County of Gorizia
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(Princely) County of Gorizia | |||||||||
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c. 1117–1500 | |||||||||
![]() County of Gorizia (red) at the time of the Hohenstaufen Emperors (circa 1250); the highlighted area roughly corresponds with the later Austrian Circle, which is provided for context only. | |||||||||
![]() Map of the Habsburg hereditary lands around 1526. The County of Gorizia in yellow. | |||||||||
Status | Stateof theHoly Roman Empire | ||||||||
Capital | |||||||||
Official languages | Latin | ||||||||
Common languages | |||||||||
Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||
Government | County | ||||||||
Count | |||||||||
• 1122–1142 | Meinhard I | ||||||||
• 1454–1500 | Leonhard | ||||||||
Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
•Meinhard,Count of Gorizia | c. 1117 | ||||||||
•Meinhard IIIinheritedTyrol | 1253 | ||||||||
• Raised toprincipality | 1365 | ||||||||
• Bequeathed toHouse of Habsburg | 1500 | ||||||||
• JoinedAustrian Circle | 1512 | ||||||||
• Reunited withGradisca | 1500 | ||||||||
Currency | Gorizian Denar | ||||||||
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TheCounty of Gorizia(Italian:Contea di Gorizia,German:Grafschaft Görz,Slovene:Goriška grofija,Friulian:Contee di Gurize), from 1365PrincelyCounty of Gorizia, was aStateof theHoly Roman Empire.Originally mediateVogtsof thePatriarchs of Aquileia,theCounts of Gorizia(Meinhardiner) ruled over severalfiefsin the area ofLienzand in theFriuliregion of northeasternItalywith their residence atGorizia(Görz).
In 1253 the Counts of Gorizia inherited theCounty of Tyrol,from 1271 onwards ruled by the Gorizia-Tyrol branch which became extinct in the male line in 1335. The younger line ruled the comital lands of Gorizia and Lienz until its extinction in 1500, whereafter the estates were finally acquired by the AustrianHouse of Habsburg.
History
[edit]Gorizia (House of Meinhardin)
[edit]CountMeinhard I,a descendant of theMeinhardinernoble family with possessions aroundLienzin theDuchy of Bavaria,is mentioned as a count as early as 1117.[1]As avogtofficial of thePatriarchs of Aquileia,he was enfeoffed with large estates in the formerMarch of Friuli,including the town ofGorizia.
The borders of the county changed frequently in the following four centuries, due to frequent wars with Aquileia and other counties, but also to the subdivision of the territory in two main nuclei: one around the Bavarian ancestral seat ofLienzon the upperDravaRiver up toInnichenin thePuster Valley,the other centered on Gorizia inFriuliitself.
Gorizia-Tyrol (House of Meinhardin)
[edit]Meinhard's descendant CountMeinhard III of Gorizia,a follower of theHohenstaufenemperorFrederick II,upon the extinction of the ducalHouse of Babenbergwas appointed administrator ofStyriain 1248. He campaigned the adjacentDuchy of Carinthiabut was defeated by the troops of DukeBernhard von Spanheimand his son Archbishop Philip ofSalzburgatGreifenburgin 1252. Nevertheless, the county reached the apex of its power, when Meinhard III inheritedCounty of Tyrol(as Meinhard I) from his father-in-law CountAlbert IVone year later.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Gorizia_castello.jpg/220px-Gorizia_castello.jpg)
After Count Meinhard III had died in 1258, his sons at first ruled jointly until in 1271 they divided their heritage: While the elderMeinhard IVtook the comital Tyrolean lands west of thePuster Valley,his brotherAlbertretained the Meinhardiner ancestral lands around Lienz and Gorizia. After his death, the County of Gorizia was again partitioned among his sons into the "inner county" at Gorizia, ruled byHenry III,and the "outer county" around Lienz undAlbert II.When Count Henry III was assassinated in 1323, the Gorizia lands were shattered into four countries. The Counts of Gorizia temporarily controlled the ItalianMarch of Treviso(Marca Trevigiana) and the remains of theIstrian marcharoundPazin(Mitterburg), which CountAlbert III of Görzbequeathed to theHouse of Habsburgin 1365.
In 1365 CountMeinhard VI of Görzwas granted theprincelytitle by theLuxembourgemperorCharles IV,the county was thereon calledGefürstete Grafschaft Görz.TheMeinhardinernevertheless suffered a steep decline under their powerful neighbours, theAustrianlands of the Habsburg dynasty and theRepublic of Venice.
