House of Hohenstaufen: Map & History
The Hohenstaufen dynasty, also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of German origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254.
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The Hohenstaufen dynasty, also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of German origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty's most prominent rulers – Frederick I (1155), Henry VI (1191) and Frederick II (1220) – ascended the imperial throne and also reigned over Italy and Burgundy. The non-contemporary name of "Hohenstaufen" is derived from the family's Hohenstaufen Castle on Hohenstaufen mountain at the northern fringes of the Swabian Jura, near the town of Göppingen. Under Hohenstaufen rule, the Holy Roman Empire reached its greatest territorial extent from 1155 to 1268.
Modern Countries Once Part of House of Hohenstaufen
At its mapped extent, House of Hohenstaufen covered territory in 4 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Liechtenstein1260–1271 CE · nearly all
- Switzerland1260–1271 CE · a large part
- Germany1260–1271 CE · a small part
- France1260–1271 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside House of Hohenstaufen's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
House of Hohenstaufen in Depth
Origins
The origin remains unclear, however, Staufer counts are mentioned in a document of emperor Otto III in 987 as descendants of counts of the region of Riesgau near Nördlingen in the Duchy of Swabia, who were related to the Bavarian Sieghardinger family. A local count Frederick (d. about 1075) is mentioned as progenitor in a pedigree drawn up by Abbot Wibald of Stavelot at the behest of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1153. He held the office of a Swabian count palatine; his son Frederick of Büren (c. 1020–1053) married Hildegard of Egisheim (d. 1094–1095), a niece of Pope Leo IX. Their son Frederick I was appointed Duke of Swabia at Hohenstaufen Castle by the Salian king Henry IV of Germany in 1079.
Legacy
The Kyffhäuser Monument was erected to commemorate Frederick I and was inaugurated in 1896. The Hohenstaufen arms were adopted by the German state of Baden-Württemberg in 1954. On 29 October 1968, the 700th anniversary of the death of Konradin, a society known as "Society for Staufer History" (de) was founded in Göppingen.
The Castel del Monte, Apulia, which was built during the 1240s by the Emperor Frederick II, was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1996.
The German artist, Hans Kloss, painted his Staufer-Rundbild depicting, in great detail, the history of the House of Hohenstaufen, in Lorch Monastery.
From 2000 to 2018, the Committee of Staufer Friends (de) has built thirty-eight Staufer steles (de) in Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Hohenstaufen (CC BY-SA 4.0).
House of Hohenstaufen: Key Facts
| Founded | 1079 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 31 October 1318 |
Facts from Wikidata Q130875 (CC0).
House of Hohenstaufen Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 50,823 km² in 1266 CE.
House of Hohenstaufen: Frequently Asked Questions
When did House of Hohenstaufen exist?
House of Hohenstaufen is dated to 1260 CE – 1271 CE, in the High & Late Middle Ages era.
How large was House of Hohenstaufen at its peak?
At its peak in 1266 AD House of Hohenstaufen covered about 50,823 km².
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