County of Sponheim

(Lower) County of Sponheim-Kreuznach\Kirchberg

(Upper) County of Sponheim-Starkenburg

 

The County of Sponheim dates to the mid-12th century. Around 1237, the county was divided between the “Hintere Grafschaft” and the “Vordere Grafschaft”. “Grafschaft” is always translated as “County”, but the English translations of the descriptors can be very confusing. Some use “Rear” and “Front”, others use “Posterior” and “Anterior”, and still others use “Upper” and “Lower”. I forgo all of those translated descriptors and call the Hintere Grafschaft “Sponheim-Starkenburg” and the Vordere Grafschaft “Sponheim-Kreuznach” after their respective seats.

 

In 1417, the Kreuznach line died out. The Starkenburg line, however, inherited only an 80 percent interest in its territory. The other 20 percent went to the Palatinate Electorate, creating a condominium. In 1437, the Starkenburg line died out and its territory, as well as its interest in the Kreuznach territory, was divided equally between the County of Veldenz and the Margraviate of Baden-Baden. By the time the database starts in 1505, all of Sponheim was part of one condominium or the other.  After 1559, those condominia were always between a Wittelsbachian entity and a Zähringian entity. I place the Kreuznach condominium in Wittelsbachian Germany because the Wittelsbachian share was always greater than the Zähringian share during the period covered by the database. I place the Starkenburg condominium in Jointly-Ruled Germany because neither nation held a dominant position. The two tables below track the interests held by each entity from the time the Sponheimian line died out until a final geographic partition was implemented. (Note that the Wittelsbachian share on the 1569-1671 line of the Starkenburg table represents the Birkenfeld spin-off and the 1671-1731 line represents the Birkenfeld-Bischweiler spin-off.)

 

In 1707, the Kreuznach territory was geographically partitioned. The Wittelsbachian portion was absorbed into the Palatinate Electorate as Oberamt Kreuznach. The Zähringian portion became what I call the County of Sponheim-Kirchberg (which replaced the now Wittelsbachian Kreuznach as the seat) in personal union with the Margraviate of Baden-Baden until 1771 and then the reunited Baden until 1776. In that year, the Starkenburg territory was geographically partitioned. The Wittelsbachian portion was absorbed into Palatinate-Zweibrücken as Oberamt Trarbach. The Zähringian portion combined with Sponheim-Kirchberg to form a reunited County of Sponheim in personal union with the Margraviate of Baden. All of the former territory of both Sponheim counties was occupied by France in 1794, and I end the database there.

 

 

Distribution of Interests in the Sponheim-Kreuznach Condominium (1417-1707)

 

	Wittelsbachian Germany					Zähringian Germany
	Electoral Palatinate	Palatinate-Simmern	Palatinate-Simmern-Zweibrücken	Sponheim-Starkenburg	Veldenz	Baden-Baden	Baden
1417-1422	20%			80%
1422-1437	40%			60%
1437-1444	40%				30%	30%
1444-1459	40%		30%			30%
1459-1503	40%	30%				30%
1503-1505	40%	30%					30%
1505-1535	20%	40%					40%
1535-1559	20%	40%				40%
1559-1707	60%					40%

 

 

Distribution of Interests in the Sponheim-Starkenburg Condominium (1437-1776)

 

	Wittelsbachian Germany					Zähringian Germany
	Palatinate-Simmern	Palatinate-Simmern-Zweibrucken	Palatinate-Zweibrucken	Palatinate-Zweibrucken-Birkenfeld(-Bischweiler)	Veldenz	Baden-Baden	Baden
1437-1444					50%	50%
1444-1459		50%				50%
1459-1503	50%					50%
1503-1535	50%						50%
1535-1559	50%					50%
1559-1569			50%			50%
1569-1671				50%		50%
1671-1731				50%		50%
1731-1771			50%			50%
1771-1776			50%				50%