county · Germany and Central Europe
County of Ravensberg
Origins
The counts of Ravensberg appear around 1140, named after a castle near Borgholzhausen. Their territory grew between the Teutoburg Forest and the Weser hills, and around 1214 Count Hermann IV founded the town of Bielefeld beneath the Sparrenburg castle.
Rule and society
Ravensberg became known for linen weaving, which made Bielefeld a centre of the trade. In 1346 the county passed by marriage to the counts of Berg and later formed part of the united territory of Jülich, Cleves and Berg. Its estates kept local institutions.
Decline and legacy
After the Jülich succession crisis, the Treaty of Xanten of 1614 assigned Ravensberg to Brandenburg, confirmed in 1666. It remained Prussian, was briefly part of the Kingdom of Westphalia from 1807, and then joined the Prussian province of Westphalia.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- County of Ravensberg was part of Holy Roman Empire1140 CE – 1806 CE
- County of Ravensberg in personal union with Duchy of Berg1346 CE – 1614 CE
- County of Ravensberg in personal union with Margraviate of Brandenburg1614 CE – 1701 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). County of Ravensberg. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-ravensberg
- MLA
- “County of Ravensberg.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-ravensberg. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “County of Ravensberg.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-ravensberg.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘County of Ravensberg’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-ravensberg (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