A Vosges comital house holding the castle of Salm in the upper Bruche valley, the Badonviller and Pierre-Percee country on the Lorraine side of the mountains, and the advocacy of the abbey of Senones.
Tied to the ducal house through Ferry of Bitche's daughter Judith.
Who he is
- Name
- Henry (II) of Salm
- Title
- Count of Salm
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Upper (Vosges) branch of the house of Salm, split from the Ardennes branch in the later 12th century. Married to Judith, daughter of Ferry of Bitche (they died within months of each other, fr.wikipedia). A son Henry, born 1191, later marries a daughter of Theobald I of Bar.
- Confidence
- medium
fr.wikipedia Ferry Ier de Lorraine (Judith's marriage); fr.wikipedia and en.wikipedia Theobald I of Bar (the son's marriage). The numbering of the Salm Henrys differs between sources.
Overlord
The emperor; the bishop of Metz for some fiefs (not pinned).
What it holds
- Castle of Salm above the Bruche
- Badonviller and Pierre-Percee (Langstein castle)
- Advocacy of the abbey of Senones
- Blamont through a younger line (see Blâmont)
How it was acquired
Inheritance of the house of Salm.
Allies and rivals
Kin of Ferry of Bitche; neighbours of the bishop of Strasbourg and the abbey of Moyenmoutier.
How things stand that morning
The count holds Salm and the Badonviller country; the abbey of Senones is under his advocacy.
Wealth
Forests and mines of the Vosges, advocacy dues. No figures.
Military
Castles of Salm and Pierre-Percee. No numbers.
Threats
- Not pinned.
Places of note
- Castle of Salm: Seat in the Bruche valley
- Pierre-Percee (Langstein): Salm castle
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Holder's name and family from genealogies of the neighbouring houses; extent not pinned.
On the map: Approximate.
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.