The Leuchtenbergs hold the high castle of Leuchtenberg above the Luhe in the northern Nordgau, facing the Bohemian Forest.
Raised to the rank of counts in 1158, they took the title of landgrave in 1196, the year the old Nordgau landgraves of Stefling died out: the landgravial rights in the Nordgau, the duty to keep the king's peace and judge in it, seem to have passed to them, while the Stefling lands went to Duke Louis. Pfreimd and Wernberg, later the landgraviate's offices, are not pinned for 1200.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned in what we read (the family lists name a Diepold as head of the house in the 1190s)
- Title
- Landgrave of Leuchtenberg
- Since
- Counts since 1158; landgraves since 1196
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- A Nordgau noble house (the family histories derive it from the lords of Waldeck near Kemnath). A later landgrave, Frederick, will marry Elisabeth, daughter of Rapoto II of Ortenburg.
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia (Landgrafschaft Leuchtenberg); de.wikipedia (Rapoto II. (Ortenburg))
Overlord
The king (the landgravial title) and the duke of Bavaria.
What it holds
- Leuchtenberg castle and its district
- The landgravial title and rights in the Nordgau (from 1196)
- Waldeck castle near Kemnath, the family's reputed older seat (not pinned for 1200)
How it was acquired
Old Nordgau lordship; the landgravial title in 1196.
Allies and rivals
Neighbours: the Staufen lands at Parkstein and Weiden, the Ortenburg lands round Murach, the king's Egerland and the Bohemian castellans.
How things stand that morning
Holds Leuchtenberg; nothing is recorded for the winter of 1199-1200.
Wealth
Forest and upland lordship on the Bohemian road (not pinned).
Military
Leuchtenberg castle.
Places of note
- Leuchtenberg castle: The landgraves' seat.
Where the sources disagree
- The landgrave's name in 1200 could not be confirmed from the sources available in this run.
Evidence: Only the 1158 and 1196 dates were confirmed.
On the map: The district is a guess round the castle; the landgravial rights were not a territory.
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.