Salzburg

Who holds it

Name

Adalbert III (of Bohemia)

Title

Archbishop of Salzburg

Since

19 September 1183 (first held 1168-1174)

Confidence

high

Born 1145, a Přemyslid: son of Vladislav II of Bohemia, whom Barbarossa made king, and of Gertrude of Babenberg; so brother of King Ottokar I. Once a deacon at Strahov. Elected after Conrad II's death in 1168 (enthroned 1 November 1168, consecrated 15 March 1169), he would not take the regalia from Barbarossa, who would not even receive him at Bamberg in 1169 and forced his deposition in May 1174. Re-elected unanimously, with the emperor's consent, on 19 September 1183.

He won papal confirmation of Salzburg's privileges in December 1184 and put down a rising at Reichenhall in 1196. He dies at Salzburg on 8 April 1200 and is buried in the cathedral before the altar of St Andrew.

What it holds

• Salzburg: the archbishop's city and cathedral, with the fortress above it
• The Salzach valley estates of the Tennengau and Pongau, with Werfen castle
• Dürrnberg and Hallein: salt mined by 1191; Hallein (then called Mühlbach) first documented in 1198
• A stake in Reichenhall's salt springs, where Adalbert crushed a rising in 1196
• Friesach in Carinthia: the archbishops' estate since 860, a market since 1016-1028 on the Vienna-Venice road; the Friesach penny, minted since 1130 partly from Zeltschach silver, passes current as far as eastern Hungary
• Pettau (Ptuj) on the Drava: Salzburg's since the 9th century; castle rebuilt by Archbishop Conrad I (1106-1147), who made the lords of Pettau, Salzburg ministerials, its burgraves; a merchant town on the Hungary-Venice road
• Leibnitz with the castle of Seggau in southern Styria: Salzburg's since 860; the upper castle built in the 12th century as a base for colonising southern Styria
• Ecclesiastical lordship over Gurk, his proprietary see

How it was acquired

Carolingian grants of the 9th century (Friesach and Leibnitz 860, Pettau in the 9th century); salt and estates around Salzburg from the early Middle Ages. Eberhard II (1200-1246) welded counties, courts and advocacies into a closed territory; the Pinzgau came in 1228 and Gastein in 1297.

How things stand that morning

Adalbert, about 55, holds the see and is Philip's man. He has three months to live. The see's lands are rich but scattered, and his death will reopen everything.

Wealth

Salt of Dürrnberg-Hallein and Reichenhall; the Friesach mint and its silver; tolls on the Tauern and Drava roads; estates in three duchies.

Threats

• Adalbert's death and a contested succession
• Bavarian competition in salt
• Ducal pressure on the Carinthian and Styrian lands

Advocates and rivals

The dukes of Bavaria (Reichenhall salt); the Babenberg dukes of Austria and Styria; the Spanheim dukes of Carinthia; the lords of Pettau, Salzburg's own ministerials; the counts of Plain, the see's advocates in the 12th century (their position in 1200 is not pinned).

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

1. 8 April 1200Adalbert III dies at Salzburg.Depends on: His natural death. Stopped by: Nothing likely.
2. 1200, after 8 April (not pinned)Eberhard of Regensberg, bishop of Brixen, is chosen archbishop and begins building the closed Salzburg territory.Depends on: The chapter and Philip agreeing, and the pope accepting the translation from Brixen. Stopped by: A rival candidate backed by Ottokar of Bohemia or by Rome, or a Welf turn of the see.

Places of note

• Dürrnberg: Salt mine, worked by 1191
• Friesach mint: Mint of the Friesach penny since 1130

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Holder and the outlying towns are well attested (Wikipedia on Adalbert, Friesach, Hallein, Ptuj, Seggau). The 1200 extent of the core is approximate: the comital rights the archbishop gathered later are not drawn.

On the map: The core is drawn as one block of modern municipalities along the Salzach; the archbishop's direct rights there were dense but not exclusive. The Lungau, Pinzgau and Gastein are left out, being later gains or not pinned for 1200.

Primary sources for Salzburg (Adalbert III)

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
• 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