The ministerial family of Rechberg, named from the hill opposite the Hohenstaufen near Gmünd, holds the marshal's office of the duchy and keeps the Hohenstaufen castle itself for the duke.
The stone castle of Hohenrechberg was probably built between 1200 and 1250, so the family's own seat in 1200 is not pinned.
Who he is
- Name
- Ulrich of Rechberg
- Title
- Marshal of the duchy of Swabia; castellan (Burgvogt) on the Hohenstaufen
- Since
- First named 22 January 1179 (as witness to a privilege of Barbarossa for Rot abbey); attested to 1205
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- Staufen ministeriales. His son Hildebrand will be marshal after him; Siegfried of Rechberg will be bishop of Augsburg 1208-1227.
- Confidence
- high
de.wikipedia (Rechberg (Adelsgeschlecht)).
Overlord
The duke of Swabia (Philip).
What it holds
- The marshal's office of the duchy of Swabia
- Command of the Hohenstaufen castle
- Family lands at Rechberg (not pinned in detail)
How it was acquired
Office and fiefs as ducal ministeriales.
Allies and rivals
The other Staufen ministeriales; the town of Gmünd.
How things stand that morning
In office for Philip on 1 January 1200.
Wealth
Service fiefs.
Military
The Hohenstaufen garrison; the marshal leads the duke's household knights.
Places of note
- Rechberg: The family's hill; the stone castle is of about 1200-1250.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Dates of office from the family article; the castle's building date is uncertain.
On the map: A small disc inside the Staufen house lands.
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.