The lords of Marmels hold the castle of Marmels on its rock above Marmorera in the upper Oberhalbstein, built between 1135 and 1141 on the road that climbs to Stalla, where the Julier and the Septimer part.
They were ministeriales of the Tarasp lords until Ulrich III of Tarasp gave Andreas of Marmels to the bishop of Chur, and they kept their castle as their own. In 1192 Andreas of Marmels, or his son of the same name, seized the cardinal legate Cinthius at Marmels on the emperor Henry VI's orders. On 1 January 1200 they are the bishop's men on his pass road, lords of the castle that watches both passes.
Who he is
- Name
- Andreas of Marmels, or his son of the same name (de.wikipedia cannot tell them apart in 1192); the head of the house on 1 January 1200 is not pinned
- Title
- Lords of Marmels, ministeriales of the bishop of Chur
- Since
- The family is named from 1160
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- First named in 1160 as ministeriales of the free lords of Tarasp; Andreas of Marmels, who held half of Tarasp castle in fief, was given by Ulrich III of Tarasp to the bishop of Chur. Two men named Andreas, father and son, around 1192; other members not pinned.
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia Burg Marmels (after the excavation report of U. Jecklin-Tischhauser).
Overlord
The bishop of Chur, whose ministeriales they are; their castle of Marmels is their own allod.
What it holds
- Marmels castle at Marmorera, their allod (built 1135-1141; named 1192)
- Spliatsch castle at Tinizong and the advocacy of the bishop's lordship of Riom (named in de.wikipedia without dates; not pinned for 1200)
- A half of Tarasp castle held in fief by Andreas of Marmels from the Tarasp lords (before 1177; its fate after the Tarasp line ended is not pinned)
How it was acquired
The castle was built by the family in 1135-1141 (excavation dating); their ministerial status passed from the Tarasp lords to the bishop of Chur by Ulrich III of Tarasp's gift.
Allies and rivals
The bishop of Chur, their lord; the emperor's party, whom they served in 1192; the lords of Reichenberg at Tarasp, where Andreas had held a half share.
How things stand that morning
Hold Marmels and watch the Julier and Septimer roads for the bishop. Side in the throne war: Staufen by their record (the 1192 arrest for Henry VI) and through their lord the bishop, but nothing dated for 1198-1199.
Wealth
The pass traffic on the Julier and Septimer, the road from the upper Rhine to Chiavenna and Milan; no figures.
Military
Marmels castle, a massive stronghold built to show the family's power over the passes; men and vassals not recorded.
Threats
- Rival episcopal ministeriales and the bishop's own officers on the pass road
Places of note
- Marmels castle: The family's rock castle above Marmorera, on the road to Stalla and the Julier and Septimer passes.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Castle dated by excavation; the family's 1160 first mention and the 1192 arrest from de.wikipedia; the head of the house in 1200 not pinned.
On the map: Castle only; the family's advocacy of Riom is undated.
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.