County of Ravensberg

Grafschaft Ravensberg

State of the Holy Roman Empire (until 1806)

←

1140s – 1807

→

Coat of arms

Map of part of the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle in
1560, County of Ravensberg highlighted in red

Capital

Bielefeld

Government

Principality

Historical era

Middle Ages

•

Otto I, Count of
Ravensberg

1140s 1140s

•

Gerhard I, Count of Berg
and Ravensberg

1338

•

Joined Westphalian
Imperial Circle

1500

•

John III, Duke of
Jülich-Cleves-Berg

1521

•

To Brandenburg-Prussia
by Treaty of Xanten

1614

•

Disestablished

1807

The County of Ravensberg (German: Grafschaft Ravensberg) was a historical county of the Holy Roman Empire. Its territory was in present-day eastern Westphalia, Germany at the foot of the Osning or Teutoburg Forest.

History

Sparrenburg Castle

Historic map of the County of Ravensberg (1798)

Ravensberg was first mentioned in the 12th century; its first capital was Burg Ravensberg. The Counts of Ravensberg then had Sparrenberg Castle built in Bielefeld ca. 1240–50, which they made their seat.

The county was later inherited by the Duchy of Berg in 1346, which in turn became part of the Duchy of Jülich-Berg in 1423, and ultimately the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg in 1521.

After the War of the Jülich succession, in the Treaty of Xanten in 1614, the County of Ravensberg came to the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which became the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701, and was administered within Minden-Ravensberg from 1719–1807, when it was dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars.

Aside from Bielefeld, other communities in the County of Ravensberg were Borgholzhausen, Halle, Steinhagen, Versmold, Werther, Isselhorst (now part of Gütersloh), Enger, Hiddenhausen, Rödinghausen, Spenge, Herford (except for Falkendiek), Bünde (except for Dünne and Spradow), Vlotho (except for Uffeln), Kirchlengern south of the Werre, Preußisch Oldendorf (except for Hedem and Lashorst) and Bad Oeynhausen south of the Werre.

Rulers

House Calvelage-Ravensberg

Until 1144 Hermann I
ca.1140 -ca.1170 Otto I
ca.1160 -ca.1180 Heinrich
ca.1175 -ca.1220 Hermann II
ca.1220 -1244 Otto II
ca.1220 -1249 Ludwig
1249-1306 Otto III
1306-1328 Otto IV
1328-1346 Bernard

House of Jülich

1348-1395 in Personal union with Berg, since 1437 with Jülich-Berg

1346-1360 Gerhard I
1360-1408 William I, lets his 2 sons rule :
1395-1403 Adolf
1403-1428 William II
1428–1475 Gerhard II
1475–1511 William III

House of La Marck, Dukes

– from 1521 a part of the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg –

1511–1539 John
1539–1592 William V
1592–1609 John William I

House of Hohenzollern

- from 1614 Margraves of Brandenburg and Kings of Prussia -

1614–1619 John Sigismund of Hohenzollern
1619–1640 George William, son
1640–1688 Frederick William I, son
1688–1713 Frederick I, son, King in Prussia from 1701
1713–1740 Frederick William I, son, King in Prussia
1740–1786 Frederick II, son, King of Prussia from 1772
1786–1797 Frederick William II, nephew, King of Prussia
1797–1807 Frederick William III, King of Prussia

To France by the 1807 Treaty of Tilsit, incorporated into the Kingdom of Westphalia

External links

Media related to County of Ravensberg at Wikimedia Commons

Historical Map of Northrhine-Westphalia 1789

Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle (1500–1806) of the Holy Roman Empire

Ecclesiastical

Cambrai (until 1678)
Corvey¹
Liège
Minden²
Münster
Stavelot–Malmedy¹
Osnabrück
Paderborn
Utrecht (until 1548)
Verden (until 1648)

Map of a large region (in white) including all the territory of modern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands, plus parts of most neighbouring countries, including most of Northern Italy. Some of the northwest part region is highlighted in color, including Münster, most of the Netherlands and parts of modern Belgium.

The Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle (color) within the Holy Roman Empire (white)

Prelates

Secular

Counts
and lords

From 1500	Bentheim Bronkhorst (until 1719) Diepholz East Frisia (until 1667) Horne³ (until 1614) Hoya Lingen³ Lippe Manderscheid (until 1546) Moers (until 1541) Nassau Diez Hadamar Dillenburg (until 1664) Oldenburg (until 1777) Pyrmont Ravensberg³ Reichenstein Rietberg Salm-Reifferscheid Sayn Schaumburg Tecklenburg Virneburg Wied Winneburg and Beilstein Zimerauff^?

From 1792	Anholt Blankenheim and Gerolstein Gemen Gimborn Gronsfeld Hallermund Holzappel Kerpen-Lommersum Myllendonk Reckheim Schleiden Wickrath Wittem

Status uncertain	Delmenhorst Fagnolle Schaumburg Hesse Lippe Spiegelberg Steinfurt

Cities

¹ from 1792 ² until 1792 ³ without seat in Imperial Diet ^? status uncertain

Circles est. 1500: Bavarian, Swabian, Upper Rhenish, Lower Rhenish–Westphalian, Franconian, (Lower) Saxon

Circles est. 1512: Austrian, Burgundian, Upper Saxon, Electoral Rhenish
Unencircled territories

Territories and provinces of Prussia (1525–1947)

Before 1701	Duchy of Prussia Margraviate of Brandenburg Cleves / Mark / Ravensberg (1614) Farther Pomerania / Minden / Halberstadt (1648) Lauenburg–Bütow / Draheim (1657) Magdeburg (1680) Colonies Gold Coast Arguin St. Thomas

After 1701	Neuchâtel (1707) Guelders (1713) Minden-Ravensberg (1719) Western Pomerania (1720 / 1815) Silesia / Glatz (1742) East Frisia (1744) East / West Prussia (1772–73) South Prussia (1793) New East Prussia / New Silesia (1795)

Post-Congress of Vienna (1814–15)	Brandenburg Principality of Neuchâtel (1814–1848) Pomerania Grand Duchy of Posen¹ Saxony Silesia Westphalia Rhine Province² (1822) Province of Prussia (1824–1878) Hohenzollern (1850) Schleswig-Holstein / Hanover / Hesse-Nassau (1866–68)

Territorial reforms after 1918	Lower / Upper Silesia (1919) Greater Berlin (1920) Posen-West Prussia (1922) Halle-Merseburg / Magdeburg / Kurhessen / Nassau (1944)

¹ Became Province of Posen in 1848. ² From the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg.

Coordinates: 52°05′31.79″N 8°34′14.55″E / 52.0921639°N 8.5707083°E / 52.0921639; 8.5707083

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