Barony of Westerburg

The Barony of Westerburg (German: Herrschaft Westerburg), a small principality around the present day town of Westerburg in the Westerwald mountains of Germany, is first recorded in 1209. The eponymous castle, which had probably been built earlier than that was is mentioned for the first time in 1192, was the family seat of the lords of Westerburg, a branch of the lords of Runkel.

The lords of Westerburg go back to the House of Runkel, which had its main seat at Runkel Castle on the River Lahn. After this older branch died out, the lords of Westerburg inherited most of the estate rights of their Runkel cousins.

The House of Runkel is first mentioned in a deed dated 1 April 1159. At that time a Siegfried of Runkel was a witness, when the lords of Laurenburg, later the House of Nassau, were given Nassau Castle as a fielf. It is possible that, even at that time, the main territorial estate of the House of Runkel was in the region of Westerburg. This is evinced by the fact that Runkel Castle had only a very small estate in its immediate vicinity.

Through his marriage to a countess from the House of Leiningen, Siegfried III of Runkel acquired both Westerburg as well as the Vogtei over Stift St. Severus in Gemünden and called himself henceforth Siegfried of Runkel and of Westerburg. Two of his sons inherited: Siegfried IV of Runkel, who resided in Westerburg, and Dietrich I of Runkel, who lived in Runkel. By around 1250 family disputes arose that, under Siegfried' grandchildren, finally led to the separation of the baronies of Runkel and Westerburg, at the latest in 1288. Dietrich's son, Siegfried V of Runkel, threatened his cousin, Henry from Runkel, and the latter, a son of Siegfried IV, called himself henceforth, Henry II of Westerburg. He underlined the enmity by building the Schadeck Castle, first recorded in 1288, on the north bank of the Lahn opposite Runkel. Through his marriage to Agnes, daughter of Gerhard of Limburg, Henry also came into the possession of the Barony of Schaumburg and one sixth of the Barony of Cleeburg. After Henry of Westerburg, seven generations of direct descendants followed him as lords of Westerburg:

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