The bishop's city on the Main, seat of a see founded by Boniface in 741-42, with its cathedral, the bishop's castle on the Marienberg across the river and the first stone bridge over the Main (built about 1120-1133).
It is a city of royal assemblies: Barbarossa held court here in 1152, married Beatrix of Burgundy here on 17 June 1156, granted the bishop the Golden Freedom here in 1168 and condemned Henry the Lion here in January 1180. The townsmen already act as a community: the city seal is first attested in 1195, and shortly before 1200 the suburbs of Sand, Pleichach and Haug were brought inside the wall. The Staufen hold property in the city (1188 list).
Who holds it
- Name
- Bishop Conrad of Querfurt (excommunicated; still in possession), through his Schultheiss and officers; Count Berthold (II) of Henneberg holds the burgraviate
- Title
- Lord of the town
- Confidence
- high
City history and the 1188 pact; council and fairs not documented for 1200.
Lord in 1200
Bishop Conrad of Querfurt (excommunicated; still in possession), through his Schultheiss and officers; Count Berthold (II) of Henneberg holds the burgraviate
Allies and rivals
The bishop's ministeriales; the Henneberg burgraves; the Staufen with their property in the city.
How things stand that morning
The bishop holds the city; the townsmen follow their lord (STAUFEN that winter). The bishop's quarrel with his ministeriales (the Ravensburgs) runs through the city.
Charter
No town charter: the city is under the bishop's lordship, confirmed with ducal rights by Barbarossa on 10 July 1168. City seal first attested 1195.
Council
No council is recorded by 1200 in what we read; the townsmen's community shows in the seal of 1195. Open conflict between citizens and bishops begins about 1250.
Communities
A Jewish community, attacked by crusaders in 1147 (from general knowledge; not checked in a source here); the Knights Hospitaller, first documented in the city in 1195; the hospital of St Dietrich (1144).
Fairs and markets
Market at the bridgehead and before the cathedral; no fair dates found.
Militia
Not recorded.
Walls and castle
City wall enlarged shortly before 1200 to take in the Sand, Pleichach and Haug suburbs; the bishop's castle on the Marienberg (strengthened by Conrad in 1201-02; the bishops' residence from 1253).
Trade and crafts
Main shipping and the Main bridge; the wine of the Main valley; the crossing of the roads from Frankfurt to Nuremberg and from Thuringia to Swabia; the bishop's mint.
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.
- 3 (or 4 or 6) December 1202 (beyond 1200)Bishop Conrad is murdered in the city on his way to the cathedral by Bodo of Ravensburg and Heinrich (Hund) of Falkenberg, with court servants and citizens involved.Depends on: the feud with the Ravensburgs and Conrad's break with Philip Stopped by: reconciliation or Conrad's removal
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: City history and the 1188 pact; council and fairs not documented for 1200.
Primary sources for Würzburg
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.
- 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
Sources and studies
- Geschichte der Stadt Würzburg, de.wikipedia
- Konrad von Querfurt, NDB
- Wanner, Der Ehepakt von 1188 (Stadtarchiv Heilbronn, Quellen und Forschungen 22)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.