The Gleichen counts are Mainz's men in Thuringia: they hold the castle of Gleichen as a Mainz fief, the advocacy of the city of Erfurt and of its abbey of St Peter, the county of Vieselbach east of the city and a string of Mainz fiefs and castles in the Eichsfeld (Gleichenstein, named from 1180; Scharfenstein, built about 1200, not pinned as standing).
Their own seat is the moated castle of Tonna north of Gotha. Enemies of the landgraves until 1178 (Count Ernst II was captured by the landgrave in 1170, and de.wikipedia says put to death with the emperor's consent; Gleichen castle was besieged and destroyed in 1178), they have since been reconciled and hold fiefs of the landgrave too.
Who he is
- Name
- Lambert (FMG's Lambert III; de.wikipedia's Lambert II)
- Title
- Count of Gleichen (and Tonna); advocate (Vogt) of Erfurt for the archbishop of Mainz
- Since
- after his father Erwin II died on 7 September 1192; styled count from 1195
- Born
- not pinned (died 14 September 1227)
- Family
- Son of Count Erwin II. His brother Ernst (Ernst III of Velseck in de.wikipedia) appears with him in 1195. His wife is Sophie of Orlamünde (died 1244). A sister married Count Dietrich II of Berka.
- Confidence
- high
FMG Thuringian nobility (charters of 3 February 1195, 17 October 1196, 23 May 1205); de.wikipedia Gleichen (Adelsgeschlecht)
Overlord
The archbishop of Mainz for the castle of Gleichen (a Mainz fief since 1130), the advocacy of Erfurt (since 1120) and of St Peter's at Erfurt (since 1134), the county of Vieselbach and the Eichsfeld fiefs (since 1140); the landgrave for fiefs and advocacies granted after 1178 (Emleben, Günthersleben, Wechmar, Schwabhausen, Gräfenhain).
What it holds
- Tonna (Gräfentonna), family seat
- Gleichen castle (Mainz fief)
- The advocacy of Erfurt and of St Peter's abbey (Mainz fiefs)
- The county of Vieselbach
- Eichsfeld castles and lands held of Mainz: Gleichenstein (named 1180), Scharfenstein (about 1200, not pinned), Birkenstein (13th century)
- Landgravial fiefs: Emleben, Günthersleben, Wechmar, Schwabhausen, Gräfenhain
- Advocacy of Reifenstein abbey (family foundation)
How it was acquired
Mainz enfeoffed Erwin I with Gleichen in 1130; the Erfurt advocacy from 1120; Eichsfeld fiefs from 1140.
Allies and rivals
Bound to Mainz; reconciled with the landgrave; kin of the Berka and Orlamünde counts.
How things stand that morning
Holds his lands; as Mainz's advocate in Erfurt he is the nearest thing to a lay lord of the city. His side in the throne war is not pinned; Mainz under Conrad is neutral.
Wealth
The Erfurt advocacy (court fines and dues of the greatest town in Thuringia), Tonna and Vieselbach grain land.
Military
Castles of Tonna, Gleichen and in the Eichsfeld. No numbers.
Threats
- A contested Mainz succession after October 1200 would force him to choose a lord
- The landgrave's old enmity
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.
- after 25 or 27 October 1200Conrad of Mainz's death leaves the Erfurt advocacy and the Gleichen fiefs subject to two rival archbishops.Depends on: Conrad's death and a double election Stopped by: A single successor
Places of note
- Gleichen castle: Mainz fief, one of the Drei Gleichen
- Tonna: Family seat (coordinates approximate)
Where the sources disagree
- Numbering differs: FMG calls the count of 1195-1227 Lambert III, de.wikipedia Lambert II. de.wikipedia puts Erwin II's death 'about 1193'; FMG gives 7 September 1192.
Evidence: Dated charters in FMG; fiefs from de.wikipedia.
On the map: The Eichsfeld castles are listed, not drawn; the Erfurt advocacy is shown on the Erfurt town record.
Primary sources for Thuringia
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.
- 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
- 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 Pegau; Annals of Magdeburg (12th and 13th centuries; Pegau continued to 1227). The annals of the Wettin lands and of Magdeburg. Read online
- Chronicle of the Lauterberg (Petersberg near Halle), Konrad of Lauterberg (about 1225). The house chronicle of the Wettin foundation on the Lauterberg, sharp-tongued and well informed on Saxony, Meissen and Magdeburg. Read online
- Regesta Imperii V: calendar of the acts of Philip, Otto IV and Frederick II, 1198 to 1272 (calendar of documents of 1198 to 1272, published 1881 to 1901). A dated calendar of every known act of King Philip and King Otto IV, with the acts of popes and princes that bear on the Empire. Read online
- The political songs of Walther von der Vogelweide, 1198 to 1201, Walther von der Vogelweide (about 1198 to 1201). Three stanzas of the Reichston, composed between 1198 and 1201 after Walther left Vienna, lament the disorder of the double election and call on Philip to take the crown. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.