The Ortenburgers are a branch of the Carinthian Spanheims settled in Lower Bavaria since the early twelfth century.
After Rapoto I died in 1186 his sons held his lands together, then divided them for good after the Sulzbach inheritance of 1188: Henry took the county of the Wolfach valley with the castle of Ortenburg, holdings in the Rott valley, and his mother's share of the Sulzbach lands in the Nordgau round Murach near Oberviechtach, reaching to the Bohemian border. In the war of 1192 the brothers sided with Duke Louis against Albert III of Bogen; Ortenburg was besieged and destroyed and Henry was taken prisoner by Duke Leopold V of Austria. In 1199 he was at feud with the counts of Bogen, and Bishop Wolfger of Passau was also in conflict with him.
In 1206 he and the bishop of Passau will found the town of Vilshofen.
Who he is
- Name
- Henry I of Ortenburg
- Title
- Count of Ortenburg
- Since
- 1186 (his father's death); the division with his brother after 1188 was final
- Born
- Not pinned (the younger son; knighted at the Mainz court festival of 1184 with Barbarossa's sons)
- Family
- Son of Count Rapoto I of Ortenburg (died 1186), a Spanheim, and Elisabeth of Sulzbach, daughter of Count Gebhard of Sulzbach. Brother of Rapoto II of Kraiburg. Married first Božislava (called Jutta), daughter of Ottokar I of Bohemia, and later Richgard of Hohenburg; the first marriage is not dated, and no child can be shown to have been born by 1 January 1200.
- Confidence
- high
de.wikipedia (Heinrich I. (Ortenburg); Ortenburg (Adelsgeschlecht); Grafen von Sulzbach)
Overlord
The duke of Bavaria (comital rights within the duchy) and the king.
What it holds
- Ortenburg castle in the Wolfach valley (destroyed in the siege of 1192 and rebuilt)
- The county of the Wolfach valley
- Holdings in the Rott valley
- Murach castle near Oberviechtach and the Nordgau lands of the Sulzbach inheritance up to the Bohemian border
- Vilshofen at the mouth of the Vils (a village and landing place; the town is founded with the bishop of Passau in 1206)
How it was acquired
By inheritance from Rapoto I (1186) and, for Murach, from his mother's Sulzbach share (1188).
Allies and rivals
Kin: his brother Rapoto II; by his first marriage, Ottokar I of Bohemia. Rivals: the counts of Bogen (feud 1199), the bishop of Passau (conflict 1199), Austria (1192).
How things stand that morning
Holds Ortenburg and Murach on 1 January 1200. His feud with the Bogen counts and his quarrel with the bishop of Passau are dated to 1199; whether either still runs that winter is not pinned. Not recorded in the duke's attack on his brother's Kraiburg.
Wealth
The Wolfach and Rott valleys, the Danube landing at Vilshofen, and the Nordgau forest lands round Murach.
Military
Ortenburg and Murach castles and the house's ministeriales. No figures.
Threats
- The Bogen counts
- The bishop of Passau
- Duke Louis, who ravaged his brother's county in 1199
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.
- 1206 (later)Founds the town of Vilshofen with the bishop of Passau.Depends on: Peace with Passau. Stopped by: A renewed quarrel with the bishop.
Places of note
- Ortenburg castle: The house's seat in the Wolfach valley.
- Murach castle: Centre of the Nordgau share of the Sulzbach inheritance.
Where the sources disagree
- de.wikipedia (Rapoto II.) calls Rapoto the firstborn, while de.wikipedia (Heinrich I.) calls Henry the youngest child; both agree on the division of lands.
Evidence: The family history is well worked; the 1199 feuds are dated only to the year.
On the map: The Wolfach block is rough and the Rott valley lands of the two brothers are not separated.
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
- Heinrich I. (Ortenburg) (de.wikipedia)
- Ortenburg (Adelsgeschlecht) (de.wikipedia)
- Grafen von Sulzbach (de.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.