The burgrave of Regensburg was the king's officer in the city: he held its high court and the military command, and his family, the Pabonen, built up a lordship round it, with the three castles of Riedenburg on the Altmühl and the landgraves' castle of Stefling on the Regen.
When the Riedenburg burgraves died out (about 1185) the office was fought over: in 1192 Count Albert III of Bogen was accused of taking it unlawfully, and Henry VI decided against him. When the last landgrave of Stefling died in 1196 Henry VI granted the fiefs to Duke Louis; the bishop of Regensburg, Konrad III, took up arms, and the war devastated the bishop's lands (en.wikipedia also names the archbishop of Salzburg as an enemy of the duke in 1196). The quarrel is not settled on 1 January 1200: a new feud breaks out in 1203, and only the treaty of 1205 gives Louis the burgraviate alone and divides the other rights in the city between duke and bishop, as Philip's privilege of 9 March 1207 confirms.
Louis's later offices of Riedenburg, Nittenau, Regenstauf and Haidau grew out of this inheritance.
Who he is
- Name
- Louis I, duke of Bavaria (the line of the burgraves is extinct)
- Title
- Burgrave's office and the landgraves' fiefs, claimed and held by the duke of Bavaria
- Since
- 1196, when the last landgrave of Stefling died without heirs and Henry VI enfeoffed Louis
- Family
- The burgraves of Regensburg and the landgraves of Stefling were two branches of the Pabonen (Babonen), the royal burgraves of the city since the tenth century. The Riedenburg line of burgraves died out about 1185 (the date is given variously, 1184-85 or 1188-89); the Stefling line of landgraves ended in 1196.
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia (Ludwig der Kelheimer; Konrad III. von Laichling; Konrad IV. von Frontenhausen); en.wikipedia (Louis I, Duke of Bavaria)
Overlord
The king, who granted the fiefs in 1196; the bishop of Regensburg claims the burgrave's office and church fiefs among them.
What it holds
- The burgrave's office in Regensburg: the high court of the city and its command (claimed; the bishop contests it)
- Riedenburg on the Altmühl with its three castles (Rosenburg, Rabenstein and Tachenstein)
- Stefling castle on the Regen, the landgraves' seat, and the landgravial rights in the Nordgau that went with it
- Nittenau and Regenstauf on the Regen
- Haidau on the Danube below Regensburg
How it was acquired
Henry VI's grant to Louis in 1196 on the death of the last landgrave of Stefling; the de.wikipedia life of Louis describes the whole Pabonen inheritance as his 'around 1200'.
Allies and rivals
Rival claimant: the bishop of Regensburg, Konrad III of Laichling (bishop 1186-1204). Earlier rival: the counts of Bogen (1192).
How things stand that morning
Held by the duke on 1 January 1200 under the royal grant; the bishop does not accept it. No fighting is recorded for the winter of 1199-1200; the open feud is in 1203-05.
Wealth
The burgrave's court revenues in the city; the castle lands on the Altmühl and the Regen.
Military
The castles of Riedenburg, Stefling, Nittenau, Regenstauf and Haidau with ducal ministeriales.
Threats
- The bishop of Regensburg's claim; a renewed feud (it comes in 1203)
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.
- 1200 and afterThe quarrel with the bishop simmers; it breaks into open feud in 1203 and is settled by treaty in 1205.Depends on: Bishop Konrad III keeping up his claim. Stopped by: An earlier settlement, or the king's judgment.
Places of note
- Riedenburg (Rosenburg): The burgraves' castles above the Altmühl.
- Stefling castle: Seat of the extinct landgraves of Stefling on the Regen.
Where the sources disagree
- en.wikipedia dates the extinction of the burgraves to 1188-89 and says Barbarossa took Regensburg and Sulzbach into royal hands at Louis's expense; de.wikipedia (Konrad IV. von Frontenhausen) says the burgraviate fell open when the Stefling landgraves died out in 1196.
- en.wikipedia names 'Archbishop Eberhard of Salzburg' as the duke's enemy in 1196; the archbishop then was Adalbert III (Eberhard II succeeds only in 1200).
Evidence: The 1196 grant and the 1205 treaty are well attested; the state of the quarrel in the winter of 1199-1200 is not.
On the map: The castle districts are rough; the burgrave's rights inside Regensburg are described on the town record and not drawn.
Primary sources for Bavaria
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 Schäftlarn and the Bavarian annals (12th and 13th centuries). Brief Bavarian annals. Read online
- The Austrian and Salzburg annals (kept in the 12th and 13th centuries, with continuations to the late 13th century). A family of monastic annals from Austria, Styria and Salzburg, printed together. 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
- Regesta Imperii V: calendar of the acts of Philip, Otto IV and Frederick II, 1198 to 1272 (calendar of documents of 1198 to 1272, published 1881 to 1901). A dated calendar of every known act of King Philip and King Otto IV, with the acts of popes and princes that bear on the Empire. Read online
- Bavarian monuments: the charters of the Bavarian monasteries and bishoprics (charters from the 8th century onward, published 1763 to 1916). The great charter series of Bavaria, arranged by monastery and bishopric. Read online
- Charter book of the bishops of Trent (compiled 1207 to 1218; documents from the 11th century onward; edited 1852). The cartulary of the prince-bishops of Trent. Read online
Sources and studies
- Konrad IV. von Frontenhausen (de.wikipedia)
- Konrad III. von Laichling (de.wikipedia)
- Ludwig der Kelheimer (de.wikipedia)
- Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (en.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.