Difference between revisions of "Counts of Celje" - New World Encyclopedia
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==Murder in Belgrade== | ==Murder in Belgrade== | ||
| − | With the death of Ulrich II the male line of the Counts of Cilli died out, and after a war of succession all of their estates and property were handed over to the Habsburgs on the basis of the inheritance agreement. | + | With the death of Ulrich II the male line of the Counts of Cilli died out, and after a war of succession all of their estates and property were handed over to the Habsburgs on the basis of the inheritance agreement. The Habsburgs then "expanded their authority over the whole of Slovene ethnic territory."<ref>Klemenčič and Žagar, page 13.</ref> |
== Legacy == | == Legacy == | ||
Revision as of 23:45, 15 October 2008
The Counts of Cilli[1] or Celje represent the most important medieval aristocratic and ruling house with roots and territory in present-day Slovenia. Their coat of arms was incorporated into that of Slovenia in 1991, in acknowledgment of their historical significance.
At the time the house died out they held the rank of princes of the Holy Roman Empire and many other titles in territories of present-day Central Europe.
Name and origins
The name "Counts of Cilli" was given to the Lords of Sanneck or Sannegg by Emperor Louis IV in 1341 and was derived from the medieval name Cilli of the city of Celje in Lower Styria. Celje itself became a property of the dynasty in 1333. Their rise to a powerful family started in the small castle of Sannegg or Sanneck, on the river Sann, today's Savinja river, at Braslovče in the Upper Savinja valley, but in a short period of time they owned more than 20 castles all over the territory of modern Slovenia and beyond through the marriages of their daughters.
Habsburg's allies
In the 14th century they allied with the Habsburgs in their war against the counts of Gorizia-Tirol, making Cilli vassals of the Habsburgs in 1308. Zcquiring large estates in the adjoining duchies of Styria, Carinthia,and Carniola as well as in the territories of the Hungarian crown (Croatia, Slavonia) their influence rose, making them one of the most powerful families in the area.[2] They were related by marriage with rulers of Bosnia and Polish and Hungarian kings.
Savior of the king
Their rapid rise started after the Battle of Nicopolis (1396) where Hermann II of Cilli saved the life of Sigismund of Luxemburg (Hungarian king, from 1433 Holy Roman emperor). As a reward king Sigismund donated (1397-99) the city of Varaždin, the county of Zagorje, and many estates in present-day Croatia to the family.
The House of Cilli and Sigismund became even closer through the marriage of Hermann's daughter Barbara of Cilli to king Sigismund.
In 1436 the Emperor elevated the counts to the rank of princes of the Holy Roman Empire (although they retained their title of Count. This resulted in the the Habsburg regarding them as among their strongest rivals[3] and they reacted with a war that lasted until 1443, when an agreement of mutual inheritance was signed. The Celje were the only ethnically Slovenia noble family at this time, and they competed for supremacy with the Habsburgs for two centuries.[4]
Keeper of the young king
Ulrich II of Cilli was the most powerful member of the Cilli family. He was influential in many courts, which originated from the relationships the Cilli family had made in the past. He tried to obtain the regency of Hungary, Bohemia and Austria through controlling Ladislas the Posthumous, at the time a minor. With such ambitions, he also made many enemies, such as the Hunyadi family. After an unsuccessful claim to the Bosnian crown, Cilli obtained some territories in Croatia and Slavonia and finally succeeded in forcing Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor to hand over (1452) the boy king Ladislas the Posthumous to his keeping. Practically, this made Ulrich II the ruler of Hungary.
In 1456, when his rival John Hunyadi died, Ulrich II was named Captain General of Hungary, an office that Hunyadi had previously. This prompted a plot, by the Hunyadi, family against him, and he was assassinated on November 8, in Belgrade.
Murder in Belgrade
With the death of Ulrich II the male line of the Counts of Cilli died out, and after a war of succession all of their estates and property were handed over to the Habsburgs on the basis of the inheritance agreement. The Habsburgs then "expanded their authority over the whole of Slovene ethnic territory."[5]
Legacy
Part of their coat of arms - the three golden stars on a blue background, which, as Lords of Sanneck, they had inherited from the once powerful Carinthian Counts of Heunburg upon their becoming extinct in 1322 - was incorporated into the Slovenian coat of arms in 1991. It is also the current coat of arms of Celje.
For three hundred years, the Counts of Celje were among Europe's most important and powerful ruling families.[6]
Counts of Cilli in the structure of the Holy Roman Empire
Counts of Cilli in the structure of the Holy Roman Empire
Sigismund and Barbara at the Council of Constance
- Coat of arms of the municipality of Celje.svg
Coat of arms of Celje
Slovenian coat of arms
The Lords of Sanneck or Barons of Soune, Counts of Cilli
.jpg)
The Lords of Sanneck (Žovnek) or Barons of Soune
- Gebhard (cca 1130-1144)
- Gebhard II (1173-1227)
- Conrad I (+ cca. 1255)
- Ulrich I (+ cca. 1265)
- Ulrich II (+ cca. 1316)
- Frederick I (+ 1360), from 1341 Count of Celje
Counts of Cilli (Celje)
- Herman I (+ 1385), wife Katarina Kotromanic
- William (+ 1392), wife Ana of Poland, daughter Anna of Cilli (+ 1416)
- Herman II (+ 1435), daughter Barbara of Cilli (+1451)
- Frederick II (+ 1454), 1.wife Elizabeth Frankopan, 2. wife Veronika of Desenice
- Ulrich II (+ 1456), wife Katarina Branković
Notes
- ↑ The house should be referred to in English by the original historic name "of Cilli," although the name "of Celje" is also used nowadays. von Cilli family. Genealogy.eu. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
- ↑ Plut-Pregelj, and Rogel, page 41.
- ↑ Vosnjak, Bogumil. 1917. A bulwark against Germany: The fight of the Slovenes,the western branch of the Jugoslavs, for national existence, Translated by Fanny S.Copeland. Grand Rapids MI: Fleming H. Revell. page 90.
- ↑ Klemenčič and Žagar, page 13.
- ↑ Klemenčič and Žagar, page 13.
- ↑ Longley, page 267.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Longley, Norm. 2004. The rough guide to Slovenia. Rough guides (Series). New York: Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531456.
- Plut-Pregelj, Leopoldina, and Carole Rogel. 1996. Historical dictionary of Slovenia. European historical dictionaries, no. 13. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810831131
External links
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