A royal castle built on the old Roman fort hill, probably for Frederick I between 1171 and 1180, to guard the Wetterau with Gelnhausen, Frankfurt, Wetzlar and the Glauburg.
A corporation of hereditary castle-men holds it for the king under a burgrave who later also presides over the town's council and court. The town below is only beginning.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned for 1 January 1200: the oldest charter (26 October 1216) already names the office of burgrave; no burgrave is named before 1250 in the sources reached
- Title
- The king's castle-men (Burgmannen) of Friedberg under a burgrave
- Since
- castle founded about 1171-1180
- Family
- The castle-men are hereditary, drawn from local knightly families of the Wetterau.
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia Burg Friedberg (Friedberg).
Overlord
The king (Philip).
What it holds
- Friedberg castle
- Lordship over the young settlement below (see Friedberg)
How it was acquired
Royal foundation.
Allies and rivals
Kuno of Münzenberg and the Wetterau ministeriales.
How things stand that morning
Held for Philip.
Wealth
Castle fiefs; the high road from Frankfurt north.
Military
The castle and its castle-men.
Threats
- None that winter
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.
- 1200No dated event found.
Places of note
- Friedberg castle: Royal castle.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Founding is 'probably' 1171-1180 and the first charter is of 1216.
On the map: Castle 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.