View source for House of Zähringen

{{short description|Dynasty of Swabian nobility}}
{{redirect|Zahringer|people with that name|Zahringer (surname)}}
{{Royal house
| name = House of Zähringen
| coat of arms = Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen.jpg
| coat_of_arms_caption = Seal of [[Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen|Berthold IV]], featuring a [[lion rampant]]
| country = [[Duchy of Carinthia]]<br/>[[March of Verona]]<br/>[[Margraviate of Baden]]<br/>[[Grand Duchy of Baden]]
| founder = [[Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia|Berthold I of Zähringen]]
| final ruler = [[Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen|Berthold V]] as Duke of Zähringen<br/>[[Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden|Frederick II]] as Grand Duke of Baden
| founding year = 11th century
| dissolution = {{nowrap|1218 (ducal branch of Zähringen)}}
| parent_family = [[Alaholfings]]
| branches = [[#House of Baden|Baden]] (extant)<br/>[[#Dukes of Teck|Teck]] (extinct in 1439)
}}
The '''House of Zähringen''' ({{langx|de|Zähringer}}, {{IPA|de|ˈtsɛːʁɪŋɐ|pron}}) was a dynasty of [[Duchy of Swabia|Swabian]] nobility. The family's name derived from [[Zähringen Castle]] near [[Freiburg im Breisgau]]. The Zähringer in the 12th century used the title of Duke of Zähringen, in compensation for having conceded the title of [[Duke of Swabia]] to the [[Staufer]] in 1098. The Zähringer were granted the special title of [[Rector of Burgundy|Rector]] of [[County of Burgundy|Burgundy]] in 1127, and they continued to use both titles until the extinction of the ducal line in 1218.

The territories and fiefs held by the Zähringer were known as the Duchy of Zähringen (German: {{lang|de|[[Herzog]]tum Zähringen}}), but it was not seen as a [[duchy]] in equal standing with the old [[stem duchy|stem duchies]]. The Zähringer attempted to expand their territories in Swabia and Burgundy into a fully recognized duchy, but their expansion was halted in the 1130s due to their feud with the [[Welfs]]. Pursuing their territorial ambitions, the Zähringer founded numerous cities and monasteries on either side of the [[Black Forest]], as well as in the western [[Swiss Plateau]]. After the extinction of the ducal line in 1218, parts of the family's territories reverted to the crown (attained [[imperial immediacy]]), while other parts were divided between the houses of [[House of Kyburg|Kyburg]], [[House of Urach|Urach]] and [[House of Fürstenberg (Swabia)|Fürstenberg]].

==History==
[[File:Freiburg Bauten b 026.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Zähringen Castle]], c. 1500.]]
The earliest-known ancestor ([[progenitor]]) of the family was one Berthold, Count in the [[Breisgau]] (d. 982), who was first mentioned in 962. In view of his name, he may have been related to the Alemannic [[Alaholfings|Alaholfing dynasty]].

Count Berthold's great-grandson, who became known as [[Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia]] – posthumously referred to as Berthold I of Zähringen (c. 1000–1078) – held several lordships (''[[Herrschaft]]en'') in the Breisgau, in [[Thurgau]], [[Ortenau]] and [[Baar (region)|Baar]]. By his mother, he was related to the rising [[Hohenstaufen]] family. Emperor [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry III]] had promised his vassal Berthold the [[Duchy of Swabia]], but this was not fulfilled, as upon Henry's death, his widow [[Agnes of Poitou]] appointed Count [[Rudolf of Rheinfelden]] to the position of [[Duke of Swabia]] in 1057. In compensation, Berthold was made [[Duke of Carinthia]] and [[Margrave of Verona]] in 1061. However, this dignity was only a titular one, and Berthold subsequently lost it when, in the course of the [[Investiture Controversy]], he joined the rising of his former rival Rudolf of Rheinfelden against German king [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry IV]] in 1073.

Berthold's son [[Berthold II, Duke of Swabia|Berthold II]] (c. 1050–1111), who like his father fought against Henry IV, inherited a lot of the lands of Rudolf's son Count [[Berthold I, Duke of Swabia|Berthold of Rheinfelden]] in 1090 (though not his comital title, which stayed with the family von Wetter-Rheinfelden). Berthold II is so named both as Duke of Swabia (following Berthold of Rheinfelden, the first duke of Swabia of this name) and as head of the House of Zähringen (following his father, who is counted as Berthold I of Zähringen in spite of not historically having used the name Zähringen). Berthold II did use the name Zähringen, although he moved his main residence from [[Zähringen Castle]] to the newly built [[Freiburg Castle]] in 1091.

