Counts of Toggenburg

County of Toggenburg
Grafschaft Toggenburg
State of the Holy Roman Empire
1209–1436
coat of arms (until 1308)[1] coat of arms (from 1228)[1]
Territories held by the counts of Toggenburg
Capital		Lichtensteig
Government		Principality
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	first mention	1209
•	Partitioned	1394
•	Comital line extinct	1436
•	Sold to the Abbot of St Gall	1468
Preceded by Succeeded by House of Kyburg Abbey of St. Gall League of Ten Jurisdictions History_of_Zürich#Old_Swiss_Confederacy County of Sargans

Tomb effigy for Diethelm I (V) in Bubikon (15th century)^[2]

The counts of Toggenburg (Grafen von Toggenburg) ruled the Toggenburg region of today’s canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland and adjacient areas during the 13th to 15th centuries.

A baronial family of Toggenburg is mentioned in the 11th and 12th centuries, but their genealogical connection to the comital family is unclear. They are named for their ancestral seat, now known as Alt-Toggenburg, near Kirchberg, St. Gallen. The castle was built in the 10th or 11th century, and was destroyed in 1085 in a conflict with the Abbot of St. Gallen, later rebuilt and in 1226 given to St. Gallen Abbey by count Diethelm of Toggenburg.

The family is attested from the early 13th century, as Toccanburg, later Tochimburc. Diethelm I (possible mention 1176, died 1205 or 1207) was followed by Diethelm II (possible mention 1210, died c. 1230). Either of these was the beneficiary of the inheritance of a number of local noble families (among these Alt-Rapperswil) in c. 1200 and adopted the title of comes (count) from 1209. In 1187, one Werner of Toggenburg became abbot of Einsiedeln. The legend of a Saint Idda of Toggenburg is recorded in 1481, making her the wife of a count of Toggenburg, possibly either Diethelm, or one Heinrich. According to the legend, the husband defenestrated his innocent wife on suspicion of adultery. She survived and lived as an anchoress in Fischingen. Her veneration there is attested for 1410.

The early counts were in competition with St. Gallen Abbey, the bishops of Constance and the counts of Kyburg. The inheritance disputes motivated the donation of religious establishments in Bubikon, Rüti, Oberbollingen and Wurmsbach in the 1190s, and a fratricide by one Diethelm (fl. 1209–36) of his brother Rudolf in 1226.

Brent Schaff, who inherited the comital title in about 1389, expanded the influence of the Toggenburg area. He improved farming in his county with great success through changes known as the Tayven reforms. On 23 April 1398 Count Donat von Toggenburg donated the church of Elsow as benefice for the new Allerheiligenaltar at the grave of the Toggenburg family, for the "salvation of the soul of his daughter Menta von Toggenburg" who had died shortly before.^[3] Count Fridrich von Toggenburg, Herr zu Brettengow und Tafas donated to "his own and the salvation of his ancestors who were buried" (at the Rüti church) "and where he also expects to be buried," the church, rights and lands (Kirchwidem and Kirchensatz) in Wangen in der March to the Rüti Abbey, sealed by Fridrich and the knights Herman von Landenberg, Johans von Bonstetten from Ustra and Herman von der Hochenlandenberg on 21 January 1407.^[4]

In 1436, the death of the last count, Frederick VII, Count of Toggenburg, led to the Old Zurich War over the succession.

One of the few remaining tomb stones of the Toggenburg family, Toggenburgergruft beneath the present entrance area of the Rüti church.

Friedrich VII was later buried in a chapel, the so-called Toggenburger Kapelle (capella nova in latere monasterii de novo construxit) given by his noble wife, Elisabeth Countess of Toggenburg, née von Mätsch.^[5][6] Elisabeth spent her last days in the Rüti Abbey, writing on 20 June 1442 that she had retreated there (unser wesen gentzlich in dasselbe gotzhus got zuo dienende gezogen habe) and desired her tomb to be with her husband's.^[7] On 11 June 1443 marauding troops of the Old Swiss Confederacy devastated the monastery and desecrated the bodies of the nobles, including Count Friedrich VII whom they held responsible for the war with Zürich. 14 members of the family were buried in the Toggenburg vault in the church of the Rüti Abbey.

