Young Adolf holds the eastern half of the Altena inheritance: the new Burg Mark by the Lippe near the later Hamm (begun about 1198, castle men later about twelve), his share of Altena castle on the Lenne, the advocacies of the Premonstratensian abbey of Cappenberg and of the abbey of Werden, and his mother's Krickenbeck lands on the Lower Rhine.
He is the founder of the later county of the Mark, but in January 1200 he is a new count of perhaps eighteen, in his uncle the archbishop's shadow.
Who he is
- Name
- Adolf I
- Title
- Count of Altena ('comes de Altena'; first styled 'of the Mark' in 1202)
- Since
- 1198/99, on his father Frederick's death
- Born
- 1181 or 1182 by the main account (others give 1194 or 1199); in 1202 he is still called 'puer', a boy
- Family
- Son of Count Frederick of Altena (died 1198 or 1199; dead by a charter of 4 January 1200) and of a Krickenbeck heiress (Alveradis), from whom he has the Krickenbeck inheritance on the Lower Rhine. Nephew of Archbishop Adolf of Cologne and of Count Arnold of Altena. Unmarried in 1200 as far as known (his wife Irmgard of Guelders is later).
- Confidence
- medium
No guardian is evidenced; he witnesses and seals in his own name from 1198/99, so he is treated as of age. He holds Burg Mark alone (his father began it about 1198 on the Oberhof Mark near the Lippe, acquired between 1170 and 1198 as a Cologne fief), a share of Altena with his uncle Arnold, and the advocacies of Cappenberg and Werden. He moves his residence to Burg Mark about 1202 and drops 'Altena' only in 1225/26. His side in the throne war is disputed: Stirnberg makes him Staufen from the start, Thiele has him wavering until 1212.
Overlord
Allodial lord with Cologne fiefs (the Mark estate itself was a Cologne fief); nephew of the archbishop.
What it holds
- Burg Mark on the Oberhof Mark by the Lippe (begun about 1198), held alone
- Share of Altena castle on the Lenne with his uncle Arnold
- Advocacy of Cappenberg abbey
- Advocacy of Werden abbey (lrh's area)
- The Krickenbeck inheritance from his mother on the Lower Rhine (sold in 1243)
How it was acquired
Inherited from Frederick of Altena (died 1198/99).
Allies and rivals
His uncles the archbishop and Count Arnold; neighbours Arnsberg to the east, the king's town of Dortmund to the west, Münster across the Lippe.
How things stand that morning
On 1 January 1200 Adolf holds Burg Mark and his share of Altena. His throne-war stance is not pinned; with his uncles both in Otto's camp he most likely follows them that winter. Across his borders: the bishop of Münster north of the Lippe, Dortmund and its count to the west, Cologne's Soest Börde and the county of Arnsberg to the east, Cologne's Volmarstein to the south-west.
Wealth
Manors by the Lippe and in the Sauerland round Altena; advocacy dues of Cappenberg and Werden. No figures.
Military
Burg Mark (new), the Altena share; vassals and ministeriales. No numbers.
Threats
- His youth
- His uncle's purchase of Altena shares, which may squeeze him
- Arnsberg rivalry on the Hellweg
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.
- about 1200 (not pinned)His uncle Arnold sells his share of Altena to the archbishop; Altena loses weight and Adolf builds up Burg Mark as his seat (moving there about 1202).Depends on: Arnold's sale. Stopped by: A family quarrel.
Places of note
- Burg Mark: New castle by the Lippe, begun about 1198.
- Cappenberg abbey: Premonstratensian house under Adolf's advocacy.
Where the sources disagree
- The article on Burg Mark has the castle begun about 1198 on land acquired between 1170 and 1198; the article on Adolf says the land was acquired about 1170. Not settled.
Evidence: Good modern work on Adolf's early years; his allegiance in 1200 is disputed among historians.
On the map: The Mark lands of 1200 were scattered; only the castles' districts are drawn.
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
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.