Princely Brothers and Sisters

R. Lyon Jonathan

Description

In Princely Brothers and Sisters, Jonathan R. Lyon takes a fresh look at sibling networks and the role they played in shaping the practice of politics in the Middle Ages. Focusing on nine of the most prominent aristocratic families in the German kingdom during the Staufen period (1138-1250), Lyon finds that noblemen-and to a lesser extent, noblewomen-relied on the cooperation and support of their siblings as they sought to maintain or expand their power and influence within a competitive political environment. Consequently, sibling relationships proved crucial at key moments in shaping the political and territorial interests of many lords of the kingdom. Family historians have largely overlooked brothers and sisters in the political life of medieval societies. As Lyon points out, however, siblings are the contemporaries whose lives normally overlap the longest. More so than parents and children, husbands and wives, or lords and vassals, brothers and sisters have the potential to develop relationships that span entire lifetimes. The longevity of some sibling bonds therefore created opportunities for noble brothers and sisters to collaborate in especially potent ways. As Lyon shows, cohesive networks of brothers and sisters proved remarkably effective at counterbalancing the authority of the Staufen kings and emperors. Well written and impeccably researched, Princely Brothers and Sisters is an important book not only for medieval German historians but also for the field of family history.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Middle Ages

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 janvier 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801467851
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

 PRINCELY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

PRINCELY BROTHERS AND SISTERS n BL I NG SI T HE BOND I N GE RMAN POL I T I CS, 1100–1250

J o n at h a n R . Ly o n

CORNELLUNIVERSITYPRESS Ithaca and London

Copyright©2013byCornellUniversity

Allrightsreserved.Exceptforbriefquotationsinareview, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

Firstpublished2013byCornellUniversityPress

PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lyon, Jonathan Reed.  Princely brothers and sisters : the sibling bond in German politics, 1100–1250 / Jonathan R. Lyon.  p. cm.  Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 978-0-8014-5130-0 (alk. paper)  1. Brothers and sisters—Germany—History—To 1500. 2. Nobility—Germany—History—To 1500. 3. Germany—Politics and government—843–1273. I. Title.  HQ759.96.L96 2013  306.875'3094309021—dc23 2012028364

CornellUniversityPressstrivestouseenvironmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.

Clothprinting

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

In memoriam sororis meae

  Co nt e nt s

List of Illustrations ix List of Abbreviations xi Acknowledgmentsxiii Mapsxv

Introduction 1 1. The Origins of Twelfth-Century Princely Lineages 16 the Bonds between Siblings:2. Forging Succession, Inheritance, and Church Careers 33 3. Baby Boomers: The First Generation of the Staufen Upper Aristocracy 60 Barbarossa and Henry the Lion:4. Frederick Cousins in an Age of Brothers 89 RiseConflict, and the 5. Cooperation, of a New Generation, ca. 1180–1210 120 Bamberg to Budapest: Four6. From Brothers and Four Sisters in the Early Thirteenth Century 150 Uncertain Future of Lineages: Siblings7. The during the Reign of Frederick II 196 Conclusion 232

Appendix: Genealogical Charts The Andechs lineage 240 The Ascanian lineage 241

viii CONTENTS

The Babenberg lineage 242 The Ludowing lineage 243 The Staufen lineage 244 The Welf lineage 245 The Wettin lineage (part 1) 246 The Wettin lineage (part 2) 247 The Wittelsbach lineage 248 The Zähringen lineage 249

Works Cited 251 Index 283

  I l lu s t r at i o n s

of the German kingdom and the empire1. Map 2. Map of Saxony and its environs 3. Map of the south of the German kingdom and the empire 4. The family of Duke Berthold III of Merania and his wife, Agnes ca. 1195–1250of significance for the Andechs lineage, 5. Places 6. Queen Gertrude of Hungary in the Bamberg necrology extended kin network of the Andechs brothers7. The Counts Otto II and Dietrich I of Brehnaseal of 8. Joint Judith of Meissen and9. Seals of Margravine Landgrave Ludwig IV of Thuringia 10. Equestrian seals of Henry IV Raspe and Conrad of Thuringia 11. Second seal used by Conrad of Thuringia in 1233–1234

xv xvi xvii

151 153 169 182 201

209 216 217

ix