The Käfernburg line of the house, seated at the castle of Käfernburg above Arnstadt.
It holds part of Arnstadt, where Hersfeld abbey keeps the lordship, the coinage, the market and the appointment of the mayors, together with family allods in the northern Thuringian Forest; the family founded the Cistercian abbey of Georgenthal. Its side in the throne war is not pinned.
Who he is
- Name
- Günther III
- Title
- Count of Käfernburg (Kevernburg)
- Since
- 1197, on the death of his father Günther II
- Born
- not pinned (died about 1221-23)
- Family
- Brother of Henry II of Schwarzburg; father of Albert I, later founder of the Rabenswalde line. A brother, Ludolf, holds Hallermund in Saxony (nse).
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia Günther II. (Schwarzburg-Käfernburg); Arnstadt
Overlord
The king, the landgrave (county jurisdiction); Hersfeld for Arnstadt.
What it holds
- Käfernburg castle
- Part of Arnstadt (the rest is Hersfeld's)
- Allods at Plaue and Ilmenau (division between the brothers not pinned)
- Advocacy of Georgenthal abbey (family foundation; not pinned for 1200)
How it was acquired
Inherited 1197.
Allies and rivals
Hersfeld abbey at Arnstadt; the landgrave; the counts of Gleichen to the north.
How things stand that morning
Holds Käfernburg; allegiance not pinned (his brother Henry is said to have backed Philip).
Wealth
Arnstadt market dues (shared), forest.
Military
Käfernburg castle. No numbers.
Threats
- Hersfeld's claims at Arnstadt
Places of note
- Käfernburg castle: Castle above Arnstadt (coordinates approximate)
- Georgenthal abbey: Cistercian house founded by the family
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Genealogy fair; holdings in 1200 thin.
On the map: Approximate.
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.