Ulrich I von Graben

This historical sketch shows Ulrich I, his coat of arms with a blue diagonal left bar on silver, and three of his sons Otto I, Ulrich II and Frederik I von Graben, founders of the Kornberg line, and their new coat of arms with the shovel. Behind Ulrich lies Neu-Gleichenberg, which he had rebuilt on behalf of the Lords of Walsee. Above the coats of arms of Walsee and Stubenberg, his feudal lords. (Drawing by Matthias Laurenz Gräff)

Ulrich I von (vom) Graben (d. before 1325) was a burgrave and knight from the Austrian Herren von Graben family

Biography

Nothing is known about Ulrich's parents, but it can be assumed that he was a younger son of the Konradin line at Graben of the Lords of Graben (in and around Graz). Konrad I, Rennewart and Walther vom Graben can be seen as his (older) brothers. Three of Ulrich's sons from his marriage with Gertrud, Otto I, Ulrich II and Frederik I became ancestors of the Kornberg line of the family.

Coat of arms of Graben (a blue diagonal left bar on silver

Ulrich had no parental inheritance, joined like the Konradin line in the service of the powerful lords of Walsee and quickly made a large fortune there. He and his descendants also had close ties to the Rein abbey of the Konradin line. He first appeared in 1302 as a feudal lord of the Stubenberg family (as the Konradin line did) when he received the village of Greindorf, south of Graz, as a fief from them. Ulrich was also the first burgrave of Gleichenberg, who held this office between 1302 and 1324 and probably also oversaw the construction of the castle. He also called himself Ulzo von Gleichenberg. His sons Otto, Ulrich and Frederik were also burgraves of Gleichenberg.