A family of the king's sworn officers named after the castle of Colditz on the Zwickau Mulde, called a royal castle (Reichsburg) in 1143 and made part of the Pleissenland in 1158.
They are among the leaders of forest clearing and settlement in the province.
Who he is
- Name
- A Thimo of Colditz, not pinned (the family descends from the ministerialis Thimo; the castle became royal in 1158)
- Title
- Lord of Colditz (royal ministerialis)
- Since
- 1158
- Family
- Colditz; later side line of Wolkenburg (Ulrich II of Wolkenburg 1215-1277).
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia Colditz (Adelsgeschlecht), Pleißenland
Overlord
The king
What it holds
- Colditz castle and its district
- Villages on the Zwickau Mulde
How it was acquired
Royal grant.
Allies and rivals
Fellow royal officers; the Wettins.
How things stand that morning
Royal officers of Philip; holder not pinned.
Wealth
Mulde valley.
Military
Colditz castle.
Places of note
- Colditz castle: Royal castle
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Family origin only.
On the map: Approximate.
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.