Heinrich IV of Kuenring-Weitra

Heinrich IV von Kuenring-Weitra (* around 1220, † May 12, 1293 ) was a ministerial nobleman in Ostarrîchi from the Kuenring family .

Life

Heinrich IV, first mentioned in documents in 1240, was probably not born before 1220 as the younger son of Hadmar III. , who is also called "dog" by Kuenring , was born. After the sons of his uncle Heinrich III. died without heirs, he and his brother Albero V continued the family tradition, whereby the two brothers split up the main interests: Heinrich's focus was the northern Waldviertel with the Weitra center , the line was called “Kuenring” since 1251 -Weitra ”, while Albero Dürnstein got the possessions on the Danube and in the Wachau as well as the cities of Zwettl and Zistersdorf . From then on, his line was called "Kuenring-Dürnstein". Since around 1250 one speaks of a Weitra-Seefeld line and a Dürnstein line. However, there was never a real division , rather one member of the gender usually took over the leadership role.

In the course of the 13th century, the Kuenringers had changed from ministerials of the sovereign to ministerials of the country ("ministeriales Austriae"), who were guarantors of the country's continuity. Heinrich and his brother Albero established close relationships with the Styrian and Moravian nobility and, as rulers, belonged to the aristocratic ruling class of the country.

Heinrich concentrated on the development opportunities in the north that resulted from the personal union with Bohemia , and established close relationships with the Bohemian nobility. When the Bohemian Crown Prince Ottokar II. Přemysl was brought into the country as sovereign in 1251 , he needed the sovereigns for his sovereignty, with the Kuenringer being one of his most powerful pillars. Heinrich was supreme marshal and received the title and dignity of zupan ( burgrave ) from the Bohemian king . He was married to Kunigunde von Dobra (?) And had five children.

After Albero's death in 1260, Heinrich took over the management role of the house. While his three nephews from the Dürnstein line joined King Rudolf I of Habsburg , Heinrich remained a loyal follower of King Ottokar. The Weitra line of the Kuenringers profited from Ottokar's rule and because of their key position on and across the border and their close Bohemian relationships. Heinrich V's eldest son, Heinrich V , married Elisabeth, an illegitimate daughter of King Ottokar, in 1275, and thus entered into what was the highest-ranking marriage of a Kuenringer to date.

Heinrich surrendered after Rudolf's victory in the first campaign against Ottokar II in 1276 , but maintained his connection with Ottokar. When it turned out that he and his son were conspiring against King Rudolf, they lost their office and property before the battle of Marchfeld in 1278 and fled into exile, where both died. With their escape, the “Kuenringerreich” began to dissolve in the Waldviertel.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Heinrich IV. Von Kuenring-Weitra in the Lower Austrian Chronicle , accessed on August 19, 2016