An old Allgäu house (lords of Ursin, at Irsee from about 980) that built Ronsberg castle about 1130, became counts under Conrad III and margraves under Barbarossa (1182).
They are advocates of Ottobeuren and hold fiefs of the abbot of Kempten. Wholly Staufen: Gottfried II follows Philip through the whole war, despite the papal ban, and attends his court day at Speyer in 1200. Philip also pledged him the county of the upper Inn valley in Tyrol (date not pinned).
Who he is
- Name
- Gottfried II
- Title
- Margrave of Ronsberg (an imperial prince since 1182)
- Since
- 1191, on the death of his father Margrave Henry in Sicily with Henry VI
- Born
- Not pinned (died suddenly at Augsburg on 11 May 1208)
- Family
- Son of Henry, whom Barbarossa made margrave and imperial prince in 1182. Married a daughter of Count Rudolf I of Tübingen. His brother Berthold is the last male (dies 2 April 1212); their sister Adelheid, wife of Count Ulrich of Berg, carries the margrave's rights to the Berg (Burgau); their sister Irmengard married Count Egino of Eppan.
- Confidence
- high
de.wikipedia (Ronsberg (Adelsgeschlecht)); de.wikipedia (Rudolf I. (Tübingen)).
Overlord
The king (imperial prince).
What it holds
- Ronsberg castle
- Irsee (the old seat)
- The advocacy of Ottobeuren abbey
- Fiefs of the abbey of Kempten
- Asch, Gottenau, Lindenberg, Kemnat, Marstetten (named in de.wikipedia, dates not given)
- The county of the upper Inn valley, pledged by Philip (date not pinned)
How it was acquired
Inheritance; the margrave's title 1182.
Allies and rivals
Philip; his father-in-law Rudolf of Tübingen; the Berg counts by marriage.
How things stand that morning
Holds Ronsberg on 1 January 1200 and backs Philip firmly.
Wealth
Allgäu lands; the Ottobeuren advocacy.
Military
Ronsberg castle (about 290 m long); follows Philip's campaigns.
Threats
- No male heirs after his brother
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.
- 1200 (not pinned)Attends Philip's court day at Speyer.Depends on: The court day being held. Stopped by: War or illness.
Places of note
- Ottobeuren abbey: Under the margraves' advocacy.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Family article with dates; the 1200 Speyer attendance is stated there without a full date.
On the map: Core and advocacy; the Tyrolean pledge is off the sheet.
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.