From Alt-Eberstein above Baden-Baden the Ebersteins hold the Murg valley as fiefs of the see of Speyer and found their house abbeys of Herrenalb (Cistercian, 1149-1150) and Frauenalb (1180).
In the early 13th century they hold lands in Alsace, the Ortenau, the Murg, Alb and Pfinz valleys and the Kraichgau. Gernsbach, Kuppenheim, Bretten and Gochsheim are founded only after 1219.
Who he is
- Name
- Eberhard (III) of Eberstein (not pinned as head of house on 1 January 1200)
- Title
- Lord of Eberstein (the count's title is used in seals only from about 1230; a single mention of 1195 is doubted)
- Since
- Not pinned
- Family
- Son of Berthold III and Uta of Lauffen, with whom he founded Frauenalb in 1180. His sons Eberhard (IV) and Otto (I, born 1207) divide the lands in 1219.
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia (Grafen von Eberstein).
Overlord
The bishop of Speyer for the Murg valley fiefs; the king and duke.
What it holds
- Alt-Eberstein castle
- The lower Murg valley (Speyer fiefs)
- Herrenalb and Frauenalb, the house abbeys
- Scattered lands in the Pfinz and Alb valleys and the Kraichgau (not pinned for 1200)
How it was acquired
Inheritance and Speyer fiefs after 1102.
Allies and rivals
Kin of the Lauffen counts; neighbours of Baden.
How things stand that morning
Hold their lands on 1 January 1200. Throne war: not pinned.
Wealth
Murg valley timber and farms.
Military
Alt-Eberstein castle.
Places of note
- Herrenalb abbey: House abbey (1149-1150).
- Frauenalb: Nuns' house founded 1180.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The head of house in 1200 is not named in the source used.
On the map: Core only.
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.