In 1092, Berthold II was elected Duke of Swabia against [[Frederick I, Duke of Swabia|Frederick I of Hohenstaufen]]. In 1098, he reconciled with Frederick, renounced all claims to Swabia and instead concentrated on his possessions in the Breisgau region, assuming the title of Duke of Zähringen. He was succeeded in turn by his sons [[Berthold III, Duke of Zähringen|Berthold III]] (d. 1122) and [[Conrad I, Duke of Zähringen|Conrad]] (d. 1152).

In 1127, upon the assassination of his nephew Count [[William III, Count of Burgundy|William III]], Conrad claimed the inheritance of the [[County of Burgundy]] against Count [[Reginald III, Count of Burgundy|Renaud III of Mâcon]]. Renaud prevailed, although he had to cede large parts of the eastern [[Upper Burgundy|Transjuranian]] lands to Conrad, who thereupon was appointed by Emperor [[Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor|Lothair III]] as a 'rector' of the Imperial [[Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles]]. This office was confirmed in 1152 and held by the Zähringer dukes until 1218. As a result, they are sometimes referred to as 'Dukes of Burgundy', although the existing [[Duchy of Burgundy]] was not an Imperial fief but a [[France in the Middle Ages|French]] one. Duke [[Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen|Berthold IV]] (d. 1186), who followed his father Conrad and founded the Swiss city of Fryburg (today's Fribourg-Freiburg) in 1157, spent much of his time in Italy in the train of Emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa|Frederick I Barbarossa]].

His son and successor, [[Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen|Berthold V]], showed his prowess by reducing the Burgundian nobles to order. This latter duke was the founder of the city of [[Bern]] in 1191, and when he died in February 1218, the ducal line of the Zähringer became extinct. Among other titles, the Zähringen family acted as ''[[Reichsvogt]]'' of the [[Zürichgau]] area.

After the extinction of the ducal line in 1218, much of its extensive territory in the Breisgau and modern-day Switzerland returned to the crown, except for the allodial titles, which were divided between the [[House of Urach|counts of Urach]] (who subsequently called themselves the counts of Freiburg) and the [[Kyburg family|counts of Kyburg]], both descended from the sisters of Berthold V. Less than fifty years later, the Kyburgs died out, and large portions of their domains were inherited by the [[House of Habsburg]]. Bern achieved the status of a [[free imperial city]], whereas other cities (such as Fribourg-Freiburg) only obtained the same status later in history.

==Possessions and territories==
[[File:Schweiz um 1200.png|thumb|350px|Territories of the dominant noble houses in Swabia and Upper Burgundy around 1200, with Zähringer possessions shown in green.]]
Berthold I (ancestor of both the House of Zähringen and the House of Baden) held the comital titles of [[Breisgau]] and [[Thurgovia|Thurgau]], as well as being reeve in [[Stein am Rhein]] (owned by the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamberg|bishop of Bamberg]]). The county of Thurgau was lost around 1077.

In 1098, Berthold II, founder of the House of Zähringen proper, received [[Zähringen Castle]] and the [[Reichsvogt|jurisdiction]] over [[Zürich]] (alongside the [[Counts of Lenzburg]] until 1173). Ownership of the county of [[Rheinfelden (Aargau)|Rheinfelden]] and of [[Burgdorf District|Burgdorf]] also dates to c. 1198.

The 'rectorate' of the [[county of Burgundy]] was granted in 1127 (inheritance of [[Otto-William, Count of Burgundy]]). Ownership of Burgundy was contested, and Zähringer ''de facto'' rule was limited to the parts of [[Upper Burgundy]] east of the [[Jura Mountains|Jura]] and north of [[Lake Geneva]]. The territories south of Lake Geneva were conceded to [[County of Savoy|Savoy]] and [[List of rulers of Provence|Provence]] in 1156. In compensation, Berthold IV received the investiture right for the bishops of Geneva, Sion and Lausanne, ''de facto'' realised only in the case of Lausanne.

The extinction of the counts of Lenzburg in 1173 strengthened the Zähringer position south of the Rhine, but their territorial expansion was halted following their support of the [[Welfs]] in the unsuccessful feud against [[Conrad III of Germany]] during 1138–1152. This frustrated their ambitions to carve out a contiguous territorial duchy wedged between Swabia and [[duchy of Burgundy|Burgundy]], in spite of late attempts on the part of Berthold V to increase his territorial sway (who as late as 1210 aimed at receiving the jurisdiction over [[St. Gallen]]).

Instead of territorial expansion, the dukes of Zähringen from the 1150s focused on attaining more immediate feudal control over the territories they already had. This included their policy of expanding settlements into fortified towns or cities and the construction of new castles, mostly in their territories north of the Rhine. Their encroachment on the rights of the comital nobility south of the Rhine seems to have been resisted, mostly passively, but in the case of the lords of [[Glâne District|Glâne]] and [[Thun]] in an open revolt in 1191.