Gorizia (House of Meinhardin)
[edit]After the Habsburgs had acquired the Carinthian duchy with theMarch of Carniolain 1335 and the County of Tyrol in 1363, the remaining Gorizia lands of Lienz were a thorn in their side, separating the dynasty's "hereditary lands". Venice had conquered the former Patriarchate territories in Friuli, which were incorporated into theDomini di Terrafermaby 1434. TheCouncil of Tenstrived for the adjacent "inner county" lands around Gorizia up to the VenetianStato da Màrterritories inIstria.Due to the pressure, the Gorizia counts took their residence atBruck Castlein Lienz.
In 1429 the county was reunited under the single rule of CountHenry VI.His son, the last countLeonhard,died in 1500 and despite claims raised by Venice, according to a contract of inheritance and the active support of the Gorizia governorVirgil von Graben[2]the county fell to the Habsburg emperorMaximilian I.
Habsburg
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Oostr1477.png/220px-Oostr1477.png)
While the Lienz area was administered with the Tyroleancrown land,the "inner county" of Gorizia remained anImperial Stateof theHoly Roman Empireruled by theInner AustrianArchdukes as part of theAustrian Circle,governed by acapitano.Its territory included theIsonzo Valleydown toAquileia,the area ofCormonsandDuino,and the former Venetian fortress ofGradisca,which was conquered by Imperial troops in 1511.Monfalconeformed aVenetianexclave in the county from 1420 to 1797. In 1647 EmperorFerdinand IIIseparated the "Principality of Gradisca" from Gorizia for his courtier Johann Anton vonEggenberg,until in 1747 both were again merged to form the Princely County ofGorizia and Gradisca,a crown land of theHabsburg monarchy.
Counts
[edit]Houses of Eppenstein and Siegharding
[edit]- Marquard(E) (fl.1060/1074),Vogtof Aquileia
- Meginhard (S) (died about 1090), from the House of Siegharding, Count in thePuster Valley
- Henry I(E) (died after 1102), Vogt of Aquileia from 1082
- Ulrich(E) (died 1122), brother
House of Gorizia
[edit]Ruler | Born | Reign | Death | Ruling part | Consort | Notes | |
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Engelbert I | ? | 1090-1122 | 1122 | County of Gorizia | Unknown | AlsoCount Palatine of Bavaria. | |
Meinhard I | ? | 1122-1142 | 1142 | County of Gorizia | Hildegard no children Elisabeth of Schwarzenberg Four children |
Brother of the predecessor. | |
Henry II | ? | 1142-1150 | 1150 | County of Gorizia | Unknown | Left no children. The county goes to his younger brother. | |
Engelbert II | ? | 1150-1191 | 1 April 1191 | County of Gorizia | Adelaide of Scheyern-Dachau-Valley three children |
Brother of the predecessor. Also titularMargrave of Istriafrom 1188 | |
Engelbert III | ? | 1191-1220 | 1220 | County of Gorizia | Matilda of Pisino 1183 no children Matilda of Andechs 1190 one child |
Left a child who later succeeded his brother Meinhard II. | |
Meinhard IIthe Elder | 1160 | 1220-1231 | 1231 | County of Gorizia | Kunigunde of Peilstein no children Adelaide no children A daughter ofHenry I, Count of Tyrol no children |
Brother of the predecessor. AlsoVogtof thePatriarchate of Aquileia.Left no children and was succeeded by his nephew | |
Meinhard III & I | ![]() |
1200 | 1231-1253 | 22 July 1258 | County of Gorizia | Adelaide of Tyrol c.1237 four children |
Son of Engelbert III, inherited Gorizia from his uncle. Through his marriage he also inherited the County of Tyrol. |
1253-1258 | Gorizia andTyrol | ||||||
Albert I | ![]() |
1240 | 1258-1271 | 1 April 1304 | Gorizia andTyrol | Euphemia of Glogow three children Euphemia of Ortenburg no children |
Co-ruled with his brother Meinhard until 1271, when they divided their lands and he kept Gorizia. |
1271-1304 | County of Gorizia | ||||||
Meinhard IV & II | ![]() |
1238 | 1258-1271 | 1 November 1295 | Gorizia andTyrol | Elisabeth of Bavaria 6 October 1259 Munich six children |
Co-ruled with his brother Albert until 1271. He kept Tyrol, and in 1286 was enfeoffed with the Duchy of Carinthia and the adjacent March of Carniola. |
1271-1286 1286-1295 |
Tyrol Tyrol,CarinthiaandCarniola | ||||||
Albert II | ? | 1271-1286 1286-1292 |
