A family of free lords on the middle Weser whose lordship is an advocacy: they are the hereditary protectors of the collegiate chapter of Bücken, founded by Archbishop Rembert of Bremen, and their oldest seat is the castle of Hodenberg at Altenbücken beside it.
A Hermann Hode rode in Henry the Lion's company from 1168. Within about five years Henry, the first count of Hoya, pushes them out of the Bücken country, and they answer later by building Hodenhagen on the Aller.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned: Hermann Hode, in Henry the Lion's company from 1168 and in a charter of 21 March 1189, or a son of the same name
- Title
- Edelherr (free lord) of Hodenberg, hereditary protector (Schirmvogt) of the chapter of Bücken
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- A noble (nobilis) family first named in 1149 with Hermannus Hodo; the unbroken line begins with the Hermann of 1189. Related by marriage to the first house of Stumpenhusen. The name is linked to the Low German 'hode', protection.
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia family article 'Hodenberg'; de.wikipedia 'Grafschaft Hoya' for their displacement about 1205.
Overlord
The archbishop of Bremen, whose chapter of Bücken they protect; by tradition followers of Henry the Lion
What it holds
- Hodenberg castle at Altenbücken on the right bank of the Weser
- The advocacy (Vogtei) of the chapter of Bücken: protection, courts and a share of the dues of its people and estates
- Marsh villages east of Bücken (Hämelhausen, Gandesbergen, Haßbergen, Schweringen, Balge; bounds not pinned)
- Said to hold the estate of Hodenberg near Bremen already in the twelfth century
How it was acquired
By inheritance; the Bücken advocacy is the family's from the twelfth century.
Allies and rivals
Kin by marriage of the Stumpenhusen counts across the river. Their coming rival is Henry, who buys the Stumpenhusen name, seal and goods in 1202, builds his castle on a Weser island at Hoya and displaces them about 1205. The archbishop of Bremen is the chapter's lord and the natural arbiter.
How things stand that morning
On 1 January 1200 the Hodenbergs still hold their castle by Bücken and the chapter's advocacy; Henry of Hoya has not yet bought out Stumpenhusen. No act of theirs in the throne war is recorded.
Wealth
The advocate's share of the chapter's dues and fines, Weser marsh farms, and the ferry and road by Bücken.
Military
One castle (Hodenberg at Altenbücken) and a small following of their own and of the chapter's men. Hodenhagen castle on the Aller is built only in the early or middle thirteenth century.
Threats
- The rise of Henry of Hoya on the opposite bank, who displaces them about 1205
- The archbishop of Bremen taking his chapter's advocacy into his own hands
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.
- 1202Henry (later count of Hoya) buys the goods, seal and arms, and probably the name and comital title, of the Stumpenhusen houseDepends on: the Stumpenhusen brothers choosing to sell Stopped by: an heir or a feud that keeps Stumpenhusen in its own hands
- about 1205Henry of Hoya displaces the Hodenbergs as protectors of Bücken; the family turns east of the Weser and later builds Hodenhagen on the AllerDepends on: Hoya's rise after 1202 Stopped by: the archbishop of Bremen or the Welfs backing the Hodenbergs
Places of note
- Chapter of Bücken: Collegiate church founded by Archbishop Rembert of Bremen; the Hodenbergs are its hereditary protectors
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The family article gives the 1149 and 1189 charters, the Bücken advocacy and the seat at Altenbücken; the Hoya article gives the displacement about 1205. The bounds of their lands are not recorded.
On the map: A rough block for an advocacy whose bounds are unknown.
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.