First named in 948.
Flemish settlers brought in under Albert the Bear and Archbishop Wichmann founded the lower town with its St Nicholas church (1162-1186) and brought cloth-making; the upper town's Our Lady is first named in 1186. By the early 13th century Burg is one of the region's most important and fortified towns, with its cloth hall in Magdeburg confirmed in 1224.
Who holds it
- Name
- Archbishop Ludolf of Magdeburg
- Title
- Lord
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- medium
Burg (bei Magdeburg), de.wikipedia
Lord in 1200
The archbishop (not named as holder in the sources reached; inferred).
How things stand that morning
A growing cloth town of Flemish settlers in the archbishop's land.
Charter
Flemish settlers' law (not dated); town status in 1200 not pinned.
Council
None yet.
Communities
Flemish settlers (lower town); Saxons and Slavs.
Walls and castle
Shared walls of upper and lower town in the early 13th century.
Trade and crafts
Cloth-making (Flemish).
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Churches dated; the law and lordship inferred.
Primary sources for Magdeburg
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 Pegau; Annals of Magdeburg (12th and 13th centuries; Pegau continued to 1227). The annals of the Wettin lands and of Magdeburg. Read online
- Chronicle of the Lauterberg (Petersberg near Halle), Konrad of Lauterberg (about 1225). The house chronicle of the Wettin foundation on the Lauterberg, sharp-tongued and well informed on Saxony, Meissen and Magdeburg. 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
- Deeds of the archbishops of Magdeburg (main text to 1142, continued in the 13th and 14th centuries). The Magdeburg house history, with a continuation covering Archbishop Ludolf of Kroppenstedt (1192 to 1205), a firm supporter of Philip who hosted the king's Christmas court at Magdeburg on 25 December 1199. Read online
- The political songs of Walther von der Vogelweide, 1198 to 1201, Walther von der Vogelweide (about 1198 to 1201). Three stanzas of the Reichston, composed between 1198 and 1201 after Walther left Vienna, lament the disorder of the double election and call on Philip to take the crown. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.