The capital of old Bavaria and the richest city of the duchy: a royal city, a bishop's see, the seat of three imperial abbeys, and the hub of the Danube trade.
On 1 January 1200 no one rules it alone. The bishop and the duke both claim the lordship and quarrel over the burgrave's office, vacant since the Stefling landgraves died out in 1196; the merchants have no council yet but are rich and organised; the king's palace stands empty but the city is still where Bavarian assemblies meet.
Who holds it
- Name
- Bishop Konrad III of Laichling (bishop 1186-1204); Duke Louis I; King Philip
- Title
- Lordship divided among the bishop, the duke and the king
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia (Regensburg; Konrad III. von Laichling; Konrad IV. von Frontenhausen; Ludwig der Kelheimer)
Lord in 1200
No single lord. The bishop, Konrad III of Laichling, rules his church's immunity and claims the lordship of the city; the duke holds the mint, the right of escort and the courts of the advocacies (since 1185, by the city's history) and claims the burgrave's office under Henry VI's grant of 1196; the king keeps the palace and the royal rights, and protects the bridge (Barbarossa's privilege of 26 September 1182). The treaty of 1205 and Philip's privilege of 9 March 1207 will fix this double lordship of bishop and duke.
Overlord
The king: Regensburg is the old royal city of Bavaria, seat of royal courts and assemblies.
How things stand that morning
Quiet on 1 January 1200. The bishop and the duke both back Philip (both signed the Speyer declaration in person on 28 May 1199); their quarrel over the burgraviate is unsettled (open feud 1203-05). The bishop, Konrad III, went on Henry VI's crusade in 1197 and turned back at the emperor's death.
Charter
No town charter yet. Barbarossa's bridge privilege of 26 September 1182 names Herbord as master of the bridge (magister pontis). Philip's privilege (the Philippinum) of 9 March 1207, Frederick II's of 1230 and the grant of self-government of 10 November 1245 are later.
Council
None yet: the city has no council of its own in 1200 (self-government comes in 1245). The great merchant families act for it (not pinned by name).
Communities
An old Jewish community with its own quarter; Rabbi Judah ben Samuel the Pious (he-Hasid), teacher of the German Pietists, lives in the city from about 1195 until his death in 1217. Irish Benedictines at St James (the Schottenkloster), mother house of their German houses. The imperial abbeys of St Emmeram, Obermünster and Niedermünster, the canons of the Alte Kapelle and St Paul, the cathedral chapter, the duke's and the bishop's households, and the merchant families.
Fairs and markets
Not pinned for 1200.
Militia
Not recorded.
Walls and castle
The Roman legionary fortress walls, extended by Duke Arnulf about 920 to take in St Emmeram and the merchants' quarter; the later medieval circuit begins only in 1293. The royal palace and the ducal court stand by the Alter Kornmarkt, the bishop's palace by the cathedral of St Peter; the Stone Bridge with its gate towers leads to the suburb on the north bank.
Trade and crafts
The greatest trading city of southern Germany: long-distance trade reaching Paris, Venice and Kiev, the Danube trade down to Hungary, salt, wine and cloth. Iron from Amberg comes down the Vils and the Naab, and salt goes back up. The Stone Bridge (built 1135-1146), the only fixed crossing of the Danube for far around, carries the roads to Bohemia and Saxony. Barbarossa set out on the Third Crusade from here in May 1189.
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.
- 1200 onwardThe duke and the bishop keep up their rival claims; the feud of 1203 and the treaty of 1205 lie ahead, and Philip confirms the divided lordship on 9 March 1207.Depends on: Both lords keeping their claims and Philip remaining king. Stopped by: An earlier settlement, a change of king, or a new bishop (Konrad III dies on 23 April 1204).
Places of note
- Stone Bridge: Built 1135-1146; protected by Barbarossa's privilege of 1182.
- St Emmeram: Imperial abbey.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The city's institutions are well studied, but the summaries available here are thin for 1200 itself; dates are from de.wikipedia.
Primary sources for Bavaria
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 Schäftlarn and the Bavarian annals (12th and 13th centuries). Brief Bavarian annals. Read online
- The Austrian and Salzburg annals (kept in the 12th and 13th centuries, with continuations to the late 13th century). A family of monastic annals from Austria, Styria and Salzburg, printed together. 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
- 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
- Bavarian monuments: the charters of the Bavarian monasteries and bishoprics (charters from the 8th century onward, published 1763 to 1916). The great charter series of Bavaria, arranged by monastery and bishopric. Read online
- Charter book of the bishops of Trent (compiled 1207 to 1218; documents from the 11th century onward; edited 1852). The cartulary of the prince-bishops of Trent. Read online
Sources and studies
- Regensburg (de.wikipedia)
- Konrad III. von Laichling (de.wikipedia)
- Konrad IV. von Frontenhausen (de.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.