List of the Counts of Sponheim

The County of Sponheim went through roughly three main phases over the centuries. The first lasted from the beginnings in the 11th century until the first division of the county into two Sponheim lines around 1234. In this first stage the area was ruled by a single count.

In the second stage, the county was administered by two counts. The Front County of Sponheim ruled the Sponheim-Kreuznach line with its seat on the Kauzenburg near Kreuznach . The rear county of Sponheim was ruled by the Sponheim-Starkenburg line, based for the first time on the Starkenburg near Enkirch , and from 1350 on the Grevenburg near Trarbach . This stage lasted approximately until the two lines became extinct in 1437.

Subsequently, in the third phase, both parts of the county were ruled by common lords, like a condominium . The administration of the rear county of Sponheim was divided between a Palatine branch line ( Pfalz-Simmern , later Pfalz-Zweibrücken , later Pfalz-Birkenfeld ) and Baden , that of the front county Sponheim roughly between Baden and the Electoral Palatinate . The ruling houses of the Sponheim condominium were female descendants of the Sponheimers and carried the title Graf zu Sponheim.

Sponheim

• Siegfried I (1044-1065), Margrave of the Hungarian march
• Stephan I (around 1060) possibly brother of Siegfried
• Stephan II (around 1080)
• Meginhard (around 1085-around 1135)
• Gottfried I (1136 or 1135–1159)
• Gottfried II. (1165-1183)
• Gottfried III. (1195-1218)

Front county of Sponheim

• Simon I (1223-1264)

Sponheim-Kreuznach

• Johann I (1265-1290)
• John II (1290-1340)
• Simon II (1290-1336)
• Walram (1336-1380)
• Simon III (1380-1414)
• Elisabeth (1414–1417)

Sponheim-Bolanden

• Henry I (1277-1311)
• Philip (1314-1337)
• Henry II (1344-1393)
• Elisabeth
• Anna

(Inheritance from Nassau-Saarbrücken)

Sponheim-Neef

• Eberhard (1279–1303)
• Elisabeth

(Inheritance to Metz-Scharfeneck)

Common lords of the Front County of Sponheim

Electoral Palatinate

• Ludwig III. (1417–1436)
• Ludwig IV. (1436–1449)
• Friedrich I (1449–1476), initially guardian; 1451 elector
• Philipp (1476–1508, Ä.G. 1480)
• Ludwig V (1508–1544)
• Frederick II (1544–1556)
• Ottheinrich (1556–1559)

(Heir to the Pfalz-Simmern line)

Veldenz and Pfalz-Simmern

• Friedrich III. , Count of Veldenz (1437–1444, Ä.G. 1437)
• Friedrich I , Count Palatine (1444–1480, Ä.G. 1453)
• Johann I. (1480–1509, Ä.G. 1508)
• Johann II. (1509–1557, Ä.G. 1527)
• Friedrich II. (III.) , 1559 Elector (1557–1576, Ä.G. 1569)
• Louis VI. , Elector (1576–1583)
• Friedrich IV. , Elector (1583–1610, Ä.G. 1588)
• Ludwig Philipp zu Simmern (1610–1655), sole owner until 1622, Ä.G.
• Ludwig Heinrich zu Simmern (1655–1674)
• Karl I. Ludwig , Elector (1674–1680, Ä.G. 1677)
• Charles II , Elector (1680–1685)

(Termination of the Simmern line, inheritance to Pfalz-Neuburg)

Pfalz-Neuburg

• Philipp Wilhelm , Elector (1685–1690)
• Johann Wilhelm , Elector (1690–1716, Ä.G. 1707)
• Charles III Philipp , Elector (1716–1742)
• Karl Theodor , Elector (1742–1799, Ä.G. 1761)

