 No record exists of his birth, nor of an elder brother.He is, however, mentioned in a document dated 28 December 1355, in which Emperor Charles IV states that he has asked Pope Innocent VI to appoint Gottfried, the son of Count Gottfried of Ziegenhain, as a canon in Mainz.In those days, an ecclesiastical career was usually planned for younger sons, while the eldest brother would inherit the county.