The Plothos hold the castle at Altenplathow by Genthin, east of the Elbe between Burg and the Havel, first documented in 1144, and govern the country round it from there.
They are free lords who witness the archbishops of Magdeburg's charters. In the next generation they appear in the Prignitz as lords of Kyritz (Johann of Plote owns Kyritz in 1229; town law 1237) and Wusterhausen: whether they already hold there on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.
Who he is
- Name
- not pinned (Johannes, lord of Plotho, is named in 1170 and 1171; the brothers Johann and Gebhard or Konrad in 1237)
- Title
- Edler Herr (free lord) of Plotho
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- A noble family of the Magdeburg country: Hermann of Plothe witnesses for Archbishop Conrad of Magdeburg in 1135; Hermann's grave slab of 1170 lies in the Altenplathow church; Johannes of Plotho is an Edler Herr in 1170-71. The line's head on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia (Plotho; Genthin; Kyritz).
Overlord
Not pinned between the archbishop of Magdeburg (whose charters the family witnesses) and the margrave; a royal link to Altenplathow is mentioned for 1171.
What it holds
- Altenplathow castle (Burg Plotho) at Genthin and its district
- Kyritz and Wusterhausen in the Prignitz: later (1229 onwards); not pinned for 1200
How it was acquired
Not pinned (the castle is documented from 1144).
Allies and rivals
The archbishop of Magdeburg; the margraves.
How things stand that morning
Hold Altenplathow; side not pinned (probably with Magdeburg and so with Philip).
Wealth
Rents of the Elbe-Havel lowland.
Military
Altenplathow castle. No figures.
Places of note
- Altenplathow castle (Burg Plotho): Family castle, first documented 1144.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Few dated mentions before 1229.
On the map: The district's extent is not known; drawn as a disc.
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.