The metropolitan city of the south-eastern Empire, on the Salzach under the fortress of Hohensalzburg, with the cathedral, St Peter's abbey and the nuns of Nonnberg.
Burned by the Plain counts for Barbarossa in 1167 (1168 in another account), it has been rebuilt round a new five-towered cathedral begun in 1181. Around 1200 a new town bridge is built over the Salzach and the first breweries appear. Its burghers live from the salt brought down from Hallein, the transit trade over the Tauern to Venice and the archbishop's court.
Who holds it
- Name
- Archbishop Adalbert III of Salzburg
- Title
- Lord of the city
- Since
- 1183
- Confidence
- high
The city judge (Stadtrichter) is the archbishop's officer, attested from 1120/1130.
Lord in 1200
Archbishop Adalbert III, through his city judge.
How things stand that morning
Under Adalbert; the cathedral works are finishing.
Charter
No written town law is known for 1200; Salzburg counts as the oldest town in modern Austria, with an archiepiscopal city judge from 1120/1130. Later town statutes are not checked here.
Council
None pinned for 1200; the archbishop's judge governs.
Communities
Burghers and the households of the archbishop, the cathedral chapter, St Peter's and Nonnberg; no Jewish community is attested for 1200 in the sources consulted.
Fairs and markets
Weekly market; fairs not pinned for 1200.
Militia
Not pinned; the archbishop's ministeriales hold the fortress.
Walls and castle
Hohensalzburg (from 1077) above the city; the Romanesque cathedral rebuilt from 1181 and finished by Adalbert; city walls not dated in the sources consulted.
Trade and crafts
Salt of the Dürrnberg shipped down the Salzach; transit trade over the Radstädter Tauern towards Carinthia and Venice; brewing (from about 1200); crafts serving the court and the churches.
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.
- 8 April 1200Adalbert dies in the city; the election of his successor is held here.Depends on: Nature. Stopped by: Play that changes his circumstances.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: City history from de.wikipedia (Geschichte der Stadt Salzburg); the city's governed land is approximate.
Primary sources for Salzburg (Adalbert III)
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
- 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
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.