A small comital house of the Nordgau with its castle above the Lauterach between Amberg and Regensburg.
Its last count, Friedrich II, left a widow, Mechtild of Wasserburg, whose second husband, Margrave Diepold of Vohburg, carried Hohenburg into the Diepolding line: their son Berthold of Hohenburg will be a great man in Staufen Sicily. On 1 January 1200 the house is still in being.
Who he is
- Name
- Friedrich (II) of Hohenburg (not pinned for 1200)
- Title
- Count of Hohenburg
- Since
- Not pinned
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- Friedrich II's wife was Mechtild of Wasserburg, daughter of Count Dietrich of Wasserburg; whether they were married by 1200 is not pinned (she is named unmarried with her parents in 1192). She was his widow by May 1209 and then married Margrave Diepold of Vohburg, whose sons call themselves margraves of Hohenburg. A Richgard of Hohenburg became the second wife of Henry I of Ortenburg.
- Confidence
- low
fmg.ac (Bavarian nobility: Vohburg-Hohenburg); de.wikipedia (Diepoldinger; Heinrich I. (Ortenburg))
Overlord
The duke of Bavaria and the king.
What it holds
- Hohenburg castle above the Lauterach and the lands round it (extent not pinned)
How it was acquired
Old comital lands (not pinned).
Allies and rivals
Kin by marriage of the Wasserburg counts; neighbours of the Wittelsbach Lengenfeld lands and the bishop of Regensburg's Nordgau estates.
How things stand that morning
Holds Hohenburg; nothing is recorded for the winter of 1199-1200.
Military
Hohenburg castle.
Threats
- The end of the line (by 1209)
Places of note
- Hohenburg castle: The counts' castle on the Lauterach.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Known mainly through the later Diepolding margraves of Hohenburg.
On the map: A circle round the castle; the county's extent is not pinned.
Primary sources for Bavaria
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 Schäftlarn and the Bavarian annals (12th and 13th centuries). Brief Bavarian annals. Read online
- The Austrian and Salzburg annals (kept in the 12th and 13th centuries, with continuations to the late 13th century). A family of monastic annals from Austria, Styria and Salzburg, printed together. 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
- 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
- Bavarian monuments: the charters of the Bavarian monasteries and bishoprics (charters from the 8th century onward, published 1763 to 1916). The great charter series of Bavaria, arranged by monastery and bishopric. Read online
- Charter book of the bishops of Trent (compiled 1207 to 1218; documents from the 11th century onward; edited 1852). The cartulary of the prince-bishops of Trent. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.