The church of Trier is run on the ground by its ministeriales: they keep its castles (Ehrenbreitstein, the Oberburg at Manderscheid, Pfalzel, Saarburg), sit as its officers in Trier and Koblenz (the archbishop's Schultheiss at Koblenz), and form its knighthood.
They are a political force of their own: when Philip of Swabia came to Trier on 7 March 1199 he reached an understanding with the burghers and the ministeriales of the see over the head of the wavering archbishop. At Koblenz the ministerial family von der Arken built the Alte Burg about 1185.
Who he is
- Name
- A body of families; the von der Arken at Koblenz are the one pinned name
- Title
- Ministeriales (unfree knights) and castle-men of the church of Trier
- Since
- 12th century
- Born
- not applicable
- Family
- The von der Arken built the Alte Burg at Koblenz as a residential tower on Roman foundations about 1185.
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia Geschichte der Stadt Koblenz; the Cologne study for 1199
Overlord
The archbishop of Trier
What it holds
- The castle-guard of the archbishop's castles: Ehrenbreitstein, the Manderscheid Oberburg, Pfalzel, Saarburg and the others (names of castellans in 1200 not pinned)
- The Alte Burg at Koblenz (the von der Arken, about 1185)
- Fiefs and service lands of the see (not pinned)
How it was acquired
Service to the archbishops through the 12th century.
Allies and rivals
Allied with the burghers of Trier in dealing with Philip in 1199; serve the archbishop but act for themselves.
How things stand that morning
Staufen-minded: they dealt directly with Philip in March 1199.
Wealth
Service fiefs and the profits of office.
Military
The garrison knighthood of the see.
Places of note
- Alte Burg, Koblenz: Tower of the von der Arken, about 1185
- Ehrenbreitstein: Archiepiscopal castle kept by the see's castle-men
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Known as a body; one family named.
On the map: Not drawn separately: their castles are drawn in the Trier realm record.
Primary sources for Trier
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.
- 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
- Deeds of the archbishops of Trier, continuations (continuations written in the 13th century). The Trier house history for Archbishop John I (1190 to 1212), who held the Moselle between the two kings. Read online
- Regesta Imperii V: calendar of the acts of Philip, Otto IV and Frederick II, 1198 to 1272 (calendar of documents of 1198 to 1272, published 1881 to 1901). A dated calendar of every known act of King Philip and King Otto IV, with the acts of popes and princes that bear on the Empire. Read online
- Register of Innocent III on the affair of the Roman Empire, Innocent III and the papal chancery (1198 to 1209, compiled as a separate register at the curia). The pope's own file on the German throne war: letters to and from Philip, Otto, the German princes and bishops, and the famous Deliberatio of late 1200 or early 1201 in which Innocent weighs the claims of Frederick, Philip and Otto before deciding for Otto. Read online
- The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. Read online
- Constitutions and public acts of the emperors and kings, volume 2, 1198 to 1272 (documents of 1198 to 1272, edited 1896). The public documents of the throne war in full text: the election notices of 1198, the princes' declaration of Speyer of 28 May 1199 to Innocent III, the pope's replies, Philip's and Otto's letters and promises, and the imperial acts of 1200 and 1201 including Otto's promises at Neuss in June 1201. Read online
- Dialogue on Miracles, Caesarius of Heisterbach (about 1219 to 1223). Not a chronicle but a Cistercian's book of exempla, full of stories about Cologne, the Rhineland and the Low Countries around 1200: the throne war, usurers, heretics, crusade preachers, knights and townsmen, monks and recruits at Heisterbach, founded in 1189. Read online
Sources and studies
- Geschichte der Stadt Koblenz (de.wikipedia)
- Study of Archbishop Adolf of Cologne's politics 1198-1202 (University of Duesseldorf digital library)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.