A lake shore lordship on the south-east side of Lake Neuchâtel, held since the 12th century by the house of Estavayer and divided at the end of the century between two of Conon I's sons, who hold it jointly as vassals of the bishop of Lausanne.
A small walled town, a harbour on the lake and the farming villages of the Broye hills behind it.
Who he is
- Name
- Two of the three sons of Conon I of Estavayer, sharing the lordship; their names are not pinned
- Title
- Co-lords (coseigneurs) of Estavayer
- Since
- the end of the 12th century, when the lordship was divided
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- House of Estavayer, linked by marriage to the Cossonay-Prangins.
- Confidence
- medium
HLS article on the lordship of Estavayer.
Overlord
The bishop of Lausanne, whose vassals the co-lords were until they recognised Peter II of Savoy in 1244 and 1250.
What it holds
- Estavayer: the castle, the town and the harbour on Lake Neuchâtel
- The villages of the lordship (the list is of about 1350): Lully, Franex, Frasses, Bussy, Morens, Rueyres-les-Prés, Vernay, Forel, Autavaux, Montbrelloz, Sévaz, Montet and Aumont
How it was acquired
Held by the family since the 12th century; divided at the end of that century.
Allies and rivals
Vassals of the bishop of Lausanne; kin of the Cossonay; neighbours of the Cluniac priory of Payerne and of the Zähringen town of Moudon.
How things stand that morning
Held jointly by the co-lords under the bishop of Lausanne. No side in the throne war recorded.
Wealth
Lake fishing and the harbour, grain of the Broye hills.
Military
The castle and the walled town; no record of war around 1200.
Threats
- Division between co-lords
- The Zähringen rector and, later, Savoy
Places of note
- Estavayer: Castle, town and harbour
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The lordship and its division are dated by the HLS; the village list is of about 1350.
On the map: The modern merged commune of Estavayer is larger than the lordship; the drawing follows the 14th century village list.
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.