Neuchâtel

Who he is

Name

Ulrich (Ulrich III in the HLS numbering, Ulric IV in FMG), with his nephew Berthold

Title

Count and lord of Neuchatel (comes et dominus Novi Castri)

Since

1196: his elder brother Rudolf, co-lord with him from 1192, was dead by 30 August 1196, and Ulrich then ruled jointly with Rudolf's son Berthold

Born

first mentioned 1182

Family

House of Fenis-Neuchatel. Ulrich's first wife Gertrude; in 1202 he marries Yolande of Urach. His son Rudolf is named in 1201. His brother Berthold, treasurer of Lausanne and later provost of Basel, is a churchman. His nephew Berthold (son of Rudolf) is styled count by 1203 and dies in 1261.

Confidence

high

HLS Ulrich III von Neuenburg; FMG Burgundy Kingdom (Neuchatel) with charters of 30 August 1196, 1201, 26 March 1203 and 1214

Overlord

The emperor, under the Zahringen rectorate.

What it holds

• Neuchatel castle and town
• The lake shore from Boudry to Neuchatel
• Erlach (Cerlier) and the Seeland lands (the Fenis inheritance)

How it was acquired

Inheritance of the Fenis-Neuchatel house.

Allies and rivals

Neighbours of the bishop of Lausanne, the Zahringen, Joux over the Jura, and Montbeliard's Vaud lands. Side in the throne war not pinned.

How things stand that morning

Ulrich and his nephew Berthold hold Neuchatel jointly.

Wealth

Wine, lake traffic, the Jura road. No figures.

Military

Neuchatel castle. No numbers.

Threats

• Zahringen pressure.

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

1. 1214 and about 1218 (later course)Franchise charter for the town of Neuchatel (1214); division of the family lands (about 1218).Depends on: n/a Stopped by: n/a

Places of note

• Castle of Neuchatel: Seat

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Dated charters in FMG and the HLS article.

On the map: Rough extents.

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.