The County of Sponheim went through roughly three main phases during the course of the centuries. The first one lasted from the beginnings in the 11th century until the first divisions of the county between two Sponheimish lines around 1234. In this first period the region was ruled by a single count.

In the second phase the county was managed by two counts. The Front County of Sponheim was ruled by the line Sponheim-Kreuznach with residence at Castle Kauzenburg near Kreuznach. The Rear County of Sponheim was ruled by the line Sponheim-Starkenburg, with residence at first at Castle Starkenburg near Enkirch and after 1350 at Castle Grevenburg near Trarbach. This phase lasted nearly to the extinction of both lines in 1437.

Finally in the third phase both parts of the county were managed by joint rulers. The management of the Rear County of Sponheim was divided between a collateral palatine line (House of Palatinate-Simmern, later House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, later House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld) and Baden, the management of the Front County of Sponheim roughly between Baden and the Electoral Palatinate.

Contents 1 Sponheim 2 Front County of Sponheim 2.1 Sponheim-Kreuznach 2.2 Joint rulers of the Front County of Sponheim 2.2.1 Electoral Palatinate 2.2.2 Veldenz resp. Palatinate-Simmern 2.2.2.1 Palatinate-Neuburg 2.2.3 Baden 3 Rear County of Sponheim 3.1 Sponheim-Starkenburg 3.2 Joint rulers of the Rear County of Sponheim 3.2.1 Palatinate-Simmern/-Birkenfeld/-Zweibrücken 3.2.1.1 Palatinate-Zweibrücken 3.2.1.2 Palatinate-Birkenfeld 3.2.1.3 Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler receives Birkenfeld 3.2.1.4 Palatinate-Bischweiler-Birkenfeld receives Zweibrücken 3.2.2 Baden 4 Notes 5 References

[edit] Sponheim

• Eberhard I (?–1044)
• Siegfried I (1044–1065)
• Stephan I (?–ca. 1080)
• Stephan II (ca. 1080–ca. 1118)
• Meginhard I (ca. 1118–1136 or 1145)
• Gottfried I (1136 or 1135–1159)
• Gottfried II (1165–1183)
• Gottfried III (1195–1218)

[edit] Front County of Sponheim

[edit] Sponheim-Kreuznach

• Simon I (1223–1264)
• Johann I (1265–1290)
• Johann II (1290–1340)
• Simon II (1290–1336)
• Walram (1336–1380)
• Simon III (1380–1414)
• Elizabeth (1414–1417)

[edit] Joint rulers of the Front County of Sponheim

[edit] Electoral Palatinate

• Ludwig III (1417–1436)
• Ludwig IV (1436–1449)
• Friedrich I (1449–1476), at first custodian; 1451 Prince Elector
• Philipp (1476–1508, O.C. 1480)
• Ludwig V (1508–1544)
• Friedrich II (1544–1556)
• Ottheinrich (1556–1559)

(Succession on line Palatinate-Simmern)

[edit] Veldenz resp. Palatinate-Simmern

• Friedrich III, Count of Veldenz (1437–1444, O.C. 1437)
• Friedrich I, Count Palatine (1444–1480, O.C. 1453)
• Johann I (1480–1509, O.C. 1508)
• Johann II (1509–1557, O.C. 1527)
• Friedrich II (III), 1559 Prince Elector (1557–1576, O.C. 1569)
• Ludwig VI, Prince Elector (1576–1583)
• Friedrich IV, Prince Elector (1583–1610, O.C. 1588)
• Ludwig Philipp to Simmern (1610–1655), until 1622 single holder, O.C.
• Ludwig Heinrich to Simmern (1655–1674)
• Karl I Ludwig, Prince Elector (1674–1680, O.C. 1677)
• Karl II, Prince Elector (1680–1685)

(Extinction of the line Simmern, succession on Palatinate-Neuburg)

