Burgau

History

The territory around Burgau was originally part of the stem duchy of Swabia. The death of Conradin and the resulting extinction of the Hohenstaufen line in 1268 led to the collapse of the integrity of the duchy and its division into lands, after local nobles resisted the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph's attempts to annex the duchy. The Lords of Burgau are first found in documentary mention in 1147, as . Burgau was raised to a margraviate in 1212. With the death of Margrave Henry III in 1301, the margravial line fell extinct and the Empire claimed the fief. Albert I of Germany transferred the feudal rights to his two sons, thereby permanently adding the territory to the Habsburg dominions, with Henry III's widow purchasing the allodial rights. Four different titles were awarded: that of allodial rights, Imperial feudal rights (), manorial rights () and guardianship (, usually translated as bailiwick). The location of the castle produced latent tensions with the Bavarian Wittelsbachs, who coveted the margraviate to round off their territories. Their attempted purchase of the territory in 1418 was resisted by the Imperial Cities of Augsburg and Ulm, with the support of other Swabian cities. Burgau came to rely on the support of the Imperial Cities, along with the Bishopric of Augsburg and the Fugger lands to stem the Wittelsbachs' acquisitive desires, particularly after they won the land west of the Lech; see Swabian League. Throughout the 14th century, the Habsburgs were compelled to mortgage the margraviate or its parts; the last such mortgage being to the Bishopric of Augsburg, ending in 1559. Further Austria fell to Emperor Ferdinand I in 1522, passing to his second son Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria, on his death. In the German Peasants' War in 1525,…

Most-observed species

• Graylag Goose

  Anser anser (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  794
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  703
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  671
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  663
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  643
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  590
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  587
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  568

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2008-12-25
  3 km NNW of Saulgau, Germany
• M 2.5 — 2008-12-12
  2 km ESE of Nehren, Germany
• M 2.6 — 2008-06-15
  2 km S of Langenenslingen, Germany
• M 2.7 — 2008-06-14
  3 km S of Diedorf, Germany
• M 2.5 — 2006-09-12
  4 km WSW of Unterhausen, Germany
• M 2.9 — 2006-07-18
  4 km N of Saulgau, Germany