Hals

The counts of Hals took their name from Burg Hals, a castle on the Ilz near Passau. Their ancestor Rotbert appears in documents in 1112 and is credited with building the castle around 1100. Around 1160 Albert of Kamm inherited the lordship through marriage to Liukarde of Hals, and his descendants became counts of Hals.

In 1280 King Rudolf I invested Albert of Hals with the rank of imperial count. The family extended its territory to the Bohemian border, secured the Goldener Steig trade route and acquired Baumgarten in 1338.

The line died out in 1375, and an inheritance dispute ended with Landgrave John of Leuchtenberg receiving the fief. Hals became a town in 1376 and gained minting rights in 1377; the remnants passed to the Aichberg family in 1485 and were sold to the dukes of Bavaria in 1517.