Herman II of Sponheim, Duke of Carinthia (died 4 October 1181) ruled the Duchy of Carinthia from 1161 to his death. [1]
A scion of the House of Sponheim, he was a son of Margrave Engelbert III of Istria and Matilda of Sulzbach. [2] His father was formerly identified as Margrave Engelbert's brother Duke Ulrich I of Carinthia.
Herman's paternal grandparents were Duke Engelbert of Carinthia (died 1141) and Uta of Passau. Duke Engelbert had also controlled the March of Istria.[3] His maternal grandparents were Berengar II, Count of Sulzbach (died 3 December 1125) and Adelheid of Wolfratshausen. His maternal aunts included Gertrude of Sulzbach and Bertha of Sulzbach, respectively the wives of King Conrad III of Germany and the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. [4]
When in April 1144, his paternal uncle Duke Ulrich I of Carinthia died childless[5] Herman's elder brother Henry VIII succeeded him. Henry married Elizabeth of Styria, a daughter of Leopold of Styria, and died childless on 12 October 1161. [6]
Herman succeeded his older brother as Duke. He consolidated his position by achieving the office of a Vogt protector over the Carinthian possessions of the Bishopric of Bamberg and the Patriarchate of Aquileia. In about 1173, Herman married Agnes of Babenberg, daughter of Duke Henry II of Austria and the widow of King Stephen III of Hungary. They had two known sons: [7]
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry IV |
Duke of Carinthia 1161–1181 |
Succeeded by Ulrich II |