The fragmentation of the Zähringer possessions after 1218 was an important factor in the [[medieval commune|communal movements]] of the late medieval period in the region, including the [[imperial immediacy]] of Bern and Zürich, and the [[growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy]] in the early 14th century.<ref name=HLS>{{HLS|19504|author=Erwin Eugster|date=2015}}</ref>

===Cities===
[[File:Bern-BerchtoldVZahring.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Berchtold V of Zähringen|Berthold V]] on the Zähringer monument in [[Bern]], Switzerland.]]

Among the cities founded or expanded by the Zähringer dukes ({{langx|de|Zähringerstädte}}) are:
*in Swabia, west of the Black Forest (Baden): [[Freiburg im Breisgau]] (1120), [[Offenburg]] (before 1148), [[Neuenburg am Rhein]] (1175);
*in Swabia, east of the Black Forest (Württemberg): [[Sankt Peter, Baden-Württemberg|Sankt Peter]] (1093), [[Villingen-Schwenningen|Villingen]] (1119), [[Bräunlingen]] (c. 1200), [[Weilheim an der Teck]] ([[Limburg (Weilheim an der Teck)|Limburg castle]] c. 1060{{clarify|date=January 2019}}<!--not a Zähringer city, they founded the castle, fortification of the city dates to after 1300-->);
*in Burgundy (western Swiss plateau):
**on the Rhine: [[Rheinfelden (Aargau)|Rheinfelden]] (c. 1150{{clarify|date=January 2019}}<!--market rights, not foundation of the settlement-->);
**Aare basin: [[Fribourg]] (Freiburg im Üechtland, 1157) [[Bern]] (1191), [[Burgdorf, Switzerland|Burgdorf]] (castle before 1175<!--city rights only 1273-->), [[Murten]] (c. 1180), [[Thun]] (c. 1190).

Other towns owned by or under the jurisdiction ([[Reichsvogt]]ei) of the Zähringer include: [[Solothurn]] (acquired 1127), [[Zürich]] (acquired 1173), [[Schaffhausen]] (acquired 1198) and [[Stein am Rhein]].{{year needed|date=January 2019}}

The city of [[Morges]] on Lake Geneva is not a Zähringer foundation (having been founded in 1286 by [[Louis I of Vaud]]) but shared the characteristic layout of the Zähringer cities.

==Genealogy==
[[File:Neues Rathaus Freiburg jm3824.jpg|thumb|upright|Zähringen [[attributed arms]] in a stained glass window by Hans Reichle (c. 1570–1642) in [[Rathaus (Freiburg im Breisgau)|Freiburg town hall]]. There are two traditions of attributed arms, either ''or an eagle displayed gules'' (shown here) or ''gules a lion rampant or'', based on the respective coats of arms used in the later medieval period by the [[counts of Freiburg]] who claimed the Zähringer inheritance (ancestors of the [[House of Fürstenberg (Swabia)|House of Fürstenberg]]).<ref>August Freiherr von Berstett, ''Münzgeschichte des Zähringen-Badischen Fürstenhauses'' (1846), [https://books.google.com/books?id=b1tfAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA3  p. 3].</ref>]]

===House of Zähringen===
[[File:Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Equestrian seal]] of [[Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen|Berthold V]], dated 1187.<ref>The shield with heraldic eagle visible in this seal (from a document at [[Fraumünster]], Zürich, dated 1187) is the only contemporary attestation of a Zähringer coat of arms. Franz Zell, ''Geschichte und Beschreibung des Badischen Wappens von seiner Entstehung bis auf seine heutige Form'' (1858), p. 7 and plate I.</ref>]]

[[Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia]], Margrave of [[March of Verona|Verona]] (c. 1000–1078, r. 1061–1077), is also known as "Berthold I of Zähringen". Therefore, the succession of dukes of Zähringen begins with his son as Berthold II:

Dukes of Zähringen:
*[[Berthold II, Duke of Swabia|Berthold II]] (c. 1050–1111), [[Duke of Swabia]] from 1092 to 1098 (against [[Frederick I, Duke of Swabia|Frederick I of Hohenstaufen]]), then Duke of Zähringen from about 1100. The numeral II carried by Berthold refers to both the House of Zähringen (succeeding his father Berthold I) and the Duchy of Swabia (succeeding [[Berthold I, Duke of Swabia]] of the House of [[Rheinfelden (Aargau)|Rheinfelden]]).
*[[Berthold III, Duke of Zähringen|Berthold III]] (c. 1085–1122), son, Duke of Zähringen from 1111
*[[Conrad I, Duke of Zähringen|Conrad I]] (c. 1090–1152), brother, Duke of Zähringen from 1122, rector of [[Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles|Burgundy]] from 1127
*[[Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen|Berthold IV]] (c. 1125–1186), son, Duke of Zähringen from 1152, rector of Burgundy
*[[Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen|Berthold V]] (1160–1218), son, Duke of Zähringen from 1186, rector of Burgundy

