The counts of Schwalenberg are the advocates of the Weser abbeys: since Henry the Lion's fall in 1180 they hold the advocacy of Corvey (before that they were sub-advocates) and act as sub-advocates of Herford for the archbishop of Cologne, and they are advocates of Höxter.
Until 1189 they were also advocates of Paderborn. Their old seat is the Oldenburg near their monastery of Marienmünster (the castle and town of Schwalenberg are a foundation of the next generation); since 1194 a cadet line holds Pyrmont, a castle Archbishop Philip of Cologne built in 1180 and gave to the family as a fief. They still hold the advocacies of the convents of Gehrden and Willebadessen in Paderborn's land.
They are Otto's men.
Who he is
- Name
- Heinrich (Henry I)
- Title
- Count of Schwalenberg
- Since
- 1185 or soon after (sons of Volkwin II; generations muddled)
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Son of Count Volkwin II of Schwalenberg (born about 1125, died 1177/78) and Luitgard of Reichenbach, heiress of Waldeck. His brother Widukind pledged the advocacy of Paderborn in 1189 to go on the Third Crusade and did not return; his brother Hermann is count of Waldeck. A cadet line under Gottschalk I has held Pyrmont since 1194 (see Pyrmont). Heinrich dies before 21 September 1214.
- Confidence
- medium
Named 'Heinrich of Schwalenberg' among Otto's supporters at Aachen in July 1198. The family's generations around 1200 are muddled in the sources (lists give overlapping Heinrich, Widukind and Hermann from 1185, and the Volkwin who founded the town of Schwalenberg belongs to the next generation). The Volkwin named in the assignment is not pinned for 1200.
Overlord
Holds advocacies of Corvey (of the abbot) and Herford (under the archbishop of Cologne).
What it holds
- The Oldenburg near Marienmünster, the family seat, and the advocacy of Marienmünster (the family's foundation of 1128)
- The advocacy of Corvey abbey (from 1180) and of Höxter
- The sub-advocacy of Herford abbey under the archbishop of Cologne (from 1180)
- The advocacies of Gehrden and Willebadessen (given up in 1227)
- (Pyrmont belongs to the cadet line of Gottschalk I since 1194: see Pyrmont)
How it was acquired
Advocacies after 1180; the Waldeck inheritance through Luitgard of Reichenbach.
Allies and rivals
Allies: Otto's party; their brother at Waldeck. Rivals: the bishop of Paderborn, who took back the advocacy in 1189 and with whom they will fight in the 1220s; the abbots of Corvey, their wards.
How things stand that morning
On 1 January 1200 Count Heinrich holds his seat and the abbey advocacies and backs Otto IV. Across his borders: Corvey and Höxter to the east, the Welf lords beyond the Weser (Everstein, Homburg: nse), Lippe's Lemgo and the Falkenburg to the north and west, the bishop of Paderborn to the south.
Wealth
Advocacy dues of Corvey, Herford and Höxter; manors in the Weser hills. No figures.
Military
The Oldenburg; vassals; the advocate's right to lead the abbeys' men. No numbers.
Threats
- Paderborn's recovery of advocacies
- Welf and Staufen fighting in the Weser lands
Places of note
- Marienmünster abbey and the Oldenburg: Family monastery and old seat (castle position approximate).
- Corvey abbey: The abbey whose advocacy they hold.
Where the sources disagree
- The assignment names Volkwin as count of Schwalenberg. The counts active in 1198 are Heinrich (Schwalenberg) and Hermann (Waldeck); the Volkwin who founds Schwalenberg town is of the next generation (a Volkwin IV is born about 1190).
Evidence: The 1198 names come from the study of Archbishop Adolf; family dates conflict in the lists.
On the map: Advocacies over Corvey and Herford are not drawn as land (abbey lands are Church map records).
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
- Schwalenberg (Adelsgeschlecht), de.wikipedia
- Kloster Corvey, de.wikipedia
- Stift Herford, de.wikipedia
- Study of Archbishop Adolf I of Cologne, ch. III: Adolf as author of the double election of 1198 (pp. 20-37), digitised by ULB Düsseldorf
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.