The name "Schowenburg" or "Schauenburg" first appeared for the castle in 1197, as the center of a dominion of the same name. In addition to the former castle, this included the towns of Biebrich, Cramberg and Steinsberg.[1] In the 12th century the castle complex was owned by the Counts of Leiningen.
When the counts died out in the male line around 1220, the castle fiefdom was divided and changed hands several times. Part of the castle was owned by Elise, daughter of Count Emicho III. von Leiningen and wife of Ruprecht the Quarrelsome of Nassau. With her death, this share passed to the County of Virneburg via her daughter. Another part of the castle fell to the County of Diez and from there to the County of Weilnau. A third part of the Schaumburg fell to the House of Isenburg. When his inheritance was divided in 1232, the Schaumburg share came into the possession of Gerlach I of Limburg. In 1266, however, the House of Limburg had to relinquish part of the castle in an arbitral award in favor of Electorate of Cologne. The Archbishop of Cologne, Siegfried von Westerburg, transferred the Electoral Cologne share to the House of Westerburg in 1276.
The House of Westerburg expanded the Schaumburg from 1279. In order to weaken the position of the castle, Balduin of Luxembourg built Balduinstein Castle near the Schaumburg. A lengthy dispute ensued, as a result of which the town of Balduinstein was separated from the dominion of Schaumburg in 1321 and raised to the status of a town.