Person

Berthold IV of Zähringen

c. 1125–1186 · 12th century · Also known as Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen

Berthold IV of Zähringen was Duke of Zähringen from 1152 until his death in 1186 and rector of Burgundy, the imperial office that gave his family authority west of the Rhine. He strengthened Zähringen power in the Swiss plateau by founding towns, above all Fribourg in 1157 on a defensible bend of the Saane. His son Berthold V, the last of the line, founded Bern.

Berthold IV of Zähringen
Image: Flominator · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Canton of Fribourg

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Berthold IV of Zähringen. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/berthold-iv-of-zahringen
MLA
“Berthold IV of Zähringen.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/berthold-iv-of-zahringen. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Berthold IV of Zähringen.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/berthold-iv-of-zahringen.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Berthold IV of Zähringen’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/berthold-iv-of-zahringen (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