About 1158 Barbarossa granted the castle of Mildenstein above the Freiberg Mulde at Leisnig, first named in 1046 and just bought for the Empire, to a family who took the name of burgraves of Leisnig.
They are among the strongest lords of the Mulde country and in 1192 founded the Cistercian abbey of Buch beside their castle.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned (Gerhard or Gebhard is attested by seal in 1213, Siegfried in 1228)
- Title
- Burgrave of Leisnig
- Since
- The family received the castle of Mildenstein at Leisnig about 1158 from Barbarossa
- Family
- The burgraves of Leisnig; two ministerial families who served them also bore the name Leisnig.
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia Burggrafschaft Leisnig
Overlord
The king
What it holds
- Mildenstein castle at Leisnig and the burgraviate
- Buch abbey (Cistercian, founded 1192) under their protection
- Villages in the Mulde valley
How it was acquired
Royal grant about 1158.
Allies and rivals
The burgraves of Altenburg and the lords of Colditz; the margrave of Meissen across the river.
How things stand that morning
Hold Leisnig for the king; holder not pinned.
Wealth
Mulde valley farmland and the crossing at Leisnig.
Military
Mildenstein castle. No numbers.
Threats
- The margrave of Meissen (who breaks their independence only in 1329 and takes the castle in 1365)
Places of note
- Mildenstein castle: Burgraves' castle
- Buch abbey: Cistercian, founded 1192
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: No holder can be named for 1200.
On the map: Approximate.
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.