Berthold, Duke of Merania

Who was Berthold, Duke of Merania?

Berthold was the Count of Andechs and first Duke of Merania, that is, the seacoast of Dalmatia and Istria. In 1188 he was appointed as margrave of Istria and from 1180 to 1182 he was duke of Croatia and Dalmatia.

In 1175, he was raised to the margraviate of Istria and then years later made the duke of the region called "Merania" after the Adriatic Sea. Merania encompassed the same area as the old margraviate, but its ruler now gained much prestige from his new title.

In 1186, he accompanied the Emperor Henry VI to the Kingdom of Sicily. In 1189, he led the third division of the imperial army and was its standard-bearer on the Third Crusade. In 1195, he appeared as the advocate of Tegernsee Abbey. After Henry's death in 1197, he sided with the claimant Philip of Swabia. At this juncture, the duke of Merania was at the height of his power and influence. He possessed lands from Franconia to the Adriatic.

Berthold died in 1204 and was buried in Diessen.