Barons and castellans · Duchy of Styria · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Wildon

The Wildon are the first family of the Styrian ministeriales: sworn knights of unfree birth in the duke's service who hold great castles.

Descended from Richer 'of Hengist', a man of the Otakars from the Traungau, they took the name Riegersburg in the 1140s by marriage with the heiress of Hartnid of Ort, and about 1170 built the castle on the Wildon hill south of Graz, which gave them their name. Herrand I is the duke's steward (1191) and marshal (1195), and is called a favourite of Leopold VI. Their castles ring the Mur valley below Graz and the eastern frontier: Wildon, the Hengistburg, the upper fortress of Riegersburg, Gleichenberg, and from 1192 Dürnstein on the Carinthian border.

Who he is

Name
Herrand I of Wildon
Title
Lord of Wildon; steward (Truchsess) of Styria, called marshal in 1195
Since
named 'of Wildon' from 1174; steward (dapifer) in a ducal charter of 1191
Born
not pinned
Family
Grandson by marriage of Hartnid of Ort (of Riegersburg, 1142) and son of Richer of Eferding 'de Hengist' (1130-1168), a ministerialis of the Otakars from the Traungau. Married in 1174 Gertrude, daughter of Liutold of Gutenberg. His brothers: Richer I (of Wildon 1174/75-1189, probably died on the Third Crusade in 1189) and Hartnid I (of Wildon 1173-1182, entered Admont in 1175, went on the Third Crusade in 1189). His son Liutold I (died 13 April 1249) is named 'of Gutenberg' in 1225; another Richer (died about 1220) is listed without detail. Herrand dies about 1222.
Confidence
high

German Wikipedia (Wildonier).

Overlord

The duke of Styria (the Wildon are ducal ministeriales); some castles are held of churches (Primaresburg of St. Lambrecht; Hengistburg partly of Salzburg).

What it holds

  • Wildon castle, built about 1170 on the Wildon hill over the Mur, and Neudorf ob Wildon (before 1147).
  • The Hengistburg (Hengsberg), possibly before 1140, partly a Salzburg fief.
  • The upper fortress of Riegersburg (about 1140 to 1249), the frontier rock facing Hungary.
  • Gleichenberg (before 1185).
  • Herbersdorf (about 1147).
  • Primaresburg (from 1190), a fief of St. Lambrecht.
  • Dürnstein on the Styrian and Carinthian border (from 1192).
  • Kirchschlag (founded about 1180; whether this is Kirchschlag in the Bucklige Welt is not pinned here).
  • Stainz (until 1229, when Liutold founded the canons' house there; date of acquisition not pinned).
  • Weinburg (before 1211) and Gutenberg with Waldstein and Weiz (Gertrude of Gutenberg's dowry in 1174 by one account; the Wildon are shown holding Gutenberg from 1210): not pinned for 1 January 1200.
  • Steyregg on the Danube as a fief of Passau (until 1241; date of acquisition not pinned).
  • The Hospitallers: Herrand supported the Knights of St. John from 1197, including a gift at Übersbach near Fürstenfeld (German Wikipedia; whether the gift precedes 1 January 1200 is not pinned).

How it was acquired

Hengistburg by enfeoffment of Margrave Ottokar III before 1140; Riegersburg by marriage in the 1140s; Wildon built about 1170; Dürnstein 1192; others by inheritance, marriage and church fiefs.

Allies and rivals

The duke's men and his favourites; married into the Pettau (Hartnid of Pettau, died 1189, married a lady of Wildon) and the Gutenberg; neighbours of Salzburg's Leibnitz.

How things stand that morning

Herrand I holds the family's castles on 1 January 1200 as steward of the duke; his son Liutold is not yet on record. The family is loyal to Leopold VI.

Wealth

Castles and estates on the Mur below Graz and in East Styria; the steward's office at the ducal court.

Military

The castles of Wildon and Riegersburg are among the strongest in the duchy; Riegersburg faces the Hungarian frontier. Richer and Hartnid of Wildon went on the Second and Third Crusades.

Threats

  • The Hungarian frontier at Riegersburg and Gleichenberg.

Places of note

  • Wildon castle: Built about 1170.
  • Riegersburg (upper fortress): About 1140 to 1249.
  • Gleichenberg: Before 1185.
  • Dürnstein: From 1192.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: German Wikipedia's family article gives a dated table of castles and offices; the holding dates are given as ranges, so a castle's tenure on 1 January 1200 is pinned only where the range covers it.

On the map: Only castles whose tenure covers 1 January 1200 are drawn; Gutenberg, Weinburg and Stainz are listed but not drawn.

Primary sources for Styria

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.

Sources and studies

  1. Wildonier (German Wikipedia)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.