⭐ In the context of Bamberg’s growth during the 13th century, the acquisition of land from which noble family significantly contributed to the bishops’ expanding power and estates?
The bishops of Bamberg increased their holdings in the 13th century by acquiring estates from the Dukes of Merania, both through direct purchase and by claiming lands from dissolved feudal arrangements.
Ad spacer
⭐ Core Definition: Duke of Merania
The Duchy of Merania was a fiefdom of the Holy Roman Empire from 1152 until 1248. The dukes of Merania were recognised as princes of the Empire enjoying imperial immediacy at a time when these concepts were just coming into use to distinguish the highest ranks of imperial nobility.
The name "Merania" ("sea-land") comes from either the High German word for sea, meer or the Slavic word for the same, morje (both cognate with Latinmare). The name literally means "land by the sea" (am Meer), referring to its location on the Adriatic.
Bamberg (/ˈbæmbɜːrɡ/, US also /ˈbɑːmbɛərk/, German:[ˈbambɛʁk]; East Franconian: Bambärch) is a town in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in 2022. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby Babenberch castle. Cited as one of Germany's most beautiful towns, with medieval streets and buildings, the old town of Bamberg with around 2,400 timber houses has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.
From the 10th century onwards, Bamberg became a key link with the Western Slavic peoples, notably those of Poland and Pomerania. It experienced a period of great prosperity from the 12th century onwards, during which time it was briefly the centre of the Holy Roman Empire. EmperorHenry II was buried in the old town, alongside his wife Kunigunde. The town's architecture from this period strongly influenced that in Northern Germany and Hungary. From the middle of the 13th century onwards, the bishops were princes of the Empire and ruled Bamberg, overseeing the construction of monumental buildings. This growth was complemented by the obtaining of large portions of the estates of the Counts of Meran in 1248 and 1260 by the sea, partly through purchase and partly through the appropriation of extinguished fiefs.
