Goslar is the king's own town in Saxony: the great palace (Kaiserpfalz) of the Salian and Staufen kings, the collegiate church of Sts Simon and Jude, the royal forest of the Harz, and the Rammelsberg silver mine.
In the winter of 1198-99 Otto besieged Goslar and set 6 January 1199 as the day for its surrender; Philip arrived on 5 January, put in a garrison and held it. On 1 January 1200 Goslar is Staufen. The mine had been wrecked by Henry the Lion's men after 1180 and, according to de.wikipedia, was not worked again until 1209. Otto's steward Gunzelin storms and plunders the town in 1206.
Who he is
- Title
- Philip's garrison and the royal advocate (Reichsvogt) of Goslar
- Since
- 5 January 1199, when Philip reached Goslar and garrisoned it
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- The advocates of Goslar were royal officers; Henry the Lion had held the advocacy from 1152 until his fall.
- Confidence
- medium
ADB (Winkelmann) on Philip for January 1199; de.wikipedia (Goslar) for the advocacy, the 1198-99 siege and the 1206 sack.
Overlord
The king: Philip holds it.
What it holds
- The palace (Kaiserpfalz) and its chapels
- The royal forest of the Harz round Goslar (part granted to the burghers in 1158)
- The Rammelsberg (mining stopped after 1180)
- The royal advocacy and the town's lordship (see the Goslar town record)
How it was acquired
Royal since the 10th-11th centuries; the advocacy back in royal hands since 1180.
Allies and rivals
Philip's Saxon allies; the Welfs at Brunswick and Wolfenbüttel are the threat.
How things stand that morning
Held for Philip by his garrison since January 1199.
Wealth
In better times, silver from the Rammelsberg and tolls; in 1200 the mine is idle.
Military
Philip's garrison (size not recorded); the town's walls. The status of the Harzburg, the old royal castle above the forest, is not pinned for 1200.
Threats
- A Welf assault (Otto failed in 1198-99; Gunzelin succeeds in 1206)
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.
- 1206 (not yet)Gunzelin of Wolfenbüttel storms and plunders Goslar for Otto.Depends on: Philip's hold on Saxony weakening. Stopped by: A strong garrison.
- 1209 (not yet)Mining resumes at the Rammelsberg (de.wikipedia).Depends on: Peace. Stopped by: War.
Places of note
- Kaiserpfalz Goslar: Royal palace
- Harzburg: Old royal castle above Bad Harzburg; holder in 1200 not pinned
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The garrison of January 1199 is attested by the ADB; the name of the advocate is not.
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.