List of counts

Ruler	Born	Years	Marriage	Death	Notes
Diethelm V (Diethelm I. von Toggenburg) Donor portrait in Bubikon (1192)	1140 Son of Diethelm (IV) von Toggenburg and Ita von Homberg	c. 1176-1207[8]	Guta von Rapperswil (1170 - 24 November 1227) Before or c. 1209 at least three children	1209 aged 68/69	First count of Toggenburg.
Diethelm II (Diethelm II. von Toggenburg)	Before 1207 First son of Diethelm I von Toggenburg and Guta von Rapperswil	1207-1230[8]	Gertrude of Neuchâtel (d.1260) at least nine children	1230
Frederick I (Friedrich I. von Toggenburg)	Before 1207 Second son of Diethelm I von Toggenburg and Guta von Rapperswil	1207-1226[8]	A lady Montfort (b.1200) no children	12 December 1226[9] Schloss Rengerswil	Ruled jointly with his brother[10]
Diethelm III (Diethelm III. von Toggenburg)	1209 Son of Diethelm II and Gertrude of Neuchâtel	1230-1235[8]	Unknown	25 January 1235 aged 25/26
Kraft I (Diethelm III. von Toggenburg)	1228 First son of Diethelm III	1235-1249[8]	Elisabeth von Bussnang Before 1244 at least five children	15 July 1249 aged 20/21
Frederick II (Friedrich II. von Toggenburg)	After 1228 Second son of Diethelm III and Gertrude of Neuchâtel	1235-1284[8]	Unmarried	28 August 1284	Ruled jointly with his brother and nephews.
Diethelm IV (Diethelm IV. von Toggenburg)	Before 1244 First son of Kraft I and Elisabeth von Bussnang	1249-1283[8]	Unmarried	1283	Ruled jointly with his uncle and brothers.
Kraft II (Kraft II. von Toggenburg) Codex Manesse (22v)	Before 1244 Second son of Kraft I and Elisabeth von Bussnang	1249-1261[8]	Unmarried	1261
Frederick III (Friedrich III. von Toggenburg)	1244 Third son of Kraft I and Elisabeth von Bussnang	1249-1309[8]	Clementia of Werdenberg (1246-28 February 1282)[11] at least five children	17 January 1309
Frederick IV (Friedrich IV. von Toggenburg)	c.1280 First son of Frederick III and Clementia of Werdenberg	1309-1315[8][12]	Ida of Frohburg-Homberg (d.1328) at least two children	15 November 1315 Morgarten aged c.34/35
Kraft III (Kraft III. von Toggenburg)	Before 1282 Second son of Frederick III and Clementia of Werdenberg	1309-1339[8]	unmarried	17 March 1339	Ruled jointly with his brother and nephews
Diethelm V (Diethelm V. von Toggenburg)	Before 1315 First son of Frederick IV and Ida of Frohburg-Homberg	1315-1337[8]	Adelaide of Griesenberg (d.1371) no children	21 September 1337
Frederick V (Friedrich V. von Toggenburg)	Before 1315 Second son of Frederick IV and Ida of Frohburg-Homberg	1315-1364[8][13]	Kunigunde of Vaz (1308 - February 1364)[14] at least ten children Unknown[15] Before 19 February 1364 one child	19 February 1364
Frederick VI (Friedrich VI. von Toggenburg)		1349 First son of Frederick V and Kunigunde of Vaz	1364-1375[8]	unmarried	14 February 1375 aged 25/26 Ruled jointly with his brothers
Diethelm VI (Diethelm VI. von Toggenburg)	1353 Second son of Frederick V and Kunigunde of Vaz	1364-1385[8][16]	Catherine of Werdenberg-Heilingenberg (1355-30 June 1395)[17] three children	27 December 1385	Ruled jointly with his brothers
Donat (Donat. von Toggenburg)	1358 Third son of Frederick V and Kunigunde of Vaz	1364-1400[3][8][18]	Agnes of Habsburg-Laufenburg (1387-1425)[19] two children	7 November 1400	Ruled jointly with his brothers
Frederick VII (Friedrich VII. von Toggenburg) 19th-century Wappenscheibe	c.1380 Son of Diethelm VI and Catherine of Werdenberg-Heilingenberg	1400-1436	Elisabeth von Mätsch three children	30 April 1436 Feldkirch aged c. 55/56
Elisabeth von Mätsch (Elisabeth von Mätsch) Berner Schilling (1484)	c.1370 Daughter of Ulrich IV von Matsch and Agnes of Kirchberg	1436-1446[8]	Frederick VII three children	24 November 1446 aged c. 75/76	Widow of Frederick VII.

References

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