Dukes · Other imperial lands · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Andechs-Merania

The Andechs are at their height: their lands run from the Ammersee in Bavaria to Istria and the Adriatic, and in Upper Franconia they hold the upper Main and the edge of the Frankenwald.

Count Berthold II had the Plassenburg built above Kulmbach (he was styled 'count of Plassenberg' in 1135); his successors founded Bayreuth (end of the 12th century) and held Lichtenfels (first mentioned 1142), the Giech, and the advocacies of the abbeys of Banz and Langheim, much of it as fiefs of the see of Bamberg, which an Andechs bishop, Otto, held until 1196. Duke Berthold signed the Speyer protest for Philip in May 1199. His daughter Agnes is queen of France, and the pope's war on her marriage to Philip Augustus touches this house directly.

Who he is

Name
Berthold (Berthold IV of Andechs)
Title
Duke of Merania (from 1180-85), margrave of Istria, count of Andechs; advocate of Tegernsee (about 1195)
Since
Count of Andechs from 1172; margrave of Istria about 1175; duke of Merania by 1185 (Kulmbach's town history says 1180)
Born
not pinned (first attested about 1170)
Family
Eldest son of Count Berthold III of Andechs and Hedwig of Wittelsbach. Wife Agnes of Rochlitz (Wettin), daughter of Dedo the Fat, married 1180, died 25 March 1195; he is a widower that winter. Sons: Otto (later duke), Henry (later margrave of Istria), Ekbert (provost of St Gangolf at Bamberg since 1192; cathedral provost 1202; bishop of Bamberg 1203), Berthold (later archbishop of Kalocsa). Daughters: Agnes, queen of France (married Philip Augustus on 1 June 1196; her marriage is the cause of the interdict now falling on France), Gertrud (later queen of Hungary), Hedwig (wife of Henry the Bearded of Silesia, married 1188-92; later Saint Hedwig), Mechthild (later abbess of Kitzingen, 1215). His sister Sophie was the mother of the Henneberg brothers.
Confidence
high

de.wikipedia (Berthold IV. (Andechs); Andechs (Adelsgeschlecht); Plassenburg; Kulmbach; Lichtenfels); Speyer protest 28 May 1199.

Overlord

The king for the duchy and the margraviate; the see of Bamberg for many of the Upper Franconian fiefs; the house's allods are its own.

What it holds

  • The Plassenburg and the market of Kulmbach below it (the house's Franconian centre; ministeriales 'of Plassenberg' from 1158)
  • Lichtenfels on the Main (castle and settlement; town rights only in 1231)
  • The Giech (Giechburg) and Scheßlitz
  • The advocacies of Banz and Langheim abbeys
  • Bayreuth (founded by the house at the end of the 12th century; east of this sheet's edge, egr's ground)
  • Coburg, as the first lords named in the town's history (undated; not pinned for 1200)
  • Outside the sheet: Andechs, Diessen and Wolfratshausen in Bavaria; the Inn valley; the margraviate of Istria; Merania on the Kvarner coast

How it was acquired

Upper Main lands acquired by Berthold II before 1135 (probably through marriages and inheritances; the route is not pinned); Bamberg fiefs; ducal title from Barbarossa.

Allies and rivals

Allies: King Philip; his kinsmen the Henneberg counts (nephews); his son-in-law Henry of Silesia; Philip Augustus through Agnes. Rivals: none open in Franconia; the bishop of Bamberg is his lord for many fiefs.

How things stand that morning

Holds his Franconian lands securely and backs Philip (STAUFEN, firm: signatory of the Speyer protest of 28 May 1199). Where he spent the winter is not pinned.

Wealth

The upper Main valley and its crossings, the Frankenwald, the Bamberg fiefs; far greater wealth outside the sheet (the Inn and Istria).

Military

The Plassenburg, Lichtenfels, the Giech; Andechs ministeriales (the Plassenberg, the Förtsch of Thurnau according to later sources). No figures survive.

Threats

  • The French interdict (January 1200) and the pope's demand that Philip Augustus put Agnes away
  • His age; his sons will divide the house's offices

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. January 1200, lifted September 1200The interdict on France over Philip Augustus's repudiation of Ingeborg strikes at his daughter Agnes's position; at the settlement of September 1200 the king promises to take Ingeborg back.Depends on: the French case (see the campaign notes) Stopped by: a change in the French king's course
  2. 29 July 1201 (beyond 1200)Agnes dies at Poissy.Depends on: nature Stopped by: play
  3. 12 August 1204 (beyond 1200)Berthold dies; Otto succeeds as duke.Depends on: nature Stopped by: play

Places of note

  • Plassenburg: The house's castle above Kulmbach
  • Giechburg: Castle near Scheßlitz
  • Banz abbey: Benedictine abbey; the Andechs are its advocates
  • Langheim abbey: Cistercian abbey; the Andechs are its advocates and later bury there

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The family is well documented; the exact list of Franconian castles held in 1200 and which were Bamberg fiefs is not fully pinned.

On the map: Upper Franconia in 1200 was a patchwork of Andechs allods, Bamberg fiefs held by the Andechs, Bamberg's own lands and free lords; the parts drawn are the Andechs centres. Bayreuth lies east of this sheet's edge.

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.

8 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.

Sources and studies

  1. Berthold IV. (Andechs), de.wikipedia
  2. Andechs (Adelsgeschlecht), de.wikipedia
  3. Plassenburg, de.wikipedia
  4. Kulmbach, de.wikipedia
  5. Lichtenfels (Oberfranken), de.wikipedia
  6. Speyerer Fürstenerklärung, de.wikipedia

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.