European Kingdoms

Thuringia

Kingdom of Thuringia
AD 400 - 531

The Thuringians are thought to have been mainly of Anglian stock from what is now lower Denmark. The kingdom was formed during the collapse of the Roman empire, when Angles migrated southwards from Angeln and settled in central Germany between the Main and the Harz. This seems to have happened at the start of a period of Anglian and Jutish migration from the Cimbric Peninsula, when increasing pressure was being applied to them for living space by incoming Danes The independence of these Continental Angles was short-lived, however. Much of their original territory was lost to incursions by the Avars and Slavs in the sixth century.

late 4th century

Widephus

5th century

Bisin

Baderich

c.500?

Wod

Ruler of the Thuringians as mentioned in Widsith.

c.500

Describing a Europe of about AD 500, the Old English poem Widsith mentions several Germanic peoples, not all of whom can be properly identified. Wod is named as ruler of the Thuringians, but how he fits in with the other names listed here, and whether he even rules the main body of Thuringians is not known.

? - c.500

Berthachar

491

Clovis, king of the Franks, achieves victory over a small group of Thuringians who border the Franks to the east. It is a taste of things to come for the rest of the Thuringians.

c.500 - 531

Hermenefried

531 - c.634

The Franks of Austrasia conquer the Thuringians and apparently rule the region directly, without appointing any sub-kings. The names of possible regional governors are unknown. Portions of territory are lost to the Saxons on the north-west border, probably to the Continental Saxons, but there also seems to be a reverse migration of Germanics from the east coast of Britain, where the recent native victory at Mons Badonicus has cut them off from the acquisition of new lands. These returning Angles and Saxons appear to be given land in Thuringia by King Theuderich. Warrior groups of Thuringians are soon to be found in another Frankish conquest, that of Alemannia, where they act as part of the governing Frankish authority.

c.634 - 642

Radulf

'Duke of Thuringia'.

639

Radulf establishes the renewed independence of the Thuringians at a time when the Merovingian kings of the Franks appear to be relinquishing control to their deputies.

c.642 - 687

Hetan I

Independent duke of Thuringia.

c.687 - 689

Gozbert

c.689 - 719

Hetan II

719 - 888

Despite being occupied by a messy civil war, the Franks conquer the Thuringians for a second time and this time they are subsumed completely within the kingdom and subsequent empire.

724

St Boniface fells the sacred oak of the Thuringians at Geismar to symbolise the abolition of their paganism, and they are converted to Christianity en masse.

876

The death of Louis the German results in his territory being divided between his three sons. This is something that he had already foreseen, and portions of territory had been appointed to each of them in 865. Now in a peaceful succession, Carloman inherits Bavaria and the Ostmark, Louis the Younger gains Franconia, Saxony, and Thuringia, while Charles the Fat succeeds to Rhaetia and Swabia. As the oldest son, Carloman also retains de facto dominance over the Eastern Franks as a whole.

881 - 882

Charles the Fat succeeds as titular head of the Frankish Empire, holding the position as Emperor Charles III. He is crowned by Pope John VIII. In the following year, 882, Louis the Younger dies and Charles, as the last remaining of the three brothers, inherits his territories of Bavaria, Franconia, Saxony, and Thuringia, thereby reuniting East Francia following its division in 876.

Counts of Thuringia
AD 888 - 1130

A small stem duchy emerged from the fragmentation of the Eastern Frankish kingdom when the Germanic Roman Empire was formally secured by German rulers. It was situated in the central north of modern Germany, sandwiched between Saxony (north and west), Franconia (south and west), and the marches (to the east).

1002

Upon the death of the German Emperor, Otto III, Bloeslaw of Poland takes over Lusatia and the march of Meissen, border territory between Poland and Thuringia.

1031 - 1056

Louis I the Bearded, the Salian

1056 - 1123

Louis II the Jumper

1123 - 1130

Louis III

m daughter of the last Count of Gudensberg in Hesse.

1130

Louis is effectively demoted to the rank of landgrave, and is recognised as overlord by the Hessians.

Landgraves of Thuringia
AD 1130 - 1247

Thuringia was united with Hesse between 1130-1247.

1130 - 1140

Louis I

Formerly Count Louis III.

1140 - 1172

Louis IV the Iron

1172 - 1190

Louis V the Mild

1190 - 1216

Herman I

1216 - 1227

Louis VI the Pious

1227 - 1241

Herman II

1241 - 1247

Henry Raspe

Rival for HRE (1246-1247).

1247

The line becomes extinct upon Henry's death. Henry was the brother-in-law of St Elizabeth of Thuringia, and his niece, Duchess Sophia establishes Hesse as a separate landgraviate. The Hessians eventually select Henry of Brabant (Sophia's son and Elizabeth's grandson) as their landgrave. Thuringia's territory passes to the March of Meissen. Through this it eventually becomes part of the electorate Saxony when the Wettins gain the ducal title (1423).

1268

The execution of Conradin of Swabia, last of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, on 29 October 1268 triggers the gradual break-up of the duchy. The heiress of Swabia is Margaret, his father's half-sister. She has been married to Albert, landgrave of Thuringia, since 1255, and their son, Frederick, claims Swabia on his mother's behalf. The claim receives little support as Swabia is already disintegrating.