A free family of the Alb valley and the Klettgau between the Black Forest and the Rhine, with the old castle of Krenkingen and the castles later held at Tiengen, Weissenburg and Gutenburg, the protection of the abbey of Rheinau and the advocacy of Riedern.
Their great man in 1200 is Bishop Diethelm of Constance.
Who he is
- Name
- Lütold of Krenkingen (named 1202 as lord of a ministerial knight); family of Bishop Diethelm of Constance
- Title
- Free lords (Edelfreie) of Krenkingen
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Diethelm of Krenkingen, abbot of Reichenau, has been bishop of Constance since 1189-1191 and is one of Philip's chief counsellors (campaign notes). Kin of the Regensberg (similar arms).
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia Herren von Krenkingen; campaign notes Part 6 D.
Overlord
The king; the bishop of Constance and Reichenau for fiefs.
What it holds
- Krenkingen castle (Altkrenkingen, 11th century)
- The protective advocacy (Schirmvogtei) of Rheinau (bought back by Frederick II in 1241)
- The advocacy of Riedern am Wald
- Tiengen castle (a Constance fief by 1262; status in 1200 not pinned)
How it was acquired
Inheritance.
Allies and rivals
Bishop Diethelm (kin); the Regensberg.
How things stand that morning
Holds the Alb and Klettgau estates. Staufen through Bishop Diethelm, Philip's counsellor (named at Speyer, 28 May 1199): allegiance Staufen, low to medium confidence.
Wealth
Upland estates; no figures.
Military
Krenkingen and other castles. No numbers.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Only scattered charters; the lord in 1200 is not securely named.
On the map: Approximate block; their castles were scattered.
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.