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County of Isenburg

Historical county of Germany From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

County of Isenburg
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The County of Isenburg was a region of Germany located in southern present-day Hesse, located in territories north and south of Frankfurt. The states of Isenburg emerged from the Niederlahngau (located in the Rhineland-Palatinate), which partitioned in 1137 into Isenburg-Isenburg and Isenburg-Limburg-Covern. These countships were partitioned between themselves many times over the next 700 years.

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Isenburg (pink, right) and Lower Isenburg (pink, left) around 1400
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House of Isenburg

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Ruins of the Castle at Isenburg (Lower Isenburg)

The House of Isenburg was an old aristocratic family of medieval Germany, named after the castle of Isenburg in Rhineland-Palatinate. Occasionally referred to as the House of Rommersdorf before the 12th century, the house originated in the Hessian comitatus of the Niederlahngau in the 10th century. It partitioned into the lines of Isenburg-Isenburg and Isenburg-Limburg-Covern in 1137, before partitioning again into smaller units, but by 1500 only the lines of Isenburg-Büdingen (in Upper Isenburg) and Lower Isenburg remained. In 1664 the Lower Isenburg branch died out. The Büdingen line continued to partition, and by the beginning of the 19th century the lines of Isenburg-Büdingen, Isenburg-Birstein, Isenburg-Meerholz and Isenburg-Wächtersbach existed.

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"Family tree" of the Isenburg countships

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Büdingen Castle
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Castle Ronneburg, Hesse
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Birstein Castle
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Wächtersbach Castle
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Meerholz Castle at Gelnhausen
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Philippseich Castle at Dreieich

Isenburg, the original countship was divided upon the death of Count Rembold II in 1137 into:

  • Isenburg (or Isenburg-Isenburg), 1137–1199, eventually dividing c. 1210 into:
    • Isenburg-Braunsberg, 1210–1388, when it was renamed Isenburg-Wied. Isenburg-Wied, in turn, existed from 1388 to 1454, when it passed by marriage to the Lords of Runkel and was superseded by the Countship of Wied in 1462.
    • Nieder-Isenburg (Lower Isenburg), 1218–1502 when it was divided into:
      • Isenburg-Grenzau, 1502–1664. After the death of Count Ernest in 1664 without direct heirs, his territories were claimed back as feudal tenures by the Archbishoprics of Cologne and Trier, and the Abbey-principality of Fulda. The core territories including Isenburg were passed on by Fulda to the Counts of Walderdorff. They had to share them according to a later agreement with the Counts of Wied, by then a cadet branch of the Isenburgs.
      • Isenburg-Neumagen, 1502–1554, when it passed by marriage to the Counts of Sayn-Homburg.
  • Isenburg-Kempenich, 1137–1424, when it passed to the Lords of Schöneck. In 1434, it passed to the Archbishop of Trier, who sold the territory to the Counts of Virneburg.
  • Isenburg-Limburg-Covern, 1137–1158, when it was divided into:
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Principality of Isenburg

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Coat of Arms of the Principality of Isenburg

It was not until 1806 that there was a state called simply "Isenburg". When the Holy Roman Empire was defeated by Napoleon of France in that year, the empire was abolished and the Confederation of the Rhine was established amongst the various German states. As an incentive to join the Confederation, it was stated that any state which joined could mediatise their neighbours. Prince Charles of Isenburg-Birstein joined the Confederation and was granted the mediatized Isenburgian Countships of Isenburg-Büdingen, Isenburg-Meerholz, Isenburg-Philippseich, and Isenburg-Wächtersbach. His Principality was renamed to Isenburg.

The Principality continued under the rule of Prince Charles through the Napoleonic era, but was mediatised by Austria in December 1813, at the insistence of King Frederick William III of Prussia, who was angered that Isenburg had raised a regiment for French service by recruiting Prussian deserters and vagabonds.[1] Isenburg was one of only three original member princes of the Empire to be mediatized at the end of the Napoleonic era (the others being Leyen and prince-primate Dalberg, Grand Duke of Frankfurt). This decision was confirmed at the Congress of Vienna. The lands of the principality were divided between the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt and the Electorate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel).

Rulers

House of Isenburg

Partitions of Isenburg under House of Isenburg rule

County of Isenburg
(1041-1199)
      
County of
Kempenich

(1st creation)
(1137-1153)
County of Kobern
(1137-1306)
female-branch of Isenburg-Vianden from 1275
      
                    
County of
Braunsberg

(1199-1388)
Renamed as:
County of
Wied

(1388-1462)
      
County of
Kempenich

(2nd creation)
(1199-1430)
County of
Lower Isenburg

(1218-1502)
      
County of
Limburg

(1227-1406)
      
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County of Cleeberg
(1167-1340)
County of
Grenzau

(1st creation)
(1278-1292)
County of
Arenfels

(1278-1403)
      
      
County of
Grenzau

(2nd creation)
(1340-1439)
County of Büdingen
(1st creation)
(1340-1511)
Part of the
County of
Braunsberg

(1371-1388)
Renamed as:
County of
Wied

(1388-1462)
To
Archbishopric
of Trier
To Lords of
Schöneck
(1424-1434),
Archbishopric
of Trier

(1434)
and Counts of
Virneburg
(from 1434)
To Nassau-Beilstein
(1439-1446)
and Archbishopric
of Trier

(1446-1460)
      
To County of Wied To County of Wied
County of
Neumagen

(1502-1563)
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County of
Grenzau

(3rd creation)
(1502-1664)
County of Ronneburg
(1511-1601)
County of Birstein
(1st creation)
(1511-1664)
To County of Sayn-Homburg
      
County of Büdingen
(2nd creation)
(1628-1806)
(mediatized to Isenburg-Birstein in 1806)
             
To Archbishopric of Trier, Archbishopric of Cologne and Abbots of Fulda       
County of Marienborn
(1673-1725)
      
County of Meerholz
(1673-1806)
(mediatized to Isenburg-Birstein in 1806)
              County of Offenbach
(1628-1718)
County of Wachtersbach
(1673-1806)
(mediatized to Isenburg-Birstein in 1806)
              County of Philippseich
(1711-1806)
(mediatized to Isenburg-Birstein in 1806)
County of Birstein
(2nd creation)
(1685-1744)
Raised to
Principality of Birstein
(1744-1806)
Principality of Isenburg
(Isenburg-Birstein line)
(1806-1815)
(mediatized to Austria in 1815
and Hesse in 1816)

Table of rulers

More information Ruler, Born ...
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References

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