24 April 1292 | Tyrol Tyrol,CarinthiaandCarniola |
Agnes of Hohenberg-Rotenburg 1281 one child |
Eldest son and co-ruler of Meinhard IV/II. | |
Henry I & VI[Note 1] | ![]() |
1265 | 1295-1335 | 2 April 1335 | Tyrol,CarinthiaandCarniola | Anna of Bohemia 1306 no children Adelaide of Brunswick-Lüneburg 1313 two children Beatrice of Savoy 1327 no children |
Sons of Meinhard IV/II, ruled jointly. In 1307, Henry was electedKing of Bohemia,but was deposed in 1310. |
Otto I & III[Note 2] | ![]() |
1265 | 1295-1335 | 25 May 1310 | Tyrol,CarinthiaandCarniola | Euphemia of Legnica 1297 four children | |
Louis | ![]() |
1265 | 1295-1305 | 1305 | Tyrol,CarinthiaandCarniola | Unmarried | |
Henry III | 1266 | 1304-1323 | 24 April 1323 | County of Gorizia | Beatrice da Camino 1297 one child Beatrice of Lower Bavaria 1322 one child |
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Meinhard V | c.1300 | c.1314-1320? | c.1320 | County of Gorizia | Unmarried | Probably co-ruled with his father | |
Albert II | ? | 1323-1325 | 1327 | County of Gorizia | Elisabeth of Hesse 1299 at least one child Euphemia of Mätsch at least two children five more children, by Elisabeth or Euphemia |
Despite being a regent, he is counted as a rightful ruler. Co-ruled as regent for John Henry IV. | |
(John) Henry IV | ![]() |
1322 | 1323/25-1338 | 17 March 1338 | County of Gorizia | Anna of Austria c.1335 no children |
Son of Henry III. Died childless, and was succeeded by his cousins, sons of his uncle Albert II. |
Margaret | ![]() |
1318 | 1335-1363 | 3 October 1369 | Tyrol,CarinthiaandCarniola | John Henry of Luxembourg no children Louis V, Duke of Bavaria two children |
In 1363, she abdicated from her domains, which were absorbed by theHabsburgs. |
Meinhard VI | ? | 1338-1365 1365-1385 |
c.May 1385 | County of Gorizia Princely County of Gorizia |
Catherine of Pfannberg at least one child Utehild of Mätsch at least two children three more children, by Catherine or Utehild |
Sons of Albert II, ruled jointly. At his death, Albert bequested his vast Istrian and Carniolan possessions to the Habsburg dukeRudolf IV of Austria.The remaining lands were kept by Meinhard VI, ascended as a Prince byCharles IV, Holy Roman Emperor | |
Albert III | Before 1308 | 1338-1365 1365-1374 |
1374 | County of Gorizia Princely County of Gorizia |
Helen no children Catherine of Celje 1353 no children | ||
Henry V | ? | 1338-1362 | 1362 | County of Gorizia | Gigliola da Carrara no children | ||
Henry VI | ![]() |
22 June 1376 | 1385-1454 | 18 March 1454 | Princely County of Gorizia | Elisabeth of Celje 31 January 1400 two children Katalin Garai three children |
Sons of Meinhard VI, ruled jointly. |
(John) Meinhard VII | 1378 | 1385-1430 | 22 May 1430 | Princely County of Gorizia | Magdalena of Bavaria-Landshut (1388-1410) 1404 no children Agnes of Pettau-Wurmberg 1422 no children | ||
John II | 1438 | 1454-1462 | 22 May 1462 | Princely County of Gorizia | Unmarried | Sons of Henry VI, ruled jointly. | |
Leonard | ![]() |
1440 | 1454-1500 | 12 April 1500 | Princely County of Gorizia | Hieronyma of Ilok no children Paola Gonzaga 1478 no children |
Line extinct, county inherited by theHabsburgkingMaximilian I,Archduke of Austria.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Štih, Peter (1994).Goriški grofje ter njihovi ministeriali in militi v Istri in na Kranjskem[The Counts of Gorizia and Their Ministerials and Milites] (in Slovenian). Znanstveni inštitut Filozofske fakultete Ljubljana [Institute of Science, Faculty of Arts, Ljubljana]. p. 11.ISBN86-7207-052-6.
- ^Erich Zöllner:Geschichte Österreichs: von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart.p 159
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- County of Gorizia
- Counties of the Holy Roman Empire
- 1120s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
- 1127 establishments in Europe
- 1747 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire
- States and territories established in 1127
- Historical geography of Italy
- Geography of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
- Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy
- House of Gorizia
- History of Friuli-Venezia Giulia