An old castle district (Burgward) guarding a crossing of the Mulde just north of Grimma, probably destroyed by Wiprecht of Groitzsch in 1117, made a royal castle with royal burgraves by Barbarossa in 1185.
It was here, in the dovecote tower, that Albert the Proud held his father Otto the Rich prisoner in 1188 until the emperor ordered his release. The burgraves keep it for about a century; the margraves of Meissen take it only in 1286. In 1200 it is a royal enclave beside the margrave's Grimma.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned (an Erkenbert, burgrave 'de Dewin', appears in the literature; his date is not given)
- Title
- Burgrave of Döben (royal burgrave)
- Since
- 1185, when the castle was made a royal castle (Reichsburg) and royal burgraves were installed
- Family
- Burgraves of Döben (Dewin); a family of this name later holds Sorau (link not checked)
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia Schloss Döben
Overlord
The king
What it holds
- Döben castle and the Mulde crossing
- The castle district round it
How it was acquired
Royal appointment 1185.
Allies and rivals
A royal post inside the margrave's Osterland; the other royal burgraves of the Pleissenland.
How things stand that morning
Held by royal burgraves; holder and side not pinned.
Wealth
Crossing dues.
Military
Döben castle.
Threats
- The margrave of Meissen next door at Grimma
Places of note
- Döben castle: Royal castle from 1185
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: One local article.
On the map: A small disc for the castle and crossing.
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.