County of Regenstein

This article is about the county. For its ruling family, see House of Regenstein. For the castle, see Regenstein Castle.

County of Regenstein Grafschaft Regenstein
State of the Holy Roman Empire
← 1160–1599 →
Coat of arms
Capital	Derenburg
Government	Principality
Historical era	Middle Ages
- Partitioned from     County of Blankenburg	1160 1160
- County of     Regenstein-Heimburg	1366
- Personal union     with Blankenburg	1368
- Joined     Lower Saxon Circle	1500
- Fell to     Bishopric of Halberstadt	1599 1599
- Acquired by     Brandenburg-Prussia	1648

The County of Regenstein was a mediæval statelet of the Holy Roman Empire.

Ruins of Regenstein Castle

The counts of Regenstein Castle near Heimburg were first mentioned in a 1169 deed, with Count Conrad of Regenstein, son of Poppo I, Count of Blankenburg (1095–1164), himself a nephew of Count Reinhard, Bishop of Halberstadt from the Ripuarian House of Reginbodo^[1].

The most renowned Count of Regenstein was Albert II (1310–49)^[2], who in the 1330s was frequently in dispute with the leaders of the surrounding estates like the Halberstadt bishops and the abbess of Quedlinburg. These tales were romanticised in the ballad The Robber Count (German: Der Raubgraf) by Gottfried August Bürger, melodized by Johann Philipp Kirnberger and the novel of the same name by Julius Wolff^[3].

In the 15th century the comital family relocated its seat to Blankenburg; Regenstein Castle lapsed and was left to ruin. The last scion of the comital family, Count John Ernest, died in 1599. With Blankenburg it fell back to the Bishopric of Halberstadt. Shortly thereafter Blankenburg and Regenstein were separated. Regenstein remained with Halberstadt, while Blankenburg was annexed and held by the Dukes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Counts of Regenstein

• Siegfried (-1073), brother of Konrad, Count of Blankenburg-Regenstein
• Henry (-1235), son
• Siegfried II (-1251), son
• Ulric, Count of Regenstein-Heimburg (-1267), brother

• Ulric III (1287–1322)
• Albert II (1310–1349), son
• Albert III (1341–1365), son

• John Ernest, Count of Blankenburg and Regenstein (-1599)

Notes

The following articles do not yet exist on the English Wikipedia, but do exist on the German Wikipedia:

1. ^ Reginbodonen (German)
2. ^ Albrecht II. von Regenstein (German)
3. ^ Julius Wolff (German)

External links

• Pictures of Regenstein Fortress at historische-orte.de

References

This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia.

Coordinates: 51°48′54″N 10°57′36″E / 51.815°N 10.960°E / 51.815; 10.960