Free lords at the foot of the Black Forest above the Rhine knee at Basel, with the castle of Rötteln over the lower Wiese valley and the advocacy of the Basel priory of St Alban's churches and lands at Lörrach, Hauingen and Kandern.
In 1200 the lords are boys in their uncle's care, and the house leans toward the church of Basel more than toward the Zähringen.
Who he is
- Name
- Walther, Lüthold, Konrad and Dietrich (IV), the young sons of Dietrich III, in the care of their half-uncle Konrad of Tegerfelden
- Title
- Lords of Rötteln
- Since
- the death of Dietrich III, last recorded in 1187
- Born
- not pinned; minors or just of age in 1200
- Family
- Dietrich III appears in 1175-1187 and probably died young. His half-brother Konrad of Tegerfelden, a canon of Constance (bishop of Constance from 1209), looked after the boys and founded an anniversary for Dietrich in 1204. Walther was in the Constance chapter by 1209 and was elected bishop of Basel in 1213 (deposed 1215); Lüthold, a Constance canon from 1215, was elected bishop of Basel in 1238; Konrad later founded the town of Schopfheim.
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia Rötteln (Adelsgeschlecht)
Overlord
None above the king for their own lands (free lords, Edelfreie); the advocacy of St Alban's churches is held of that Basel house.
What it holds
- Rötteln castle (its oldest parts date from the later twelfth or early thirteenth century; first named in 1259)
- The advocacy of St Alban's churches of Lörrach, Hauingen and Kandern (since 1102-1103), with property at Rheinweiler and Ambringen
- Land in the lower Wiese valley round Lörrach (extent not pinned)
How it was acquired
An old family of the district; the St Alban advocacy since 1102-1103.
Allies and rivals
Close to the bishops of Basel, only on the outer edge of the Zähringen following; neighbours St Blasien in the forest and the Zähringen town of Rheinfelden up the Rhine.
How things stand that morning
The minor heirs hold Rötteln under Konrad of Tegerfelden; no part in the throne war is recorded.
Wealth
Advocacy dues, the farms of the Wiese valley, forest.
Military
One castle; no numbers.
Threats
- A minority
- Zähringen pressure from Rheinfelden and the Breisgau
Places of note
- Rötteln castle: castle above the Wiese
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Genealogy and advocacy from de.wikipedia; the extent of the lands in 1200 is not documented.
On the map: Advocacy rights and a castle district; the boundaries are rough.
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.