House of Frohburg

The House of Frohburg (also Froburg) was a noble family in medieval Switzerland, with possessions in what is now the canton of Solothurn. They originate in the Wigger basin, near Zofingen. In the 10th century, they built Frohburg Castle on a hill near Trimbach. They had the title of counts from the later 11th century. They ruled the lands between Olten and Solothurn, and took parts of Aargau and Sisgau as fief from the bishop of Basel. They reached the peak of their power in the later 12th and early 13th century, building a number of castles, and founding towns such as Aarburg, Liestal, Olten (then a fortified river crossing), Waldenburg, Wiedlisbach and Zofingen. They also founded Schöntal Abbey near Waldenburg. The House of Frohburg was divided into three branches, Neu-Homberg, Waldenburg and Zofingen, in c. 1250. The Zofingen branch was extinct in 1307, followed by the Neo-Homberg one in 1325. The Waldenburg branch survived for another 40 years but declined in influence, being forced to sell most of its possessions, most of them to the ascending House of Habsburg. The last count of Frohburg was Hermann VI (d. 1367 as abbot of St. Urban's Abbey).

coat of arms

Counts of Frohburg

Partitions of Frohburg under House of Frohburg rule
County of Frohburg
(1028-1213)
County of
Zofingen
(1213-1299)		       
County of
Waldenburg
(1213-1367)		 County of
Homberg
(1220-1303)
Annexed to the
House of Habsburg
Annexed to the
Bishopric of Basel
Annexed to the Bishopric of Basel
and the County of Nidau

Table of rulers
RulerBornReignDeathRuling partConsortNotes
Adalbero (I)? c.1028-1050??County of FrohburgUnknown
at least one child		First documented count of the family, in Breisgau.
Wolfrad? c.1050-1095c.1095FrohburgUnknown
four children		 Possibly sons of Adalbero. They may have ruled jointly. In 1114, another Volmar is mentioned, but is not identical with Volmar I. This new Volmar appaers as co-ruler with Volmar I and his brother Louis. Louis' son, Ortlieb, would become Bishop of Basel.
Volmar I? c.1050-11141114FrohburgSophia of Pfirt
two children
Volmar (I)? c.1095-1114c.1114FrohburgUnknown
Louis I? c.1095-1114c.1114?FrohburgUnknown
one child
Adalbero I? 1114-1152c.1152FrohburgSophia of Lenzburg
four children		 Sons of Volmar I, ruled jointly.
Herman I? 1114-1125c.1125FrohburgUnmarried
Volmar II? 1152-1175c.1175FrohburgUnknown
four children		 Sons of Adalbero I, possibly ruled jointly. Louis became Bishop of Basel in 1164.
Louis II? 1152-1164March 1179FrohburgUnmarried
Herman II? 1175-12131213FrohburgA lady from the Kyburg family
eight children
Louis III? 1213-1256/91256/9Frohburg-ZofingenGertrude of Habsburg
six children		 Children of Herman II, divided the land. Louis III was the founder of the Zofingen branch, with lands in the canton of Aargau. According to some theories, Gertrude, wife of King Rudolf I of Germany, was his daughter.

Herman III founded the Waldenburg branch, with lands in the canton of Basel. The other two brothers did not take part on the divisions. One of them, Ulrich, pursued an ecclesiastical career being an abbot at Frienisberg Abbey.

Herman III? 1213-1233/725 January 1233 or February 1237Frohburg-WaldenburgHeilwig of Habsburg
three children
Volmar III? 1213-12261226Frohburg Unmarried
Ulrich? 1213-12231223Frohburg
Louis IV? c.1220-12571257Frohburg-ZofingenUnmarried Children of Louis III, probably divided fiefs in their father's lifetime: while Louis IV kept co-ruling with his father, Herman IV founded a new branch of the family at Homberg, by inheriting, through marriage, this land.
Herman IV & I[1]? c.1220-1253/6/915 May 1253 or 1256/59[2]Frohburg-HombergA lady from the House of Homberg
four children
Louis V? 1237 - 22 November 1279/8122 November 1279/81[3]Frohburg-WaldenburgAgnes of Bechburg
three children
Hartmann I? 1256/9-1281/5bet. 23 June 1281-6 December 1285Frohburg-ZofingenClementia
before 1263
no children

Ita of Wolhusen
before 1280
three children
Louis I[1]? 1253 - 27 April 128927 April 1289Frohburg-HombergElisabeth of Rapperswil
15 February 1283
six children		 Children of Herman IV/I, ruled jointly. Louis I possibly co-ruled with his wife in the County of Rapperswil.
Frederick? 1253 - 8 February 12858 February 1285Frohburg-HombergUnmarried
Werner I? 1253 - 6 February 12736 February 1273Frohburg-HombergKunigunde
two children
Herman V? 22 November 1279/81 - 1291aft. 1 December 1291[4]Frohburg-WaldenburgUnmarriedLeft no descendants. He was succeeded by his younger brother.
Louis VI? 22 November 1281/5 - 1299[5]aft. 5 July 1307[6]Frohburg-ZofingenUnmarriedSon of Hartmann I, left no descendants. In 1299 he sold Zofingen to the Habsburgs.
Zofingen annexed to the House of Habsburg
Werner II1284 27 April 1289 - 130321 March 1320
aged 35-36		Frohburg-HombergMaria of Oettingen
(d. 10 July 1369)
11 June 1315 or 6 April 1316
two children		 Children of Louis I and Elisabeth of Rapperswil, ruled jointly with their cousin Herman II (son of Werner I). Werner inherited his mother's fiefs in the canton of Schwyz, and was also a Minnesinger.
Louis II[1]? 27 April 1289 - 13031315Frohburg-HombergUnmarried
Herman II[1]? 27 April 1289 - 130319 November 1303[7]Frohburg-HombergUnmarried
Homberg sold to the Bishopric of Basel[8]
Volmar IV? 1291 - 20 January 132020 January 1320Frohburg-WaldenburgKatharina of Toggenburg
(d. 18 February 1313)
three children		Left no descendants. He was succeeded by his younger brother.
John I ? 20 January 1320 - January/April 1366 bet. 20 January - April 1366 Frohburg-Waldenburg Adelaide of Ramstein
(d. bet. 17 October 1367-29 May 1371)
3 November 1326
no children		 Sons of Volmar IV, probably ruled jointly. Herman was also abbot of St. Urban Abbey. After both deaths with no descendants, their line died out. Their properties were sold to the Count of Nidau and the Bishop of Basel.
Herman VI ? 20 January 1320 - 19 October 1367 19 October 1367 Frohburg-Waldenburg Unmarried
Waldenburg annexed to the Bishopric of Basel and the County of Nidau

See also

References
  1. As Homberg was inherited from other family, the Frohburgs restarted their counting in this fief.
  2. Manuel généalogique Suisse (1908), Tome I, p. 31.
  3. Herrgott (1737), Vol. III, DLXXXVIII, p. 489.
  4. Urkundenbuch Landschaft Basel (1881), Vol. 1, no. 175.
  5. Hunziker et al.: Zofingen vom Mittelalter bis 1798. S. 59–62.
  6. Herrgott (1737), Vol. III, DXCIV, p. 493.
  7. Herrgott (1737), Vol. III, DCLIV
  8. Aegidius Tschudi: Chronicon Helveticum, Band I. S. 229

Bibliography
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