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History

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Founding legend

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According to legend, the castle was founded by a knight called Eppo (Also known as Ebbo), who freed the beautiful damsel Bertha von Bremthal (Bremthal now being a city district of Eppstein) from a giant.[a] The rib of the supposed giant was on display in the castle till 1854, when it was moved to the Nassau Antiquities Collection. There, it has been identified as a bone of a Whale dated to the 5th or 6th Century.[b] It is part of the Stadtmuseum am Markt in Wiesbaden, Hesse.

Early history

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Archaeological Excavations have dated the castle to at least 1100, with the earliest mention of the castle coming in 1122.[c] Though, due to the Architectural style of the castle, it's assumed that large parts of it were built much later in 1300.[d] The first known owner of the castle was Count Udalrich von Etechenstein,[e] (Etechenstein being the first mention of Idstein[f]) It remains unknown who or why the castle was built, one theory is that it was located on the western border of Königssondergau and Niddagau, and was strategically placed on the hills near the border,[g] where 3 Valleys (the Eppstein Fischbach and Kriftel) meet.[h] Though it's more likely that it was part of Königssondergau, as it's first owner, Udalrich von Etechenstein, possibly owned lands in Wiesbaden as well, which was part of the Königssondergau.[i] In 1124, Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, gifted the castle to the Archbishop of Mainz (Adalbert of Mainz), who were the rulers of the Electorate of Mainz. The Kaiser didn't likely own the castle, but gave it away as a Fief to Udalrich, who gifted it to the Electorate since he was childless, (i.e. without an heir)[j] this would've meant his fiefdom would be inherited by his feudal lord, the emperor, in accordance with medieval law.[k] He likely didn't want this, and thus gifted it to the Electorate.

Late Middle Ages

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Castle Eppstein in 1646 (attribution: Matthäus Merian, CC-BY 3.0)

The Castle belonged to the Lords of Eppstein till 1522.[l]

Lords of Eppstein

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The Lords of Eppstein were one of the most prominent Medieval Dynasties in their region. Serving many prestigious roles in their local region, and its feudal system.[m] Producing 4 Archbishops of Mainz, and 1 Patriarch of Jerusalem. (Siegfried II, Siegfried III, Werner von Eppstein, Gerhard II von Eppstein) [n]

Origins and Early History

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Coat of Arms from 1450-1580

The Lords of Eppstein first appeared as the Lords of Hainhausen in 1108,[o] in the modern day Kreis Offenbach. They originate from Hainhausen (Part of Rodgau),[p] it is also believed, that the Lords of Hainhausens ancestors can be traced back to the Maingaugrafen[q] (Counts of Maingau, Gau is an Old German word for province or region.) of Charlemagne's times.[r] They were first mentioned in 1130, though they first called themselves the Lords of Eppstein in 1189, after the castle was given to them as a fiefdom by the Electorate of Mainz,[s] after their migration from Hainhausen to Eppstein between 1183-1190.[t] The first member of the family named von Eppstein was Gerhard von Eppstein in 1183 (Though he was born as Gerhard III von Hainhausen.[u]),[v] and the first member of the family, to own the castle was Gottfried von Eppstein.[w]

An early possible members/relatives of the family included Siegfried I (Archbishop of Mainz), who, while being born into the Reginboden dynasty,[x] still might've been related to the Hainhausens.[y] This goes to prove, that the family had powerful relatives and members from its very beginning, as the Electorate of Mainz was one of the 7 Electors in the Holy Roman Empire, and one of the 3 Ecclesiastical Electors, who elected the emperor, it also had various other prestigious a ceremonial titles/roles.[z]

Division and Late Medieval Period

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The House was divided into cadet branches as early as 1200. The last surviving branch, the Eppstein-Königstein branch, survived till 1581.

