House of Homberg

The House of Homberg (also spelled Honberg, historically Hochinberc, Hochenberg; also Thierstein, Tierstein) was a noble family of medieval Switzerland; they had the title of count from late 11th to early 16th century. They ruled over much of what is now northwestern Switzerland, including parts of the cantons of Aargau, Berne, Solothurn and Basel-Country.

The Homberg coat of arms as shown in the Zürich armorial (c. 1340)
The Thierstein coat of arms as shown in the Zürich armorial

The first count of Thierstein (alternatively, of Homberg) was Rudolf de Dierstein, mentioned 1082. The two names are taken from two castles in Rudolf's possession, both located near Frick, Aargau. The Thierstein and Homberg lines separated in 1149. The Homberg line was extinct in 1223 with the death of Werner III and their territories were acquired by marriage Hermann IV of the House of Frohburg, whose line is also known as Frohburg-Homberg. Hermann's son Friedrich took the title of count of Homberg and built the castle Neu-Homberg in what is now part of the canton of Basel-Country. One of Friedrich's sons was Wernher von Homberg, one of the minnesingers featured in Codex Manesse.

The ancestral castles of Thierstein and Homberg were both destroyed in the earthquake of 1356, and the Thierstein branch of the family now renamed a castle of theirs near Büsserach (in what is now known as the Thierstein District of the canton of Solothurn) to Neu-Thierstein. In 1330, a branch of the Thierstein family, known as Thierstein-Farnsburg, built Farnsburg castle near Ormalingen. They were given Sisgau as a fief from the bishop of Basel. Count Oswald von Thierstein in 1479 received Hohkönigsburg in the Alsace as fief from emperor Frederick III. The Thierstein family was extinct in 1517, after which Hohkönigsburg fell back to the House of Habsburg.

Counts of Thierstein and Homberg

House of Thierstein
RulerBornReignDeathRuling partConsortNotes
Rudolf I ? c.1020-1048 After 1 June 1048[1] County of Thierstein Unknown
at least one child		 First documented count of the family, in Sisgau.
Rudolf II[2] ? c.1048-1103 c.1103[2] County of Thierstein Unknown
one or two children		 Cited also as Advocatus in 1098[2].
Rudolf III ? c.1103-1114 After 7 March 1114[1] County of Thierstein Ita of Habsburg
three children		 Cited as Count of Thierstein and Homberg. His sons divided his patrimony.
Werner I ? c.1114-1141/54[2] After 13 April 1141[1] or after 1154[2] Thierstein-Homberg A lady Zollern
four children		 Son of Rudolf III, inherited the county of Homberg.
Rudolf IV ? c.1114-1144/7[2] After 8 July 1144[1]or c.1147[2] County of Thierstein Unknown
at least one child		 Son of Rudolf III, inherited the remaining Thierstein.
Rudolf V ? c.1144/7-1179?[1] before 1180[1] County of Thierstein Bertha of Sogren
four children
Werner II ? c.1141/54-1185 After 1185[1][2] Thierstein-Homberg Unknown
two children
Rudolf VI/ V[1] ? c.1179?-1238[2] c.1238[2] County of Thierstein Gepa[2]
three children
Werner III ? c.1185-1223 25 May 1223[1] Thierstein-Homberg Unknown
no children		 Last male membr of the Homberg branch Through a sister or a daughter, who married Herman IV, Count of Frohburg. The land was inherited by the House of Frohburg.
Rudolf VII/ VI[1] ? c.1238-1262[1] After 24 August 1262[2] County of Thierstein Sophia[2]
four children
Sigismund I ? c.1262-1326[1] 4 May 1326[1] Thierstein-Farnsburg Agnes of Weissenburg
(d. after 1334)
three children		 Son of Rudolf VII/VI, inherited Farnsburg.
Rudolf VIII/ VII[1] ? c.1262-1318[1] 27 August 1318[1] Thierstein-Pfeffingen Beatrix
one child

Elisabeth [Adelheid] of Hohenklingen
(d. 16 January 1316/23)
two children		 Son of Rudolf VII/VI, inherited Pfeffingen.
Ulrich I/ II[1] ? 1318-c.1330[1] before 29 June 1330[1] Thierstein-Pfeffingen Unknown
two children
Otto I ? 1326-1347/52 1347/52[1] Thierstein-Farnsburg Clementina of Usenberg
(d. after 1352)
one child
Walram I/ II[1] ? 1330-1345/56 2 October 1345/56[1] Thierstein-Pfeffingen Agnes of Neuchâtel-Arberg
October 1320[3]
two children
Sigismund II ? 1347/52-1383 October 1383[1] Thierstein-Farnsburg Verena of Neuchâtel-Nidau
(d. after 1384)
four children
Walram II/ III[1] before 1339 1345/56-1403 22 May 1403[1] Thierstein-Pfeffingen Anna of Fürstenberg[1] or Adelheid of Hohenlohe
four children

Gisela Malterer[1]
(morganatic?)
no children
Walram III/ IV[1] before 1375 c.1375-1386 9 July 1386[1] Thierstein-Pfeffingen Adelaide of Baden
(d. 19 July 1370 or 31 December 1373)[1]
before 4 April 1369[1]
four children		 Possibly co-ruled with his father, as he predeceased him.
Otto II before 1375 1383-1418 1418 Thierstein-Farnsburg Unmarried Sons of Sigismund II, probably ruled jointly. After their deaths with no male descendants, this line became extinct.
Herman I before 1375 1383-1405 17 June 1405[1] Thierstein-Farnsburg Agnes of Mätsch
(d. 1421)
before 28 April 1393[1]
one child
Sigismund III before 1375 1383-1388 1388 Thierstein-Farnsburg Unmarried
Bernard I ? 1403-1437 13 December 1437[1] Thierstein-Pfeffingen Ita of Toggenburg
(d. before 20 June 1414)[1]
two children

Henriette de Blâmont
c.1417
one child
John I/ II[1] ? 1403/37-1455 1455 Thierstein-Pfeffingen Unknown
three children		 Co-ruled with or succeeded his brother.
Oswald I before 1339 1455-1488 26 March or 6 September 1488[1] Thierstein-Pfeffingen Ottilie of Nassau-Dillenburg
before 13 January 1471
two children
Henry before 1339 1488-1519 30 November 1519[1] Thierstein-Pfeffingen Margaret of Neufchâtel-Bourgogne
(d. after 5 December 1533)
two children		 Sons of Oswald I, probably ruled jointly.
Oswald II before 1339 1488-1512 27 August 1512[1] Thierstein-Pfeffingen Elisabeth of Löwenstein
(d. after 1510)
two children
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See also

References
  1. Cawley 2001.
  2. Birmann 1879, p. 133.
  3. Marriage contract from 11 October. Cf. Cawley 2001

Bibliography
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