Konec rodbine Kacenštajnskih in njihovega gradu

Even though Katzenstein Castle and its noble lineage have already received ample attention from Slovenian historiographers and castellologists, no article has so far provided a comprehensive explanation of how, after long serving as part of their clientele, the Katzenstein family turned away from the Counts of Cilli in the early fifteenth century and became vassals of the Habsburg dukes. By drawing on a systematic overview of archival records as well as several hitherto unexamined sources, the life of the last generations of the Katzenstein family, which joined the ranks of the Habsburg vassals, can now be reconstructed in more detail. Their final break with the Cillis was caused by the unsettled debt that Count Frederick II collected by force, most probably in the spring or early summer of 1442. The destruction of Katzenstein Castle also sealed the fate of its last, completely impoverished owners.