Ulrich III, Duke of Carinthia

Ulrich III of Spanheim
Duke of Carinthia
File:Oldrich3Sponheim.jpg Part of a seal used by Ulrich III
Duke	1256–1269
Predecessor	Bernhard von Spanheim
Successor	Ottokar II of Bohemia
Spouse(s)	Agnes of Andechs Agnes of Baden
Noble family	House of Sponheim
Father	Bernhard von Spanheim
Mother	Judith of Bohemia
Born	c. 1220
Died	27 October 1269(1269-10-27) Cividale del Friuli

Ulrich III, Duke of Carinthia, also known as Ulrich III of Spanheim (c. 1220 – 27 October 1269) was ruling Lord in the March of Carniola from c. 1249 and Duke of Carinthia from 1256 until his death, the last ruler from the House of Sponheim.

Life

Ulrich III was the eldest son of Duke Bernhard of Carinthia and his wife Judith, a daughter of the Přemyslid king Ottokar I of Bohemia. Already his father had endeavoured to assume the rule over the Carniolan march, which Ulrich could secure for himself by marrying Agnes of Andechs, the widow of the last Babenberg duke Frederick II of Austria. From 1251, he was co-ruler of Carinthia with his father; in 1256 he succeeded his father as duke.

File:OldrichSponheim3.jpg

Later version Ulrich's seal, with Carinthian coat of arms

Ulrich continued the development of his home territories as his father has begun. In 1260, he completed the foundation of the charterhouse in Bistra (Freudenthal) in Inner Carniola. He also founded the Canons Regular monastery in Völkermarkt.

He had differences of opinion about his father's inheritance with his younger brother Philip, who had to prepare for an ecclesiastical career and was elected Archbishop of Salzburg in 1247. Philip refused to take holy orders in order to reserve the right of succession in Carinthia for himself. Ulrich and Philip finally reached an agreement of mutual protection and inheritance and, after Philip was deposed as bishop in 1257 by the cathedral chapter, fought together against Philip's successor, Archbishop Ulrich of Seckau.

After the election of Archbishop Ladislaus of Salzburg, it became clear that Philip would have to abandon all hopes to return to Salzburg. In 1267 he asked Ulrich III to divide their inheritance and also proposed that he could be Ulrich's heir, as Ulrich's son from his first marriage had died young, and his second marriage was still childless. However, on 4 December 1268, Ulrich secretly proceeded to Poděbrady Castle, where he concluded an inheritance treaty with his cousin, King Ottokar II of Bohemia, in which the king was made his sole heir.

When Duke Ulrich III died in Cividale del Friuli on 27 October 1269, both Philip and Ottokar II claimed his inheritance. In the same year, Philip was elected Patriarch of Aquileia, however, his election was never confirmed by the Pope and in 1270/71 he was expelled to Austria by Ottokar's forces. This was the end of the rule of the Sponheim dynasty in Carinthia.

Marriages and issue

Ulrich III was married twice:

1. to Agnes of Merania (1215–1263), the widow of Duke Frederick II of Austria. This marriage produced a son, who died young.
2. to Agnes of Baden (1250–1295), a daughter of Margrave Herman VI of Baden and Gertrude of Babenberg, niece of Duke Frederick II of Austria. This marriage remained childless.

Ancestors

Family of Ulrich III, Duke of Carinthia

16. Engelbert, Duke of Carinthia               8. Ulrich I, Duke of Carinthia                       17. Uta of Passau               4. Herman II, Duke of Carinthia                             18. Herman II, Margrave of Baden               9. Judith of Baden                       19. Judith of Hohenberg               2. Bernhard von Spanheim                                   20. Leopold III, Margrave of Austria               10. Henry II, Duke of Austria                       21. Agnes of Germany               5. Agnes of Austria                             22. Andronikos Komnenos               11. Theodora Komnene                       23. Eirene               1. Ulrich III, Duke of Carinthia                                         24. Vladislav I of Bohemia               12. Vladislaus II of Bohemia                       25. Richeza of Berg               6. Ottokar I of Bohemia                             26. Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia               13. Judith of Thuringia                       27. Hedwig of Gudensberg               3. Judith of Bohemia                                   28. Géza II of Hungary               14. Béla III of Hungary                       29. Euphrosyne of Kiev               7. Constance of Hungary                             30. Raynald of Châtillon               15. Agnes of Antioch                       31. Constance of Antioch

References

• Friedrich Hausmann: Die Grafen zu Ortenburg und ihre Vorfahren im Mannesstamm, die Spanheimer in Kärnten, Sachsen und Bayern, sowie deren Nebenlinien, in the series Ostbairische Grenzmarken — Passauer Jahrbuch für Geschichte Kunst und Volkskunde, vol. 36, Passau, 1994
• Dr. Eberhard Graf zu Ortenburg-Tambach: Geschichte des reichsständischen, herzoglichen und gräflichen Gesamthauses Ortenburg, part 1: Das herzogliche Haus in Kärnten, Vilshofen, 1932

Ulrich III, Duke of Carinthia House of Spanheim Born: c. 1220 Died: 27 October 1269
Preceded by Bernhard	Duke of Carinthia 1256-1269	Succeeded by Ottokar II of Bohemia
Preceded by Frederick II of Austria	Margrave of Carniola 1248-1269

External links

• Ulrich III in the thesaurus maintained by the Consortium of European Research Libraries