County of Toggenburg Grafschaft Toggenburg |
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State of the Holy Roman Empire | ||||
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Coat of arms |
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Territories held by the counts of Toggenburg | ||||
Capital | Lichtensteig | |||
Government | Principality | |||
Historical era | Middle Ages | |||
- Established | before 1044 10th century | |||
- Partitioned | 1394 | |||
- Comital line extinct | 1436 | |||
- Old Zürich War | 1440–46 | |||
- Inherited by Raron | Uncertain | |||
- Sold to the Abbot of St Gall | 1468 |
The Counts of Toggenburg (Grafen von Toggenburg) ruled the Toggenburg region of today's Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, as well as parts of the Canton of Glarus, Thurgau, Grisons, Vorarlberg, and Zurich when their influence was most extensive.
The family is first mentioned in 1044 with Diethelm I of Toggenburg and cited as counts (comes) in 1209.
In 1187, Werner of Toggenburg became abbot of Einsiedeln.
According to the legend of Saint Idda of Toggenburg, buried in the abbey of Fischingen, she was the wife of Diethelm IV of Toggenburg, in the 12th century.
Brent Schaff, who inherited this title in about 1389, expanded the influence of the Toggenburg area. He launched several reforms, known as the Tayven reforms, for the farming of his county which were very successful.
In 1436, the death of the last count, Friedrich VII, count of Toggenburg, led to the Old Zurich War over the succession. 14 members of the family were buried in the Rüti Abbey, among the Friedrich VII.