Sponheim family

The House of Sponheim or Spanheim (also called the Sponheimer or Spanheimer) was a German noble family of the High Middle Ages. They were Dukes of Carinthia from 1122 until 1269.

The founder of the family was one Siegfried, a Frank by birth, who married Richgard, daughter of "Count Engelbert." For this reason the family is sometimes termed the Siegfrieding. In 1122, Siegfried's grandson Henry III of Sponheim was created Duke of Carinthia, inaugurating a dynasty which lasted until the death of Ulric III in 1269.

Sources

• Freed , John B. "Reflections on the Medieval German Nobility." The American Historical Review, Vol. 91, No. 3. (Jun., 1986), pp 553-575.