Sooneck Castle got its name from the nearby Soon Forest. Together with Rheinstein Castle it was considered to be the outer works of the main castle Reichenstein. In the 12th and 13th century the Knights of Bolanden had been the landvogts of the abbey. From 1241 the Knights of Hohenfels took over this function and therefore also Sooneck Castle. After a short period of time the Knights of Hohenfels appeared as robber barons and collected unlawful customs. The Confederation of the Rhine became very angry about that and started to occupy Sooneck Castle and Reichenstein Castle to stop the activities of the robber barons.In 1282 Sooneck Castle was destroyed after a successful occupation. Its rebuilding was forbidden by Rudolf of Habsburg. In 1290, electoral Palatinate bought the protectorate of the abbey Cornelimünster. Shortly afterwards the archbishop of Mainz became the owner of the protectorate. In 1349, Emperor Karl IV. repealed the ban on rebuilding Sooneck Castle, so that the castle could have been rebuilt again in the middle of the 14th century. The keep and the corner towers are an example of this construction time.