Free lords who run the royal forest of Büdingen, north of the Kinzig between the Wetterau and the Vogelsberg, from a triangle of castles at Büdingen, Ortenberg and Staden; Wächtersbach, Birstein and Burgbracht guard the forest's south and east.
Henry VI's men, they built the Büdingen water castle and helped raise the palace of Gelnhausen. On 1 January 1200 the head of the house is not pinned (Hartmann II was last seen about 1200; Gerlach II appears in 1207).
Who he is
- Name
- Hartmann (or Hermann) II of Büdingen (attested 1195 to about 1200), son of Hartmann I; his son Gerlach II is attested from 1207
- Title
- Lord of Büdingen, advocate (Vogt) of the royal forest of Büdingen
- Since
- about 1195
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Hartmann I (attested 1166-1195) attended the courts at Gelnhausen (1180) and Mainz (1184), went with Henry VI to Italy in 1194, probably oversaw the building of the Gelnhausen palace, and built the water castle of Büdingen. After 1195 father and son vanish from the records for a while, possibly on crusade. Gerlach II (attested 1207-1240), married to Mechthild of Ziegenhain, is later burgrave of Gelnhausen and Philip's supporter until 1209.
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia Büdingen (Adelsgeschlecht).
Overlord
The king for the forest advocacy; Fulda for some castles (Staden).
What it holds
- The water castle of Büdingen
- The advocacy and hunting ban of the royal forest of Büdingen (Büdinger Wald)
- Wächtersbach, Birstein and Burgbracht, held by castle-men by the end of the 12th century
- Konradsdorf, the family's monastery
- Ortenberg (Ortwin's cousin line) and Lißberg (another branch); Staden, a Fulda fief of 1156 (Wortwin of Staden): how these stood to the head of the house is not pinned
How it was acquired
By descent from Gerlach I (attested 1131-1147) and royal service.
Allies and rivals
The Staufen court; neighbours Hanau, the counts of Nidda and Ziegenhain, Fulda, Mainz.
How things stand that morning
The forest and castles are in the family's hands for the king. Allegiance: the house serves the Staufen (Gerlach II backs Philip until 1209), but the head that winter is not pinned.
Wealth
Forest rights, hunting, timber, Wetterau farms.
Military
Büdingen, Ortenberg, Staden, Wächtersbach, Birstein, Burgbracht.
Threats
- A gap in the line if Hartmann II has died or gone east
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.
- 1200No dated event found.
Places of note
- Büdingen water castle: Built by Hartmann I.
- Konradsdorf: Family monastery.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Attestation gap between 1195/1200 and 1207.
On the map: Forest district drawn roughly; the castle triangle's western corner at Staden is not drawn.
Primary sources for Staufen
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
- Annals of Jarloch (Gerlach), abbot of Milevsko, Jarloch of Milevsko (about 1200 to 1220). The last Bohemian narrative before 1200, continuing Vincentius of Prague. Read online
23 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.