ulrich was born into the , a in carantania. his father, , was a supporter of the emperor in his conflicts with rome. his mother, liutbirg of plain, was a daughter of . of his known siblings the eldest, liutold of eppenstein, would succeed to their father's dukedom and lands in 1177. the second brother, , succeeded when luitold died in 1190. the third brother, called markwart, probably died young. ulrich entered the church: he was the fourth son. all the brothers who lived long enough to feature in the sources participated actively in the investiture controversy in support of the emperor. because of the way local rivalries became intertwined with continental politics, this meant sustained conflict closer to home with dynastic families supporting the papacy, notably the von zähringens and the von rheinfeldens.