Frederick I of Celje | |
|---|---|
.svg) Frederick's coat of arms, combining the white-red stripes of the Free Lords of Sanneck and the three stars of the Counts of Heunburg (Vovbre) | |
| Count of Celje | |
| Reign | April 1341 - 1359 |
| Predecessor | title established |
| Successor | Hermann I |
| Born | Žovnek Castle |
| Noble family | House of Celje |
| Spouse(s) | Diemut of Wallsee |
| Issue | Ulrich I Hermann I |
| Father | Ulrich of Sanneck |
| Mother | Catherine of Heunburg |
Frederick I of Celje, also Frederick I of Cilli (German: Friedrich I. von Cilli, Slovene: Friderik I. Celjski; c. 1300 – 21 March 1359), was a Styrian free noble (roughly equivalent to a baron) who became the first Count of Celje, founding a noble house that would dominate Slovenian and Croatian history in the first half of the 15th century.
Born as Frederick, Lord of Žovnek (Sanneck) and baron of Savinja (Soune) in the Holy Roman Empire, he inherited vast estates in Carinthia, Carniola and Styria upon the extinction of the Counts of Heunburg. These included the Celje Castle, located at a strategic position in the center of the Savinja Valley, guarding a main transit route connecting Lower Styria with Carniola, as well as guarding the border with Hungary. The castle was fairly close to the ancestral seat of the Lords of Sanneck, and was thus made into their new residence. In 1341, Frederick was granted the title of Count of Celje (Cilli, in German) by Emperor Louis IV. The coat of arms of the House of Heunburg, three yellow stars on a blue background, were incorporated in the coat of arms of the Counts of Celje, and are now part of the Coat of Arms of Slovenia.