Siegfried III of Eppstein (Archbishop of Mainz) was made the regent of Germany from 1237-1241, when Emperor Frederick II left Germany.[aa]

In 1355, Count Gottfried VII von Eppstein received the right to mint his own coins from Emperor Charles IV.[ab]

In 1492, Gottfried X von Eppstein sold 1/2 of the Lordship of Eppstein (and with that half of the castle as well) to William II, Landgrave of Hesse.[ac], when Gottfried died childless in 1522, the line of Epstein-Münzenberg became extinct, and his possessions passing on to his cousin Count Eberhard IV von Eppstein-Königstein.[ad] In 1535, Count Eberhard IV also died childless, he left his County and Castle of Königstein to Louis von Stolberg-, who was his nephew, and related to him through the marriage of Anna of Eppstein-Königstein (Eberhards sister) and Bodo III, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode.[ae] After Louis' death, his youngest brother Christoph zu Stolberg inherited his estate, but after he also died childless in 1581, the Electorate of Mainz annexed the County of Königstein and his estate in the Castle of Eppstein.[af] Though this was heavily contested by other branches of the Stolberg dynasty, who tried all legal ways to win it back,[ag] Mainz still retained control over the county and castle, as they'd already disputed it when Louis inherited it.[ah]

The Hessian part of the castle passed to Hesse-Darmstadt in 1624. And the status quo remained until the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1803, alongside the Electorate of Mainz, creating the Duchy of Nassau which gained control over the entire of castle,[ai] selling it for demolition.[aj]

Territories

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  • County of Diez (1/2 from 1388-1453, 1/4 from 1453-~1557 when sold to Electorate of Trier.[ak])
  • Lordship of Eppstein (from first appearance till 1522)

Genealogy

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Additional Media

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Castle Eppstein layout
 
Territories controlled by the Lords of Eppstein in 1607

References

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Spence 1915, pp. 242-244, 1845, p. 225, 1841, pp. 73-74, Kofler 1867, p. 21, 177, Burkhard 1905, p. 57
  2. ↑ Picard 2010, p. 50-52, Murray III 1843, p. 498
  3. ↑ Sante 1976, p. 108, Dehio 1950, p. 56, Von Herrman 1882, p. 5
  4. ↑ Burkhard 1905, p. 57
  5. ↑ Von Herrman 1882, p. 5, Sante 1976, p. 108
  6. ↑ Stimming 1972, pp. 536-537
  7. ↑ Wagner 1927, p. 134, Sante 1976, p. 108
  8. ↑ Burkhard 1905, p. 57
  9. ↑ Sante 1976, pp. 108-109
  10. ↑ Wagner 1927, pp. 135-6
  11. ↑ Sheehan 1997, p. 259
  12. ↑ S. Lucas 1861, p. 471
  13. ↑ Götze 1874, p. 282, 288, 295-296, 1871, p. 36, 57, 206
  14. ↑ 1871, p. 36
  15. ↑ Kroemer & Weber 2014, p. 46
  16. ↑ Sante 1976, pp. 108-109
  17. ↑ Schäfer 2000, p. 18, Kruppa 2002, p. 43
  18. ↑ Theuws, de Jong & Van Rhijn 2001, p. 401
  19. ↑ Schäfer 2007, p. 21, Wagner 1927, p. 136
  20. ↑ Sante 1976, pp. 108-109, Dehio 1950, p. 56, Wagner 1926, p. 136
  21. ↑ Kroemer & Weber 2014, p. 46
  22. ↑ Wagner 1927, p. 138
  23. ↑ 1871, p. 206
  24. ↑ Heidingsfelder 1915, p. 82
  25. ↑ Lindner 1892, pp. 258-259
  26. ↑ Begert 2010, p. 21
  27. ↑ McKitterick & Abulafia 1995, p. 390
  28. ↑ Böhmer & Huber 1968, Nr. 2090
  29. ↑ 1871, p. 206
  30. ↑ Helbing 1932, p. 85
  31. ↑ Brückner 2013, pp. 405-407, Weidenbach 1870, p. 260
  32. ↑ Helbing 1932, p. 85
  33. ↑ 1871, p. 206
  34. ↑ Fd. Jacobs 1893, p. 340
  35. ↑ 1871, p. 206, Helbing 1932, p. 85
  36. ↑ Burkhard 1905, p. 60
  37. ↑ Weidenbach 1870, p. 276
  38. ↑ Weidenbach 1870, p. 283

Bibliography

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Secondary sources

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Primary sources

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