Tassilo, Count of Zollern

Tassilo, Count of Zollern
Oil painting of Tassilo, 17th century
Count of Zollern
Reign? – after 800
SuccessorUnclear
BornBefore 800
DiedAfter 800
SpouseNot named
Issue4, including Frederick, Count of Hechingen
HouseHohenzollern
FatherIsembard
MotherIrmentrud

Tassilo, Count of Zollern, (fl. 800) is the legendary progenitor of the Hohenzollern dynasty. The existence of Tassilo was disproven in the 19th century; the family history of the Hohenzollern begins with Burkhard I, who was killed in a feud in 1061, and Wezil of Hohenzollern.

History

The historian Johann Basilius Herold invented Tassilo as the dynasty's progenitors at the behest of Karl I, Count of Hohenzollern, in 1560, after having been ordered to research the dynasty's origins.[1]

According to Herold, Tassilo was born before the year 800 as the son of Isembard and his wife Irmentrud.[2] His mother was said to have been a daughter of Charlemagne. The count was said to have had his seat at Hohenzollern Castle. Evidence of his existence was rumoured by Herold to be found in the archives of the Muri Abbey. Tassilo was further said to have partaken in several campaigns of Charlemagne. His wife's name is not mentioned, however, four sons are, with the third son Frederick calling himself the Count of Hechingen. According to this version, the city of Hechingen and the hereditary seat of the Hohenzollern dynasty already existed in the 9th century.

The fictional ancestor is also mentioned in the works of Frederick the Great.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Johannes Schultze, Rudolf Seigel, Günther Schuhmann (1972). "Hohenzollern". Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German). Vol. 9. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. pp. 496–501{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link). (full text online).
  2. ↑ Gustav Schilling: Geschichte des Hauses Hohenzollern in genealogisch fortlaufenden Biographien aller seiner Regenten von den ältesten bis auf die neuesten Zeiten, nach Urkunden und andern authentischen Quellen. Fleischer, Leipzig 1843, E-Book, S. 107
  3. ↑ Dino Heicker: Die Hohenzollern: Geschichte einer Dynastie. Berlin 2012, S. 8