County of Katzenelnbogen

Origins

The counts of Katzenelnbogen first appear around 1095 as advocates of the Bishopric of Worms and the abbey of Lorsch. They built Katzenelnbogen castle in the Taunus and expanded into the Rhine valley, acquiring lands on both banks and the area of Darmstadt.

Rule and society

The counts became wealthy from Rhine tolls collected at castles such as Rheinfels above Sankt Goar, built in 1245, and Burg Katz. Count Johann IV is linked with the first recorded mention of Riesling grapes, in 1435. Their lands stretched from the Rhine into the upper Rhine plain.

Decline and legacy

When Philipp the Elder, the last count, died in 1479, his daughter's husband, Landgrave Henry III of Hesse, inherited the county. Its rich tolls helped make Hesse a significant power; the upper county around Darmstadt later became the core of Hesse-Darmstadt.