Frederick I turned the Wetterau into a land of royal palaces, castles and towns to bind the Rhine-Main country to the crown: Frankfurt with its palace and royal estate, Gelnhausen (palace begun 1169/70, town 1170), Friedberg castle (1171-1180), Wetzlar (royal advocacy 1180) under the castle of Kalsmunt, the palace at Seligenstadt, and the royal forests of the Dreieich and Büdingen under hereditary advocates.
On 1 January 1200 all of it is in Philip's hands: Otto's party has no foothold east of the Rhine here, Kuno of Münzenberg and the Büdingen lords run the forests, and royal ministeriales hold the castles. Philip stays at Frankfurt four times and Gelnhausen twice in his reign.
Who he is
- Name
- Philip of Swabia; officers on 1 January 1200: at Frankfurt the king's advocate and Schultheiss (names not pinned); at Gelnhausen a burgrave with castle-men (no name before Gerlach II of Büdingen, who holds the office later); at Wetzlar the royal advocacy of 1180 and the castle of Kalsmunt (castellans not pinned)
- Title
- The king (Philip of Swabia), through his officers
- Since
- Staufen hands since 1138; Philip's since 1198
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia articles on Frankfurt, Gelnhausen, Kaiserpfalz Gelnhausen, Wetzlar, Kalsmunt, Seligenstadt, Dieburg; the Residenzen handbook on Philip.
What it holds
- Frankfurt: the palace, the royal estate and the king's villages east of the town (the later county of the Bornheimer Berg; extent in 1200 not pinned); the town itself is Frankfurt
- Gelnhausen: the palace on the Kinzig island (begun 1169/70), seat of the 1180 court that judged Henry the Lion, with its own castle community separate from the town
- Friedberg castle: see Friedberg castle
- Kalsmunt castle over Wetzlar and the royal advocacy of Wetzlar (1180)
- The palace at Seligenstadt (Frederick I's; court of 23 April 1188)
- Dieburg, a royal estate and one of the forest holdings of the Dreieich, with a local family of Dieburg (1207-1208)
- Usingen, royal land given to the counts of Diez in 1207
- Ingelheim on the left bank, the old palace and its royal villages (shown here because it lies between Mainz and Bingen)
- The royal forests of the Dreieich and of Büdingen, drawn on Münzenberg and Büdingen
How it was acquired
Royal and Staufen since Conrad III and Frederick I; Philip inherited them as Henry VI's brother in 1197-1198.
Allies and rivals
Run by Kuno of Münzenberg and the Wetterau ministeriales; neighbours Mainz, Hanau, Büdingen, Eppstein.
How things stand that morning
Philip's, without challenge that winter.
Wealth
The Frankfurt market and mint (half to Kuno), Main crossings, royal estates, forests.
Military
Castles: Friedberg, Kalsmunt, the Gelnhausen palace, Hayn, Münzenberg; castle-men (Burgmannen) of local families.
Threats
- An Otto advance up the Rhine and Main after the Mainz schism (late 1200)
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.
- about Christmas 1200If Otto takes Mainz, the Wetterau becomes Philip's front line on the Main.Depends on: The Mainz schism. Stopped by: Conrad living or a settlement.
Places of note
- Gelnhausen palace: Begun 1169/70.
- Kalsmunt: Royal castle over Wetzlar.
- Seligenstadt palace: Frederick I's palace; court of 23 April 1188.
- Ingelheim palace: Old royal palace on the left bank.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Foundations dated; the officers on 1 January 1200 are not named in the sources reached; the Staufen hold that winter is inferred from Kuno's actions in 1199 and the absence of any Welf presence east of the Rhine.
On the map: Only the palaces, castles and named estates are drawn; the royal forests are on the Münzenberg and Büdingen records and the towns on their own records.
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
- Geschichte der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, de.wikipedia
- Kaiserpfalz Gelnhausen, de.wikipedia
- Wetzlar, de.wikipedia
- Burg Kalsmunt, de.wikipedia
- Seligenstadt, de.wikipedia
- Dieburg, de.wikipedia
- Philipp von Schwaben: Hof und Residenzen
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.