Philipp von Schwaben

Philipp von Schwaben (c.1180-1208, Bamberg) was the youngest son of the Emperor Friedrich I and brother of Heinrich VI. After Heinrich's death he was elected German King (see Deutscher König) in 1198 by a majority of the princes, but a North-west German minority elected an anti-king (Gegenkönig), Otto IV, who was supported by the Pope. Philipp nevertheless was able to establish his power and was crowned at Aachen in 1205. In 1208 he was assassinated by Otto von Wittelsbach. Walther von der Vogelweide was in Philipp's suite in 1198 and for some years after, and some of his political poems (see Spruch) support Philipp's cause.