Rupert IV, Count of Nassau

Rupert IV of Nassau, German: Ruprecht IV. von Nassau (died after 1 January 1239),[1] was Count of Nassau. He later became a Knight of the Teutonic Order.

Rupert IV, Count of Nassau
Born?
Diedafter 1 January 1239
Noble familyHouse of Nassau
Spouse(s)Gertrud
FatherWalram I, Count of Nassau
MotherKunigunde

Life
Coat of Arms of the Counts of Nassau
Sonnenberg Castle

Rupert IV was the second son of Count Walram I of Nassau[1][2][3] and a certain Kunigunde, possibly a daughter of a count of Sponheim or a daughter of Poppo II, Count of Ziegenhain.[1]

Rupert is mentioned for the first time in a charter dated 20 March 1198, together with his mother and his brother Henry II.[1] This mention means that he and his brother were of age at that time, that is to say, they had reached the age of 12.

Rupert is mentioned as count of Nassau between 1198 and 1230.[1] He reigned with his brother Henry.[1][2][3]

Rupert's father had received the Königshof Wiesbaden from Emperor Frederick I in reward for his support of the emperor in the conflicts of 1170–1180.[4][5] The Nassau possessions in this area were expanded around 1214 when Rupert's brother Henry received the Imperial Vogtship (Reichsvogtei) over Wiesbaden and the surrounding Königssondergau, which he held as fiefdoms.[6]

About the year 1200, Rupert, together with his brother Henry, began building Sonnenberg Castle on a spur of Spitzkippel peak in the Taunus above Wiesbaden. This was intended for protection against the Archbishop of Mainz and its vassals, the Lords of Eppstein, who held the lands bordering Wiesbaden. However, the cathedral chapter of St. Martin's Cathedral in Mainz claimed Sonnenberg as their own. To settle the dispute, Nassau paid 30 Marks to the cathedral chapter in 1221 to acquire the land of Sonnenberg Castle. They were also forced to recognize the sovereignty of the Archbishops of Mainz over Sonnenberg, taking the castle as a fief of Mainz.[7]

Coat of Arms of the Teutonic Order

Rupert is mentioned as a Knight of the Teutonic Order in 1230.[1] Rupert died after January 1, 1239, and bequeathed his legacy to the Order. This would eventually lead to conflict between the House of Nassau and the Order.[8]

Marriage and children

Rupert married before 11 December 1215[9] to Gertrud (died ca. 1222),[1] possibly a daughter of the Count of Cleeberg.[1] From this marriage no children are known.[1][2][3]

Sources
  • Dek, A.W.E. (1970). Genealogie van het Vorstenhuis Nassau [Genealogy of the Royal House of Nassau] (in Dutch). Zaltbommel: Europese Bibliotheek. OCLC 27365371. Archived from the original on 2009-10-25. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
  • Thiele, Andreas (1994). Erzählende genealogische Stammtafeln zur europäischen Geschichte, Band I, Teilband 2: Deutsche Kaiser-, Königs-, Herzogs- und Grafenhäuser II [Annotated genealogies from European History, Volume 1, Part 2: German Imperial, Royal, Ducal and Comital Houses II] (in German) (2nd ed.). Frankfurt am Main: RG Fischer Verlag. ISBN 3-89501-023-5.
  • Vorsterman van Oyen, A.A. (1882). Het vorstenhuis Oranje-Nassau. Van de vroegste tijden tot heden [The Royal House of Orange-Nassau. From the earliest days until the present] (in Dutch). Leiden & Utrecht: A.W. Sijthoff & J.L. Beijers.

References
  1. Dek (1970).
  2. Cawley.
  3. Vorsterman van Oyen (1882).
  4. Reuling.
  5. In the article about Rupert's father however is only stated: ‘Walram's close ties with the imperial house were rewarded with Königshof Wiesbaden.’ In the article about Sonnenberg Castle on the German Wikipedia on the other hand is stated: ‘Die Nassauer waren von Friedrich I. wahrscheinlich als Dank für Ihre Unterstützung in den Römerzügen 1154 mit dem Königshof Wiesbaden belehnt worden.’
  6. Thiele (1994), Table 307. Quoted at Genealogies of the Middle Ages Archived 2007-03-17 at the Wayback Machine. (in German). Retrieved on 2009-01-29.
  7. History of Sonnenberg Archived 2007-12-19 at the Wayback Machine, City of Wiesbaden website. (in German). Retrieved on 2009-01-23.
  8. Thiele (1994), Table 307, quoted at Robert IV, Genealogies of the Middle Ages. Retrieved on 2009-01-31.
  9. Cawley quotes from a charter dated 11 December 1215, in which ‘Heinricus und Roppertus comites de Nassovva’ with the consent of ‘uxorum nostrarum Methildis et Gertrudis’ bought property from Mainz cathedral. From this can be concluded that Rupert and Gertrud were already married on 11 December 1215. All genealogies however state that the marriage took place "before 1221".
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