County of Gorizia

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The County of Gorizia (German: Grafschaft Görz; Italian: Contea di Gorizia; Slovenian: Goriška grofija; Friulian: Contee di Gurize) was a county based around Gorizia in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, current north-eastern Italy.

The first count of Gorizia, Meinhard I, is mentioned as early as 1127. The borders of the county changed frequently in the following four centuries, due to frequent wars with the nearby Patriarchate of Aquileia and other counties, but also to the subdivision of the territory in two main nuclei: one around the upper Drava, near Lienz, the other centered on Gorizia itself. The county reached the apex of its power from the mid-13th century, when the counts annexed Tyrol and controlled the Marca Trevigiana, though for a short while. After the death of count Henry III, assassinated in 1323, the county suffered a steep decline under the power of their powerful neighbours, the Republic of Venice and the Austrian Empire.

In 1500 the last count of Gorizia, Leonhard, died and the county was inherited by the Archdukes of Austria. Until 1747 Gorizia formed a County of the Holy Roman Emperor ruled by the Austrian Archdukes, as part of the Austrian Circle. It was governed by a capitano. Its territory included the upper valley of Isonzo River to Aquileia, the area of Cormons and Duino, and the former Venetian fortress of Gradisca. It was occupied by the Venetians from 1508 until 1509, and in 1511 the County of Gradisca was separated from it by the Habsburgs. In 1747, it ceased to be a separate county and was merged with nearby Gradisca to form the Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca.

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This page uses content from HistoryWiki at County of Gorizia. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Wikipedia, the text of HistoryWiki is available under the GFDL.