Eltz castle, built probably early in the 12th century, guards the trade route through the Elz valley from the Moselle at Moselkern up to the Maifeld.
Its lords appear in 1157 as witnesses to Barbarossa. Their rank and overlord in 1200 are not pinned; the later feud with Trier (1331-1336) is far off.
Who he is
- Name
- not pinned (Rudolf of Eltz is named in 1157)
- Title
- Lord of Eltz
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- First named with 'Rudolfus de Elze', witness to a charter of Frederick I in 1157. Before 1268 the brothers Elias, Wilhelm and Theoderich divide the castle among three branches.
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia Burg Eltz
What it holds
- Eltz castle and the Elz valley route between the Moselle and the Maifeld
Allies and rivals
Neighbours of the Maifeld county (in Sponheim's pledge) and of Trier's Moselle estates.
How things stand that morning
Held by its lords; side not pinned.
Wealth
Dues of the valley route; farms of the Maifeld edge.
Military
Eltz castle.
Places of note
- Eltz castle: Castle on the Elz valley route
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: First mention 1157 and a later division only.
On the map: Castle only.
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.