates in the March of Cham
- Niedermünster: women's house of the old ducal and royal palace quarter, with its precinct and estates (details not pinned)
- Obermünster: women's house with its precinct and estates (details not pinned)
How it was acquired
Carolingian and Ottonian royal patronage; St Emmeram separated from the bishopric in 975.
How things stand that morning
Each house holds its precinct and estates; none is yet a formal prince of the Empire.
Wealth
Estates and city rents; St Emmeram's pilgrim shrine.
Threats
- The bishop's and the duke's claims
Advocates and rivals
The bishop of Regensburg, who claims authority over them; the dukes of Bavaria; the citizens.
Where the sources disagree
- The task brief calls all three imperial abbeys. The German Wikipedia dates St Emmeram's imperial immediacy to 1295 (granted on a forged diploma) and its exemption to 1326; on 1 January 1200 it was a royal abbey with an immunity, not yet an imperial estate.
Evidence: Only St Emmeram's early history could be read; the pages on Niedermünster and Obermünster could not be fetched. Drawn as precinct discs only.
On the map: Three small discs for the precincts; the scattered estates are not drawn.
Primary sources for Bavaria
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 Schäftlarn and the Bavarian annals (12th and 13th centuries). Brief Bavarian annals. Read online
- The Austrian and Salzburg annals (kept in the 12th and 13th centuries, with continuations to the late 13th century). A family of monastic annals from Austria, Styria and Salzburg, printed together. 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
- Regesta Imperii V: calendar of the acts of Philip, Otto IV and Frederick II, 1198 to 1272 (calendar of documents of 1198 to 1272, published 1881 to 1901). A dated calendar of every known act of King Philip and King Otto IV, with the acts of popes and princes that bear on the Empire. Read online
- Bavarian monuments: the charters of the Bavarian monasteries and bishoprics (charters from the 8th century onward, published 1763 to 1916). The great charter series of Bavaria, arranged by monastery and bishopric. Read online
- Charter book of the bishops of Trent (compiled 1207 to 1218; documents from the 11th century onward; edited 1852). The cartulary of the prince-bishops of Trent. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.