Eppensteiner, Hochadelsgeschlecht

Eppensteiner, family of the higher nobility, lived in Carinthia and in Styria during the 11th and 12th centuries. The family named itself after the castle near Judenburg (Styria), now a ruin. The E. family originally came from Bavaria and settled at Judenburg. Markwart, b. before 970, d. around 995, was the first Margrave of the march on the River Mur (Styria), the centre of which was the Hengistburg, connected with 4 counties in Upper Styria. His son Adalbero I, who had acquired huge properties in the area which they had cleared of virgin forest, became Margrave around 995 and Duke of Carinthia in 1012, but was removed from power in 1035 and died in 1039. Liutpold (d. 1090) was enfeoffed with the duchy of Carinthia and the Verona march by Heinrich IV in 1077. Liutpold and his brother Heinrich wanted to extend their power in the directions of Bamberg, Salzburg, Istria, Aquileia and Carniola. They founded the monastery of St. Lambrecht between 1096 and 1103. After Heinrich's death, the family died out in 1122. Parts of the family's allodial property in Upper Styria fell to Heinrich's brother-in-law, Count Otakar II of the Traungau (d. 1122) and Otakar's son Leopold I "the Strong". Carinthia fell to the Counts of Sponheim, who were also related to the E. family by marriage. The heir was the last E.'s godson Heinrich; after his death in 1123 the eldest brother became Duke of Carinthia.

Literature: G. Pferschy (ed.), Das Werden der Steiermark, 1980.