[edit] Palatinate-Neuburg

• Philipp Wilhelm, Prince Elector (1685–1690)
• Johann Wilhelm, Prince Elector (1690–1716, O.C. 1707)
• Karl III Philipp, Prince Elector (1716–1742)
• Karl Theodor, Prince Elector (1742–1799, O.C. 1761)

(Rightful successor was Count Palatine Maximilian of Zweibrücken (see Rear County))

[edit] Baden

• Jakob I (1437–1453, O.C. 1444)
• Karl I (1453–1463) (1463 until Jan. 1508 pawned to Electoral Palatinate)
• Philipp I (1508–1533, O.C. 1509) (1533/34 disputed, 27 March 1534 to Baden-Baden)
• Bernhard III (1534–1536)
• Philibert (1536–1569, O.C. 1557)
• Philipp II (1569–1588, O.C. 1576)
• Eduard Fortunat (1588–1600) (1600 until Nov. 1622 no Badish joint ruler, electoral-palatine-only property)
• Wilhelm (1622–1677, O.C. 1655)
• Ludwig Wilhelm (1677–1707, O.C. 1680)
• Ludwig Georg Simpert (1707–1761, O.C. 1716)
• August Georg Simpert (1761–1771)

(Extinction of the line Baden-Baden, succession falls on line Baden-Durlach)

• Karl Friedrich (1771–1811)

[edit] Rear County of Sponheim

[edit] Sponheim-Starkenburg

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

[edit] Joint rulers of the Rear County of Sponheim

• Friedrich III, Count to Veldenz and Sponheim (1437–1444, O.C. 1437)

[edit] Palatinate-Simmern/-Birkenfeld/-Zweibrücken

• Friedrich I, Count Palatine (1444–1480, O.C. 1453)
• Johann I (1480–1509)
• Johann II (1509–1557, O.C. 1527)
• Friedrich II, 1559 Prince Elector Friedrich III (1557–1560), as pawn holder 1569 to 1571

[edit] Palatinate-Zweibrücken

• Wolfgang to Veldenz (1560–1569)
• Johann I (1569–1584 as custodian to his brother Karl I)

[edit] Palatinate-Birkenfeld

• Karl I to Birkenfeld (1584–1600, O.C. 1588)
• Georg Wilhelm (1600–1669, O.C. 1600), until 1618 under custody
• Karl II Otto (1669–1671)

[edit] Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler receives Birkenfeld

• Christian II to Bischweiler (1671–1717, O.C. 1677)

[edit] Palatinate-Bischweiler-Birkenfeld receives Zweibrücken

• Christian III, since 1731 to Zweibrücken (1717–1735)
• Christian IV (1735–1775, O.C. 1761)
• Karl III August Christian (1775–1795)
• Maximilian I (IV) Joseph, Prince Elector of Palatinate-Bavaria, 1806 King of Bavaria, heir 1799 also to the share of the Front County

[edit] Baden

• Jakob I (1437–1453, O.C. 1444)
• Karl I (1453–1475)
• Christoph I (1475–1527, O.C. 1480)
• Bernhard III to Baden (1527–1536)
• Philibert (1536–1569, O.C. 1557)
• Philipp II (1569–1588, O.C. 1569)
• Eduard Fortunat (1588–1600) (1600–1605 no Badish joint ruler)
• Georg Friedrich to Durlach (1605–1622)
• Wilhelm (1622–1677, O.C. 1669)
• Ludwig Wilhelm (1677–1683), brother (from 1683 to 1697 holder of the share Margravin Marie Franziska b. Countess of Fürstenberg)
• Ludwig Georg Simpert (1697–1761, O.C. 1717)
• August Georg Simpert (1761–1771)
• Karl Friedrich (1771–1811)

[edit] Notes

• O.C. = Oldest Count

[edit] References

• Mötsch, Johannes: Ein Kondominatsbesitz - Die Vordere und die Hintere Grafschaft Spohnheim (Website from Wolfgang Morscheck)

This article incorporates information from this version of the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.