The counts of Blankenburg and Regenstein hold the north-eastern edge of the Harz above Halberstadt: the castles of Blankenburg and of the Regenstein rock.
Blankenburg was Welf property; it is in William's share of 1202. The counts hold the lower Eichsfeld from Quedlinburg abbey. Who the counts were in 1200, and which king they backed, is not pinned; their Welf overlordship makes Otto's side the likelier.
Who he is
- Name
- not pinned for 1200 (the house of Poppo I of Blankenburg; Konrad, first named count of Regenstein in 1162, founded the Regenstein line)
- Title
- Counts of Blankenburg and of Regenstein
- Since
- 12th century
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Reginbodonen; two lines, Blankenburg and Regenstein
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia (Regenstein (Adelsgeschlecht)); Blankenburg in William's 1202 share from de.wikipedia (Wilhelm von Lüneburg).
Overlord
The Welfs for Blankenburg (it falls to William in the 1202 division); the abbey of Quedlinburg for the administration of the lower Eichsfeld; other overlords not pinned.
What it holds
- Blankenburg castle (Welf overlordship)
- The Regenstein
- The administration of the lower Eichsfeld as a fief of Quedlinburg abbey
How it was acquired
Inheritance.
Allies and rivals
Neighbours of Halberstadt (Staufen), Quedlinburg abbey and the counts of Wernigerode.
How things stand that morning
Hold their castles; side not pinned, Welf overlordship of Blankenburg. The ADB says most of the great men of Saxony gathered round Philip at Magdeburg at Christmas 1199; whether this house was among them is not pinned.
Wealth
Harz forests, castle districts, fiefs from Quedlinburg.
Military
Blankenburg and the Regenstein, both strong rock castles. No figures.
Threats
- Halberstadt and Philip's Saxon party next door
Places of note
- Regenstein castle: Rock castle of the Regenstein line
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: No dated count around 1200 was reached.
On the map: Realm welf follows the Welf overlordship of Blankenburg; the Regenstein may have been held of others.
Primary sources for Welf
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 Egmond (12th century to about 1205). The house annals of Egmond, the counts of Holland's abbey, and the main native source for Holland around 1200. Read online
- 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
- Annals of Stade, by Albert of Stade, Albert of Stade (about 1240 to 1256). A world chronicle written at Stade in the 1240s from older Stade and Bremen annals. 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
18 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.
Sources and studies
- Regenstein (Adelsgeschlecht), de.wikipedia
- Wilhelm von Lüneburg, de.wikipedia
- Otto IV.: NDB and ADB, via Deutsche Biographie
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.