Oppenheim on the Rhine between Worms and Mainz was given to Lorsch by Charlemagne (774), had a market from 1008, and was handed back to the king by an indebted Lorsch in the 1140s.
It is a royal estate with a royal castle and resident castle-men (Burgmannen); it becomes a privileged town only in 1225-1226, and its Jews are recorded from about 1225. Who held it for the king in 1200 is not named in the sources consulted.
Who he is
- Name
- Philip of Swabia
- Title
- King of the Romans (disputed), through his castle-men
- Since
- 1198
- Born
- about 1177
- Family
- Barbarossa's youngest son
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia Oppenheim
Overlord
None: royal land
What it holds
- The royal castle and estate of Oppenheim with its market
- Royal rights in the neighbouring villages (Nierstein, Dienheim): not pinned
How it was acquired
Returned to the king by Lorsch in the 1140s.
Allies and rivals
Between the archbishop of Mainz (north) and the bishop of Worms (south); the Bolanden as royal advocates of nearby Ingelheim.
How things stand that morning
Royal and, as far as the sources show, in Philip's hands; no Welf force reached Rheinhessen in 1198-1199.
Wealth
Rhine wine, the market, the river trade.
Military
The royal castle and its castle-men.
Places of note
- Oppenheim castle: Royal castle (later Landskron)
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The return to the king and the market are attested; the castle-men and officers in 1200 are not.
On the map: Rough estate; the royal rights in the villages are not pinned.
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.