Eppan-Ulten

Who he is

Name

Two lines: Egno (Egino) of the Ulten line, who took up the Eppan inheritance about 1190, and Henry I of the Hocheppan line (died about 1200) with his sons Ulrich and Henry II. Who led the house on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.

Title

Counts of Eppan; the Ulten line styled counts of Ulten

Since

Egno: about 1190, after his father Frederick I died (about 1184 or about 1190; the sources differ). Henry I: count from the mid-twelfth century.

Born

not pinned

Family

Egno married Irmgard (Irmengard) of Ronsberg, sister of Margrave Gottfried II of Ronsberg. Their children born by 1 January 1200, on it.wikipedia's table: Henry (about 1191) and Ulrich (about 1193; the later Ulrich of Ulten, died 1248 or 1249); a daughter Sophia (later wife of Berthold of Eschenlohe) is not dated. Henry I's sons are Ulrich (about 1168-about 1240) and Henry II (about 1170-about 1230), who takes over Andrian and Nals in 1200. Egno, later bishop of Brixen (1240-1250) and Trent (1250-1273), is a son of Henry II; his birth is not pinned.

Confidence

low

de.wikipedia Grafen von Eppan; it.wikipedia Conti di Appiano (its family table is garbled); NDB Eppan, Grafen von; the Ferrara text on episcopal government at Trent (1185 and 1194 investitures).

Overlord

The bishop of Trent: their county is the northern tip of the march of Trent. Bishop Albert invested the counts with two castles and half the comitatus Piani on 23 July 1185 (they had held a third), and in 1194 Egno handed the Altenburg (Castellum Vetus) to Bishop Conrad and took it back as a fief.

What it holds

• Hocheppan castle above Eppan, built about 1160 after the Altenburg's destruction
• The Altenburg near Eppan, rebuilt by Egno and finished in 1195; a Trent fief since 1194
• The Ulten valley with Eschenlohe castle, the Ulten line's seat since about 1170
• Andrian and Nals, held by Henry I and taken over by Henry II in 1200
• The Haderburg above Salorno (it.wikipedia)
• Half of the comitatus Piani and two castles by Bishop Albert's investiture of 23 July 1185
• Overlordship of Castel Beseno, held of them by the Beseno (it.wikipedia Castel Beseno)
• Allods, fiefs, ministeriales, serfs, mining and lordship rights in Bolzano, Kaltern, Tramin, Cembra, Fiemme, Mezzo, the Non valley, Trent, the Giudicarie and by Lake Garda (NDB)

How it was acquired

Descent from Ulrich, first named in 1116 and first count of Eppan, son of Count Frederick of Bolzano; the land west of the Adige inherited about 1110. The Ulten line split off about 1170.

Allies and rivals

Rivals: the counts of Tyrol, who break through their lands over decades (defeat in arms 1235, purchase of their Tyrolean holdings 1248). Kin: the Wanga and Tarasp lords (related houses), the Ronsberg margraves (Egno's wife). Their lord, the bishop of Trent, is also their old victim.

How things stand that morning

The counts hold their castles and the right bank from Lana to Eppan with the Ulten valley, as the bishop of Trent's vassals; the Altenburg has been a Trent fief since 1194. The house is divided between the Ulten and Hocheppan lines, and Henry I is old or dying. Their side between Philip and Otto is not pinned; Egno's brother-in-law Gottfried of Ronsberg is Philip's man.

Wealth

Vineyards of the Überetsch (Eppan, Kaltern, Tramin); the Ulten valley's pasture and timber; scattered mining rights; serfs and rents across the Trentino. No figures.

Military

Hocheppan, the Altenburg, Eschenlohe, the Haderburg; ministeriales. No figures.

Threats

• The counts of Tyrol
• Division between the two lines
• The bishop's attempts to turn their allods into fiefs (1185, 1194)

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.

1. 1200, month not pinnedHenry II takes over Andrian and Nals, probably on Henry I's death (about 1200).Depends on: Henry I's death. Stopped by: Henry I living on.
2. 1209-1210 (beyond 1200)Egno dies; his son Ulrich of Ulten inherits, and through his mother the Ronsberg lands in Swabia, the Außerfern and the Upper Inn valley (after 1212).Depends on: Nature; the Ronsberg line's end in 1212. Stopped by: Play.
3. 1235 and 1248 (beyond 1200)The counts of Tyrol defeat the Eppan counts in arms (1235) and take their Tyrolean holdings (1248).Depends on: Tyrol's growth. Stopped by: An Eppan recovery.

Places of note

• Hocheppan: Seat of the Hocheppan line
• Ulten valley: The Ulten line's valley (Eschenlohe castle near St. Pankraz)

Where the sources disagree

• The sources differ on Frederick I's death (about 1184 or about 1190) and on whether Egno of Ulten or Henry I held Hocheppan; it.wikipedia's table also lists an Egno, lord of Matsch (died 1192), who may be the same man or another.

Evidence: The castles and the broad shape of the house are attested; the genealogy around 1200 is muddled in every source read.

On the map: Only the core blocks are drawn; the scattered rights in the Trentino are listed, not drawn. Kaltern and Tramin had other lords too and are left to the bishop's ground.

Primary sources for Trent

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.

• 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