Duchy of Swabia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Duchy of Swabia
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| 915–1313 | |||||||||||||||||||
 Hohenstaufen (13th century)
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The Duchy of Swabia within the German Kingdom around the start of the 11th century
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Map showing the territories of Upper Burgundy (green) and the Duchy of Swabia (orange)
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| Status |
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| Capital | None | ||||||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Latin Swabian |
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| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||||||||||||
| Government | Feudalism Duchy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Early Middle Ages | ||||||||||||||||||
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• Proclaimed
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915 | ||||||||||||||||||
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• Duchy discontinued
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1268 | ||||||||||||||||||
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• Duchy resurrected for the Habsburgs
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1289 |
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• Disestablished
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1313 | ||||||||||||||||||
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The Duchy of Swabia (in German: Herzogtum Schwaben) was an important duchy in the Middle Ages. It was one of the five main parts of the medieval Kingdom of Germany. This duchy started in the 10th century. It was located in the southwestern area of what is now Germany. This land was settled by Alemanni tribes a long time ago.
The region of Swabia gets its name from the ancient Suebi people. They lived between the Rhine and the Danube rivers. The Duchy of Swabia was much larger than this area. It stretched from the Vosges mountains in the west. It went to the Lech River in the east. In the south, it reached Chiavenna and the Gotthard Pass. For a long time, the name Swabia was used along with Alamannia. By the 11th century, Swabia became the more common name.
The Duchy of Swabia was officially created in 915. This happened when Count Erchanger declared himself duke. He teamed up with his rival Burchard II. Together, they defeated King Conrad I of Germany at Wahlwies. The most famous family to rule Swabia was the Hohenstaufen family. They held the duchy from 1079 until 1268. Many Hohenstaufen rulers also became Holy Roman Emperors.
Over time, some areas broke away from Swabia. The Margraviate of Baden became separate in the 12th century. The duchy continued until 1268. This was when the last Hohenstaufen duke, Conradin, was executed. Later, Rudolf of Habsburg tried to bring back the ducal title. He gave it to his son, Rudolf II. Rudolf II then passed it to his son, John Parricida. John died without children around 1312 or 1313. This marked the final end of the "revived" Swabian duchy.
Contents
History of the Duchy of Swabia
Early Beginnings in Alamannia
The Alamanni tribes were defeated by King Clovis I in 496. They became part of the Frankish Kingdom. Frankish kings then ruled them through local leaders called duces. In the 7th century, the people of Alamannia became Christians. Important churches were built in Augsburg and Constance. Famous monasteries were founded at Reichenau Island and Saint Gall in the 8th century.
The Alamanni kept a lot of their freedom in the 7th century. Frankish rule was mostly just on paper. But in 709, Pepin of Herstal took control of the area. His son, Charles Martel, made them dependent again in 730. A major event called the Blood Court at Cannstatt happened in 746. This ended the old tribal duchy. The Alamanni then came fully under Frankish rule. Charles's son, Pepin the Short, got rid of the tribal duke. He ruled Alamannia through special counts. King Charlemagne married an Alamannian princess, Hildegard, in 771.
How the New Duchy Formed
At this time, the duchy was divided into many smaller areas called Gaue (counties). It took on the shape it would keep throughout the Middle Ages. It stretched south of Frankish Austrasia (later the Duchy of Franconia). It followed the Upper Rhine, Lake Constance, and the High Rhine. It also went down the Danube River to the Lech River. The Lech River separated Alamannia from the Duchy of Bavaria in the east. However, this river was not a strong border. People from both areas often mixed and traded.
In 843, the Treaty of Verdun split the Frankish Empire. Alamannia became part of East Francia. As the Carolingian Empire grew weaker, the local counts became almost independent. They often fought with the Bishops of Constance for power. Around 900, two main powerful families appeared. These were the Hunfriding counts in Raetia Curiensis and the Ahalolfings in the Baar region. Their leaders were sometimes called margraves or dukes.
