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TheCounts of Celje (Slovene:Celjski grofje) or theCounts of Cilli (German:Grafen von Cilli;Hungarian:cillei grófok) were the most influentiallate medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-daySlovenia. Risen asvassals of theHabsburg dukes ofStyria in the early 14th century, they ruled theCounty of Cilli asimmediate counts (Reichsgrafen) from 1341. They soon acquired a large number of feudal possessions also in today'sCroatia andBosnia. They rose toPrinces of the Holy Roman Empire in 1436. The dynasty reached its peak withUlrich II of Cilli, but with his death in 1456 they also died out, and after a war of succession, the Habsburgs inherited their domains.
The Lords ofSanneck (Žovnek) Castle on theSann (Savinja) river inLower Styria were first mentioned around 1123/30. Their ancestors may have been relatives of SaintHemma of Gurk (d. 1045), who held large estates in the area. The fortress was allegedly already built under the rule ofCharlemagne as a stronghold against theAvars.
One Leopold of Sanneck appeared as a supporter of the Habsburg kingRudolf I of Germany in the 1278Battle on the Marchfeld. In the early 14th century, the Lords of Sanneck allied with theAustrian Habsburgs in their conflict against DukeHenry VI of Carinthia around theKingdom of Bohemia, making them Habsburg vassals in 1308.[1] Leopold's brother Frederick by marriage inherited the large possessions of the late Counts ofHeunburg in 1322; the Celje estates became a property of the dynasty in 1333,[1] not before years of feuds with CountUlrich V of Pfannberg and other rival noble dynasties. Frederick finally prevailed with the support ofOtto the Merry, the Habsburg duke ofStyria. He became governor ofCarniola and theWindic March in 1332 and was elevated to comital status by EmperorLouis IV in 1341 atMunich, receiving the titleCylie orCilli derived fromCelje Castle.
The Counts of Celje soon owned more than 20 castles spread over the territory of modern Slovenia and beyond through the marriages of their daughters. By acquiring large estates in the adjoining duchies of Styria andCarinthia, in theMarch of Carniola as well as in the territories of theHungarian Crown (includingCroatia andSlavonia), their influence rose and they became one of the most powerful families in the area. Count Ulrich I of Cilli, a leader ofmercenary soldiers, joined KingLouis I of Hungary on his 1354 campaign intoDalmatia and, shortly afterwards, accompanied theRex RomanorumCharles IV to his coronation atRome. His son William marriedAnna of Poland, daughter of thePolish kingCasimir III the Great. The Counts of Cilli were related by marriage with rulers ofBosnia and Polish and Hungarian kings.[2] ThroughBarbara of Cilli the Counts were also in kinship with the royalty of Bohemia.
Their rapid rise continued after the 1396Battle of Nicopolis against theOttoman Empire, where CountHermann II of Cilli saved the life of KingSigismund of Hungary, the son of the late Emperor Charles IV. As a reward, the king donated (1397–99) the city ofVaraždin, the county ofZagorje,Međimurje region[3] and many estates inCroatia to the family.[1] In 1401, the Counts of Cilli were among Sigismund's supporters against the rebellious Hungarianmagnates. Their alliance with the ImperialHouse of Luxembourg became even closer through the marriage of Hermann's daughterBarbara of Cilli to the king in 1405.[1] In 1418, Count Hermann II inherited the Carinthian and Carniolan estates of the extinctCounts of Ortenburg, which was subsequently administered by his vassalAndreas von Graben zu Sommeregg.
In 1410, Sigismund had been electedKing of the Romans and was crownedHoly Roman Emperor in 1433. In 1436 he elevated the Counts of Cilli to the rank ofPrinces of the Holy Roman Empire (although they retained their title ofGraf (Slovene:grof)). The Habsburgs, whose strongest rivals they had become, reacted with a war that lasted until 1443, when an agreement of mutual inheritance was signed.[2]
CountUlrich II of Cilli was the most powerful member of the Cilli family. In 1432 he married Catherine, daughter of theSerbian despotĐurađ Branković. Ulrich held a large influence in many courts, which originated from the relationships the Cilli family had made in the past. Upon the death of the Habsburg kingAlbert II in 1439, he tried to get regency of Hungary, Bohemia and Austria through control over Albert's minor sonLadislaus the Posthumous. With such ambitions he got many opponents and rivals, such as the HungarianHunyadi family, Friderick, the Archduke of Styria and Carinthia (Albert's cousin, later emperorFriderick III.) and George ofPodebrad. After an unsuccessful claim to the Bosnian crown, Cilli obtained some territories in Croatia and Slavonia and in 1452 finally succeeded in forcing EmperorFrederick III to hand over the boy king Ladislaus to his keeping. Thus, Ulrich II becamede factoregent of Hungary.
In 1456 after the death of his rivalJohn Hunyadi, Ulrich II succeeded him as Captain General of Hungary. That initiated a plot by the Hunyadi family against Ulrich II, and he was assassinated by the men of John Hunyadi's sonLadislaus on 8 November inBelgrade.
With the death of Ulrich II the male line of the Counts of Cilli died out, and after a war of succession all of their estates and property were handed over to the Habsburgs on the basis of the inheritance agreement.
Part of their coat of arms - the three golden stars on a blue background, which, as Lords of Sanneck, they had inherited from the once powerful Carinthian Counts of Heunburg in 1322 - was incorporated into theEmblem of Yugoslavia in 1920s and theSlovenian coat of arms in 1991. It is also the current coat of arms ofCelje.
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The Lords of Sanneck (Žovnek) or Barons of Soune[2]
Counts of Cilli (Celje)[2]
In 1458 the county is annexed to Austria.
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