 The "Meinhardiner" noble family was of Bavarian origin; Meinhard's father Meginhard is documented as a count in the Bavarian Puster Valley in 1107.The dynasty had been able to acquire large estates in the newly established Patria del Friuli, among them the castle of Gorizia ("Görz") as their new ancestral seat.In 1090 Meinhard's elder brother Engelbert I (d. 1122) succeeded their father as ruler over the Puster Valley and Gorizia possessions and in 1099 was appointed Bavarian Count palatine by Emperor Henry IV.