Rheingau

Infobox Former Country
native_name = "Grafschaft der Rheingau",
"Rheingrafschaft"
conventional_long_name = County of the Rhine district,
The Rhinegraviate
common_name = Rheingau|
continent = Europe
region = Central Europe
country = Germany
era = Middle Ages
status = Vassal
status_text = State of the Frankish Empire
State of the Holy Roman Empire
empire = Holy Roman Empire
government_type = Principality|
year_start = 937
year_end = 1866|
event_start =
date_start = "ca" 937
event1 = Donation of Verona:
given to Abp Mainz
date_event1 =
983
event2 = Archbishopric dissolved;
to Duchy of Nassau
date_event2 =
1806
event_end = Prussia annexes Nassau
into Hesse-Nassau
date_end =
1866|
p1 = Kingdom of the Franks
image_p1 =
s1 = Kingdom of Prussia
flag_s1 = Flag of Prussia (1803).gif|



|


image_map_caption = The Rheingau shown on a 1905 map of Hesse-Nassau|
capital = Rheingrafenstein in Kreuznach; later Eltville|
footnotes = The Rheingau ( _en. Rhine District) is the hill country on the north side of the Rhine River between Wiesbaden and Lorch near Frankfurt, reaching from the western Taunus to the Rhine. It lies in the state of Hesse and is part of the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis administrative district. It is famous for Rheingau wines, especially the "Rheingauer Riesling," and its many wine taverns.

History

The Rheingau was as a "Gau" or county of the Frankish Empire, bordered by the Niddagau, the Maingau, the Oberrheingau, and the Lahngau; the counts of the Rheingau were known as Rhinegraves. The first Rhinegrave on record is Hato VI (937–960).de icon [http://www.retrobibliothek.de/retrobib/seite.html?id=113622 Rheingraf] at "Meyers Konversationslexikon", 1888]

In 983, Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor, gave the Rheingau, together with other territories, to the Archbishopric of Mainz during the Diet of Verona. When the Archbishopric was dissolved in 1806, the Rheingau was given to the Duchy of Nassau.

As a result of the marriage of John III (1383–1428) to Adelheid, of the Wildgraves of Kyrburg, John V (1476–95) inherited territories in the Obersalm Wasgau, to the left of the Rhine (from the Nahegau, on the River Nahe and in the Alsace) from the Wildgraves and the counts of Salm, so that these territories also came to be linked to their name, with the counts using the title "Wild- and Rhinegraves of Salm".

Gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.germanwine.de/english/d_reg/r_rhein.htm German wine regions: Rheingau]
* [http://www.wiesbadenarea.co.cc/ Rheingau/Wiesbaden Area English & French Speaking community]