[3] It is now considered that Ulrich was a younger son of Conrad I of Sanneck, a free noble in the March of Savinja, a strategically important border region fragmented among many small estates and contested by larger dynasties, such as the Babenbergs, the Spanheims and the Přemyslids.

[4] After defeating Ottokar, the Habsburgs and the House of Gorizia-Tyrol divided the spoils among themselves, with Austria and Styria going to the former, and Carinthia and Carniola to the latter; the Savinja Valley became a buffer zone between the two domains.

[5] After the death of his older brothers Conrad II around 1262 and Luitpold around 1286, Ulrich remained the sole heir of the Sanneck estates centered around Žovnek Castle in the Upper Savinja Valley.

[6] Following the death of his younger brother Gebhard III around 1292, Ulrich remained the sole Lord of Sanneck.

In 1308, Ulrich took the side of Albert of Habsburg and his sons Rudolph and Frederick in their feud against Henry of Gorizia-Tyrol over the inheritance of the Bohemian throne.