From the castle of Oberhohenberg on the Jura edge between Spaichingen and Schömberg, the Hohenberg counts hold Haigerloch (from the Haigerloch counts), lands in the Sülchgau round the later Rottenburg (founded only about 1280), and Nagold by a Tübingen marriage.
Zimmern's chronicle dates the start of their money troubles to about 1200.
Who he is
- Name
- Burkhard of Hohenberg (Burkhard III, first named 1170 as a witness for Barbarossa, or his son Burkhard IV: the generations are muddled and the holder that winter is not pinned)
- Title
- Count of Hohenberg
- Since
- Not pinned
- Family
- A branch of the Zollern founded by Burkhard II (died about 1154), son of Frederick I of Zollern. Burkhard III married Mechthild of Tübingen (bringing Nagold); Burkhard IV married Luitgard of Tübingen (bringing Horb, later).
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia (Grafschaft Hohenberg).
Overlord
The duke of Swabia and the king.
What it holds
- Oberhohenberg castle
- Haigerloch
- Lands in the Sülchgau (Rottenburg not yet founded)
- Nagold (by marriage; date not pinned)
How it was acquired
Inheritance and marriage.
Allies and rivals
Their Zollern cousins; the Tübingen counts.
How things stand that morning
The line holds its lands on 1 January 1200; the count's identity and his side in the throne war are not pinned.
Wealth
Jura and upper Neckar lands.
Military
Oberhohenberg and Haigerloch castles.
Threats
- Debt (from about 1200, by Zimmern's account)
Places of note
- Oberhohenberg castle: The family castle (coordinates approximate).
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: No dated charter for 1199-1200; generations muddled.
On the map: Rough; the generation holding Nagold in 1200 is not pinned.
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.