A free family of the Kaiserstuhl and the Rhine plain north of Breisach, named after the Üsenberg castle on a hill north of Breisach.
They hold Eichstetten, Riegel, Weisweil, the Kirnburg and other places, and are vassals and hereditary cupbearers of the bishop of Basel. Their towns are later: Kenzingen founded 1249, Sulzburg a town about 1283, Endingen about 1285/86.
Who he is
- Name
- Burkhart I (died 1203), with Rudolf I (died 1231) of the next generation
- Title
- Free lords of Üsenberg; hereditary cupbearers (Oberschenken) of the bishopric of Basel since 1052
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Rudolf I married Helia of Lichtenberg.
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia Üsenberger.
Overlord
The bishop of Basel, whose vassals and cupbearers they are; the king.
What it holds
- Üsenberg castle north of Breisach
- Eichstetten, Riegel, Weisweil, the Kirnburg, Neuershausen (dates of acquisition not pinned)
- Basel church fiefs
How it was acquired
Inheritance; Basel fiefs.
Allies and rivals
The bishop of Basel; neighbours of the Zähringen at Breisach and of the Hachberg margrave.
How things stand that morning
Holds the Kaiserstuhl estates. Allegiance not pinned (their lord the bishop of Basel is Staufen, campaign notes thin).
Wealth
Kaiserstuhl wine and Rhine plain estates. No figures.
Military
Üsenberg castle, the Kirnburg. No numbers.
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.
- 1203Burkhart I dies.Depends on: Nature. Stopped by: n/a
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Names and offices attested; acquisition dates of the villages are not.
On the map: The Kaiserstuhl was a patchwork; the block is 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.