Eventually, the Hunfriding count Burchard I was called the dux (duke) of Alamannia. But he was killed in 911. Two Swabian counts, Bertold and Erchanger, were accused of treason. Erchanger declared himself duke in 915. However, the German king Conrad I had him executed two years later.
After Erchanger's death, Burchard II became the duke. He was the son of Burchard I. Burchard II made his rule strong by defending the Thurgau region. He fought against King Rudolph II of Burgundy in 919. Rudolph II wanted to expand his territory near Lake Constance. He tried to take advantage of the family feuds in Swabia. But Burchard defeated him near Winterthur. Rudolph was forced to retreat. Duke Burchard's rule was then accepted by the new king, Henry the Fowler.
The Later Stem Duchy
Burchard II had a lot of power and was almost independent. When he died in 926, Hermann, a noble from Franconia, became duke. He married Burchard's widow.
When Hermann died in 948, Otto the Great gave the duchy to his own son, Liudolf. Liudolf had married Hermann's daughter, Ida. However, Otto reduced the duke's powers. He appointed special counts to look after the king's interests. Liudolf rebelled and was removed from power. Other dukes then followed quickly.
Burchard III, son of Burchard II, ruled from 954 to 973. He was followed by Liudolf's son, Otto, until 982. Then came Conrad I, a relative of Duke Hermann I, until 997. Hermann II became duke and died in 1003. His son, Hermann III, followed him. During these years, the Swabians were loyal to the kings. This was likely due to the influence of the church leaders.
Hermann III had no children. So, the duchy went to Ernest II. He was the son of Hermann's sister Gisela and Ernest I. Ernest I ruled for his son until his death in 1015. Then Gisela took over the government. She married Conrad, who later became the German king. When Ernest II grew up, he argued with his stepfather. Conrad removed him from power. In 1030, he gave the duchy to Gisela's second son, Hermann IV. When Hermann IV died in 1038, the duchy went to Henry. Henry was Conrad's own son with Gisela.
In 1045, Henry, who was now King Henry III, gave Alamannia to Otto. Otto was a grandson of Emperor Otto II. In 1048, the duchy went to Otto III. Rudolph was the next duke. In 1077, he was chosen as German king against Emperor Henry IV. But he found little support in Swabia. Henry IV then gave Swabia to his loyal supporter, Frederick I of Hohenstaufen.
The Staufer Period
Frederick I had to fight for his position. He fought against Bertold, son of Duke Rudolph. He also fought Bertold II, Duke of Zahringen. Frederick gave Bertold II the Breisgau region in 1096. Frederick II took over from his father in 1105. He was followed by Frederick III, who later became Emperor Frederick I. The early Hohenstaufen rulers made the royal lands in Swabia bigger. They received strong support there.
In 1152, Frederick I gave the duchy to his relative, Frederick. After Frederick IV died in 1167, three of the emperor's sons held the duchy. The youngest, Philip, was chosen German king in 1198. During his fight for the throne, Philip gave away many Swabian lands to gain support. The duchy remained under royal control during the reign of Otto IV. It then went to Frederick II in 1214.
Frederick II gave Swabia to his son Henry. After Henry rebelled in 1235, the duchy went to Frederick's son Conrad. Conrad's son, Conradin, set out to take control of Sicily in 1266. He promised his Swabian lands to Ulrich II, Count of Württemberg. The duchy effectively ended after Conradin's death in 1268.
What Happened After the Duchy Ended
When Emperor Maximilian I divided the Holy Roman Empire into regions in 1512, one was called the Swabian Circle. This area was almost the same as the old duchy. The land that was once Swabia became several new territories. These included the County of Württemberg, the Margraviate of Baden, and parts of the Kingdom of Bavaria.
Today, the name Swabia is sometimes used generally for the old duchy's area. However, the exact use of the name is now for Bavarian Swabia. This is a specific region in Bavaria, with its capital at Augsburg.
See also
