The bishop of Worms is lord of an old royal city whose citizens have been privileged by the emperors since the 11th century, and of two outlying blocks: Ladenburg and the Lobdengau across the Rhine, which tradition says King Dagobert gave the church in 628, and Weilburg on the Lahn, given by Otto III's regents in 993.
The see's real weight in 1200 is its bishop, Lupold of Schönfeld, a fighting Staufen chancellor.
Who holds it
- Name
- Lupold (Leopold II) of Schönfeld
- Title
- Bishop of Worms
- Since
- 1196
- Confidence
- high
Of an early-extinct Franconian family of free nobles. Philip of Swabia's man: he serves him as chancellor and is sent on missions to Italy. On Conrad of Mainz's death the Staufen party will elect him archbishop of Mainz, against the Welf party's Siegfried of Eppstein, and the see of Mainz will be split for years. Dies 17 January 1217.
What it holds
- Worms: the city lordship and the cathedral; the citizens hold royal privileges and are a power of their own
- Ladenburg and the Lobdengau on the right bank of the Rhine: given to the church of Worms by Dagobert I in 628 (by tradition) and confirmed by Henry II; the bishops' second seat
- Weilburg on the Lahn: the collegiate church, its property and rights given to Bishop Hildibald in 993, and almost all the chapter's lands with the settlement by 1002; the counts of Nassau are its advocates (they buy it in 1294)
How it was acquired
Merovingian and Ottonian royal grants: the Lobdengau (628, confirmed by Henry II), Weilburg (993-1002).
How things stand that morning
Lupold holds his city and outlying blocks and spends much of his time in Philip's service. He is the obvious Staufen candidate for Mainz when Conrad dies.
Wealth
Worms's Rhine market and wine trade; the Bergstrasse and Lobdengau vineyards and fields around Ladenburg; the Lahn estates at Weilburg.
Threats
- The citizens of Worms
- The counts palatine around Ladenburg
- Nassau's advocacy at Weilburg turning into ownership
Advocates and rivals
The citizens of Worms; the counts palatine of the Rhine, Ladenburg's neighbours (they will share Ladenburg in 1385); the counts of Nassau, advocates at Weilburg; the Staufen, who dominate the region and whom Lupold serves.
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.
- Late October or November 1200After Conrad of Mainz dies (25 October), the Staufen party elects Lupold archbishop of Mainz while the Welf party elects Siegfried of Eppstein; Lupold keeps Worms and the Mainz schism lasts for years.Depends on: Conrad's death and Philip's backing. Stopped by: Conrad living longer, or the Mainz chapter agreeing on one candidate.
Places of note
- Worms cathedral: Seat of the bishop
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The bishop and the Ladenburg and Weilburg grants are attested. The bishop's other estates (Wimpfen, Dirmstein and others) are not pinned for 1200 and are not drawn.
On the map: The Lobdengau is drawn only as Ladenburg's territory; the old Gau was larger. Weilburg is drawn as the town and its surroundings.
Primary sources for Empire
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
- Chronicle of Hainaut, Gislebert of Mons (about 1195 to 1196). Ends in 1195, so it has no 1200 entries, but it is the indispensable background for Flanders and Hainaut: the career of Count Baldwin V of Hainaut (VIII of Flanders), his union of the two counties, the settlement with Philip over Artois, the rights, castles, fiefs and vassals of Hainaut listed by a man who ran its chancery, and the youth of Baldwin IX, who held both counties in 1200. Read online
8 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.
Sources and studies
- Leopold II. von Schönfeld (dewiki.de, mirror of de.wikipedia)
- Liste der Bischöfe von Worms (dewiki.de, mirror of de.wikipedia)
- Hochstift Worms (dewiki.de, mirror of de.wikipedia)
- Ladenburg (dewiki.de, mirror of de.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.