Counts of Celje
Encyclopedia : C : CO : COU : Counts of Celje
In the Middle Ages, the town of Celje was the property of the Counts of Celje (Slovene Celjski grofje, German Grafen von Cilli). They are often still referred to in English as Counts of Cilli.
They were a well-known noble family of Slovenia and the only true counts of Slovene ethnicity. They began their glory in a small castle in Žovnek (German Sannegg), Braslovče (Upper Savinja valley), but in a short period of time they owned more than 20 castles all over Slovenia and beyond through the marriages of their daughters.
When the last count of Celje died without an heir, all of their domains were passed on to the Habsburgs, their biggest rivals (the Counts of Celje and the Habsburgs had an agreement, that the family which died out first, would leave all its' possesions to the other one).
Their coat of arms (three yellow stars on a blue background) was incorporated into the Slovenian national flag in 1991. It is also the current coat of arms of Celje.
Most famous of the Counts of Celje
- Ulrich I of Celje, d 1312, lord of Zovnek who became 1st Count of Celje
- Frederick I (–1359/60)
- Ulrik II of Žovnek/Sannegg (1331–1368)
- William of Celje (1361-1392), father of Anna of Celje, Queen of Poland and Lithuania, second wife of Jagello
- Hermann II (1365–1435)
- Barbara of Celje (Barbara Celjska) (1368–1437), Holy Roman Empress
- Frederick II
- Anna of Celje (1381–1416), wife of Polish king Władysław Jagiełło
- Ulrich III of Celje (Ulrich Cillei) (1406-1456)
- Margaret of Celje d 1480, heiress of the dynasty, married (1) Count Herman of Montfort and (2) Duke Vladislav of Teschen
External link
- http://genealogy.euweb.cz/small/cilli.html
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.