County of Oettingen
county, later principality, of the Holy Roman Empire
The House of Oettingen was a high-ranking noble Franconian and Swabian family. It ruled various estates that composed the County of Oettingen between the 12th century and the beginning of the 19th century. In 1674 the house was raised to the rank of prince for the first time. Despite the annexation of their lands following the German mediatisation of 1806, the family retained their titles and still have representatives today.
Origins
The Oettingen family traces its descent back to Fridericus comes, documented in 987, and his father Sieghard V. (Sigehardus comes in pago Riezzin, 'Sieghard, Count in Riesgau') from the Sieghardinger family, documented in 1007. These are also considered to be the ancestors of the Staufers.
The Oettingen family was first mentioned in 1147 with Ludovicus comes de Otingen, a relative of the Imperial House of Hohenstaufen who was granted the county surrounding the Imperial city of Nördlingen as a fief, possibly with his brother Chuno comes de Othingen. The relationship between the family and the Hohenstaufens is also proven by documents. The family built Steinsberg Castle around 1200 as vassals of the Hohenstaufen dynasty
From the 12th to the 14th century the family gained the largest secular territory in East Swabia. The county of Oettingen lay around the imperial city of Nördlingen in present-day Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “County of Oettingen” as county, later principality, of the Holy Roman Empire. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as county, later principality, of the Holy Roman Empire. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q9294375. VIAF identifies the subject as 168545323. The Library of Congress control number is n87902761. Authority coordinates are 48.955, 10.605. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1674, 1806, 1007 and 1147.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “County of Oettingen”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow County of Oettingen primary sources, County of Oettingen archive and County research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “County of Oettingen”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “County of Oettingen” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.