The land south of the Sava round Ljubljana (Laibach) passed in the first half of the twelfth century to the Spanheim dukes of Carinthia.
Their castle on the hill above the Ljubljanica, built in the twelfth century, stands over a settlement that began to grow in the second half of the century; market rights for the Old Square (Stari trg) are dated about 1200 and town privileges only between 1220 and 1243. On 1 January 1200 Ljubljana is a castle and market place of the duke, not a chartered town. The Spanheims are neighbours and rivals of the Andechs in Carniola.
German Wikipedia (Herzogtum Krain) lists Ig, Jeterbenk and Kostanjevica na Krki (Landstrass) as Spanheim holdings until 1269.
Who he is
- Name
- Ulrich II of Spanheim
- Title
- Duke of Carinthia
- Since
- 1181
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Spanheim, dukes of Carinthia; his brother Bernhard succeeds him in 1202
- Confidence
- medium
English Wikipedia (History of Ljubljana) for the Spanheim lordship; the duke's dates from general knowledge (not checked against a source here).
Overlord
The Empire
What it holds
- Ljubljana castle and the settlement below it (the Old Square, the Town, the New Square).
- Ig and Jeterbenk south and west of Ljubljana.
- Kostanjevica na Krki (Landstrass) in Lower Carniola, on the Krka (the Cistercian abbey there is founded only in 1243 by Duke Bernhard).
How it was acquired
In the first half of the twelfth century (how is not stated in the source).
Allies and rivals
Rivals: the Andechs margraves at Kranj and Kamnik. The duke's own politics are Carinthian (later sheet).
How things stand that morning
On 1 January 1200 the duke of Carinthia holds Ljubljana and its lands. North across the Sava lie the Andechs' Kranj and Kamnik lands; west, Freising's Škofja Loka; south and east, Lower Carniola under the march (thin).
Wealth
The Ljubljanica river port and the road junction between Italy, Carinthia and the Sava valley; the new market.
Military
Ljubljana castle and ducal ministeriales (not pinned). No numbers.
Threats
- The Andechs margraves.
- The patriarch's claim to the march.
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.
- 1202Duke Ulrich II is succeeded by his brother Bernhard.Depends on: Ulrich's death or retirement as in the record. Stopped by: Nothing known.
Places of note
- Ljubljana castle: The duke's castle over the Ljubljanica.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The Spanheim lordship and Ljubljana's market and town dates are from English Wikipedia (History of Ljubljana); the duke's stance between Philip and Otto in 1200 is not pinned.
On the map: A rough block round Ljubljana; the Spanheim estates elsewhere in Carniola are not drawn.
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.