(Legal successor was Count Palatine Maximilian von Zweibrücken (see back county))

to bathe

• Jacob I (1437-1453, Ä.G. 1444)
• Charles I (1453–1463) (pledged to Electoral Palatinate from 1463 to January 1508)
• Philip I (1508–1533, Ä.G. 1509) (1533/34 disputed, on March 27, 1534 to Baden-Baden)
• Bernhard III. (1534–1536)
• Philibert (1536–1569, A.G. 1557)
• Philip II (1569–1588, Ä.G. 1576)
• Eduard Fortunat (1588–1600) (1600 to Nov. 1622 no common ruler in Baden, sole ownership of the Palatinate)
• Wilhelm (1622–1677, Ä.G. 1655)
• Ludwig Wilhelm (1677–1707, Ä.G. 1680)
• Ludwig Georg Simpert (1707–1761, Ä.G. 1716)
• August Georg Simpert (1761–1771)

(The Baden-Baden line expires, inheritance falls on the Baden-Durlach line)

• Karl Friedrich (1771-1811)

Back County Sponheim

Sponheim-Starkenburg

• Johann I (1223-1266)
• Heinrich I (1266–1289)
• John II (1289-1324)
• Heinrich II. († 1323)
• Loretta (1324-1331)
• Johann III. (1331-1398)
• John IV (1398-1411)
• Johann V (1411-1437)

Common lords of the rear county of Sponheim

• Friedrich III. , Count of Veldenz and Sponheim (1437–1444, Ä.G. 1437)

Pfalz-Simmern / -Birkenfeld / -Zweibrücken

• Friedrich I , Count Palatine (1444–1480, Ä.G. 1453)
• Johann I (1480–1509)
• Johann II. (1509–1557, Ä.G. 1527)
• Friedrich II. , 1559 Elector Friedrich III. (1557–1560), as pledgee from 1569 to 1571

Pfalz-Zweibrücken

• Wolfgang zu Veldenz (1560–1569)
• Johann I (1569–1584 as guardian of his brother Karl I)

Pfalz-Birkenfeld

• Charles I of Birkenfeld (1584–1600, Ä.G. 1588)
• Georg Wilhelm (1600–1669, Ä.G. 1600), until 1618 under guardianship
• Charles II. Otto (1669–1671)

Pfalz-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler receives Birkenfeld

• Christian II of Bischweiler (1671–1717, Ä.G. 1677)

Pfalz-Bischweiler-Birkenfeld receives Zweibrücken

• Christian III , from 1731 to Zweibrücken (1717–1735)
• Christian IV. (1735–1775, Ä.G. 1761)
• Charles II August Christian (1775–1795)
• Maximilian I. (IV.) Joseph , Elector Palatinate-Bavaria, 1806 King of Bavaria, inherited the portion of the Vordere Grafschaft in 1799.

to bathe

• Jacob I (1437-1453, Ä.G. 1444)
• Charles I (1453–1475)
• Christoph I. (1475–1527, Ä.G. 1480)
• Bernhard III. to Baden (1527–1536)
• Philibert (1536–1569, A.G. 1557)
• Philip II (1569–1588, Ä.G. 1569)
• Eduard Fortunat (1588–1600) (1600–1605 no common ruler of Baden)
• Georg Friedrich zu Durlach (1605–1622)
• Wilhelm (1622–1677, Ä.G. 1669)
• Ludwig Wilhelm (1677–1683), brother (from 1683 to 1697 owner of the shares Margravine Marie Franziska née Countess von Fürstenberg)
• Ludwig Georg Simpert (1707–1761, Ä.G. 1717)
• August Georg Simpert (1761–1771)
• Karl Friedrich (1771-1811)

Individual evidence

• Ä.G. = Oldest count

swell

• Johannes Mötsch : A condominium possession - The front and the rear Grafschaft Sponheim (website by Wolfgang Morscheck )
• Genealogia Sponhemica . Archive for Rhenish History Coblenz, 1.1833 - 2.1835. Second part 1835. http://www.dilibri.de/rlb/periodical/pageview/27862