Ulrich III von Spanheim
(c. 1220 – 27 October 1269)
Duke of Carinthia
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Early Life and Background
Ulrich III was born around 1220 in Cividale del Friuli, the eldest son of Duke Bernhard von Spanheim and Judith of Bohemia, daughter of King Ottokar I. He was the last male heir of the House of Sponheim in Carinthia.
Reign and Territorial Expansion
Ulrich succeeded his father as Duke of Carinthia in 1256. Through his marriage to Agnes of Merania in 1248, he acquired claims to the March of Carniola, which he consolidated during his reign.
Cultural and Religious Contributions
He continued his father’s patronage of religious institutions, completing the foundation of the Carthusian monastery in Bistra (Freudenthal) near Ljubljana in 1260. He also founded the Augustinian Canons’ monastery in Völkermarkt.
Family and Succession
Ulrich married twice: first to Agnes of Merania, widow of Duke Frederick II of Austria, with whom he had a son who died young; then to Agnes of Baden, daughter of Margrave Hermann VI of Baden. Both marriages were childless.
End of the Sponheim Dynasty
In 1268, Ulrich secretly designated his cousin, King Ottokar II of Bohemia, as his sole heir in an inheritance agreement. Ulrich died on 27 October 1269 in Cividale del Friuli.
Legacy
Ulrich’s death marked the end of the Sponheim rule in Carinthia. His cousin Ottokar II succeeded him, and the region became part of the Bohemian Crown.
Seal of Ulrich III, 1253
The seal of Ulrich III, dating from 1253, bears the first Carinthian coat of arms.
Ulrich III, successor of Bernhard of Spanheim, issued the charter on 9 November 1253.
