The counts of Lauffen are the king's representatives and advocates for the Worms church's lands east of the Rhine, holding most of their property as Worms fiefs: Lauffen castle on the Neckar, the castles of Eberbach and Hornberg further down the river, and Dilsberg (first named 1208, with Boppo).
Boppo quarrelled with Barbarossa in 1187 over the advocacy of Lobenfeld.
Who he is
- Name
- Boppo (V) of Lauffen
- Title
- Count of Lauffen
- Since
- Attested 1187-1216
- Family
- Last male of the line (dies between 1216 and 6 April 1219). His brother Konrad (II), called count of Eberbach in 1196, is documented only 1184-1196 and probably died early. Daughters: Mechthild (marries Konrad of Dürn about 1216-1217) and probably Agnes.
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia (Grafen von Lauffen).
Overlord
The bishop of Worms (most of their lands are Worms fiefs), the bishop of Würzburg for others, and the king.
What it holds
- Lauffen castle
- Eberbach castle (expanded by Konrad II)
- Hornberg castle (lower castle) on the Neckar
- Dilsberg (first named 1208)
- Advocacies of the Worms church east of the Rhine; the Odenheim advocacy
How it was acquired
Inheritance and Worms fiefs.
Allies and rivals
Kin of the Ebersteins; neighbours of the Staufen Kraichgau allods and the count palatine at Heidelberg.
How things stand that morning
Boppo holds the Lauffen lands on 1 January 1200 (medium confidence). Throne war: not pinned (in 1212 he is among Frederick II's earliest supporters against Otto).
Wealth
Neckar crossings and vineyards; Worms fiefs.
Military
Lauffen, Eberbach, Hornberg castles.
Threats
- No male heir
Places of note
- Hornberg castle: Lauffen castle on the Neckar.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Attestations of 1187 and 1208 bracket 1200.
On the map: Castle districts only; the Worms advocacies are not drawn.
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.