Other notable Zähringer:
*[[Gebhard (III) of Constance|Gebhard of Zähringen]] (d. 1110), son of Berthold I, became [[Prince-Bishopric of Constance|Bishop of Constance]]
*[[Clementia of Zähringen]] (d. 1175), daughter of Conrad I, married [[Henry the Lion]], Duke of [[Duchy of Saxony|Saxony]] in 1147
*[[Rudolf of Zähringen]] (d. 1191), son of Conrad I, became [[Elector of Mainz|Archbishop of Mainz]] and [[List of bishops and prince-bishops of Liège|Bishop of Liège]]

=== House of Baden ===
{{see also|List of monarchs of Baden}}
The [[March of Verona|Veronese]] margravial title was used by [[Herman I, Margrave of Baden|Herman I of Baden]], the eldest son of [[Berthold I of Zähringen]]. Herman's son, [[Herman II, Margrave of Baden|Herman II]], was the first to use the title of [[Margraviate of Baden|Margrave of Baden]] in 1112.

Now more commonly known as the House of Baden, Herman's descendants ruled successively as [[margrave]]s until the [[German mediatization|Final Recess]] of 1803, as [[Prince-elector|electors]] of the [[Electorate of Baden]] until 1806, then as [[Grand Duchy of Baden|Grand Dukes of Baden]] until the end of the German monarchy in 1918. For the Heads of the House of Baden until 1918, see the [[list of monarchs of Baden]].

'''Heads of the House of Baden since 1918'''
{{Tree list}}
* ''[[Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden]]''
** ''[[Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden]]''
*** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden|Frederick II]]''', Grand Duke 1907–1928 (1857–1928)
** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''[[Prince William of Baden (1829–1897)|Prince William of Baden]]''
*** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Prince Maximilian of Baden|Maximilian]]''', Prince and Margrave, 1928–1929 (1867–1929)
**** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Berthold, Margrave of Baden|Berthold]]''', 1929–1963 (1906–1963)
***** '''[[Maximilian, Margrave of Baden|Maximilian]]''', 1963–2022 (1933–2022)
****** '''[[Bernhard, Margrave of Baden|Bernhard]]''', 2022–present (born 1970)
******* '''(1)''' Leopold (born 2002)
******* '''(2)''' Friedrich (born 2004)
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(3)''' Karl-Wilhelm (born 2006)
****** '''(4)''' Leopold (born 1971)
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(5)''' Michael (born 1976)
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(6)''' Ludwig (born 1937)
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(7)''' Berthold (born 1976)
{{Tree list/end}}

=== Dukes of Teck ===
{{main|Duke of Teck}}
[[File:Adlersiegel Herzog Adalbert von Teck (um 1190).jpg|thumb|upright|Seal of [[Adalbert I, Duke of Teck]] (c. 1190).]]
[[Adalbert I, Duke of Teck|Adalbert I]] (d. 1196) was a son of Duke Conrad I of Zähringen. Upon the death of his brother Berthold IV in 1186, he inherited the family estates around [[Burg Teck|Teck Castle]] and, from 1187, adopted the title of Duke of Teck. His descendant [[Conrad II of Teck]] (1235–1292) allegedly was designated [[King of the Romans]] shortly before his assassination. The line became extinct in 1439 with the death of [[Louis of Teck]], [[List of bishops and patriarchs of Aquileia|Patriarch of Aquileia]].

In 1871, a [[Herzog|ducal title]] with the same name was granted by King [[Charles I of Württemberg]] to [[Francis, Duke of Teck|Prince Francis of Teck]] (1837–1900), a [[Morganatic marriage|morganatic]] son of [[Duke Alexander of Württemberg (1804–1885)|Duke Alexander of Württemberg]]. Francis' daughter [[Mary of Teck]] (1867–1953), as the wife of King [[George V]], became Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India.

Francis's surviving children ceased using their German titles during [[World War I]] and (aside from Queen Mary) took the name Cambridge, with his eldest son ([[Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge|Adolphus]]) being made [[Marquess of Cambridge]] and his youngest son ([[Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone|Alexander]]) being made [[Earl of Athlone]]. This branch of the family died out in the male line in 1981 and in its entirety in 1994 with the death of Francis's granddaughter, [[Lady May Abel Smith|Lady Mary Abel Smith]].

==See also==
*[[Bertoldsbrunnen]]
*[[Order of the Zähringer Lion]]
*[[Zähringerbrunnen]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Zähringen (family)}}
*{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Zähringen}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|House of Zähringen}}
*[https://www.alemannische-seiten.de/bilder/zaehringer-burg/ Zähringen Castle] – original castle of the Zähringer

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