The Germanic
tribes seem to have originated in a homeland in southern
Scandinavia
(Sweden and
Norway, with the Jutland
area of northern Denmark,
along with a very narrow strip of Baltic coastline). They had been settled
here for over two thousand years following the
Indo-European
migrations. The Germanic ethnic group began as a division of the western
edge of late proto-Indo-European dialects around 3300 BC, splitting away
from a general westwards migration to head towards the southern coastline
of the Baltic Sea. By the time the Germanic tribes were becoming key
players in the politics of Western
Europe in the
last two centuries BC, the previously dominant
Celts were on the verge
of being conquered and dominated by
Rome. They had already
been pushed out of northern and central Europe by a mass of Germanic tribes
which were steadily carving out a new homeland.
The Suevi were situated
around the Baltic Sea, east of the Elbe, during the early days of the
Roman empire (AD 98).
Their name (Suevi/Suebi and later Sweben) was probably also appended
to what became Sweden. Not really one people, they were made up of a
broad coalition of tribes which also included the
Angles,
Jutes,
Mattiaci, and
Semnones (Juthungi).
Later, while the main host of the Suebi migrated into Spain, the
Langobards and Alemanni,
both part of the Suebian confederation, remained behind. To the
Alemanni themselves, their name was interchangeable with the Suebi
name.
The Alemanni settled what is now south-western
Germany,
northern Switzerland,
and the Alsace region. Just like the Suebi, they were not a single people
but a confederation, their very fitting name meaning 'all men'. The largest
of their tribes included the Bucinobantes, and probably the
Hermunduri (broken
during the Marcomannic
Wars and later absorbed into both the Alemanni and
Thuringians), plus
the Semnones. Territory also included the eastern edge of the later
Liechtenstein.
Until at least the sixth century, it is likely that each tribe in the
confederation largely ruled itself, with a possible over-king simply
providing military leadership in times of trouble (a system very
similar to that used by the Roman republic).
As they were located on the eastern side of the upper Rhine, and were
therefore close to the borders of the Roman empire, the Alemanni name
survives today in the Romance terms for the German people as a whole,
such as Allemagne.
The Bucinobantes tribal name is not German at all - it's
Celtic. It breaks down
into 'buci-' and 'nobantes', the latter of which is exactly the same
as in the Novantes
of Britain.
The first part, 'buci', would be 'wuk' or 'wok' in proto-Celtic. The main
suspicion has to be that it is a corrupted form of *wo-kāno-, meaning
'excellent'. But excellent may not be accurate, or the meaning spans more
than that one word. Modern Welsh contains 'enwog', meaning 'famous'. For
'novantes', the Welsh dictionary contains the noun 'nwyf' [m.], meaning
'vivacity, energy, vigour', and 'nwyfiant' [nwyfiannau, m.], meaning
'vivacity, vigour'. It should be remembered that in Welsh an 'f' is
pronounced as a 'v', so 'novantes' could be 'the vigorous'. Cognate in
Latin is 'navitas', meaning 'energy, get-up-and-go', which supports this
analysis. This type of name is also fairly similar to that of the Insular
Trinovantes.
So the Bucinovantes were probably the 'famous' or 'excellent vigorous' (with
famous or excellent as the noun, and vigorous as the modifier in Celtic word
order). The name is more evidence of intermixing between German and Celtic
tribes.
(Additional information by Edward Dawson, from Chronicon, Marius, from
the Historia Francorum, Gregory of Tours, from Atlas historique
mondial, Georges Duby (Larousse, 1978), from Genealogy of the Kings
of France, Claude Wenzler (Editions Ouest-France, Rennes, 2008), and from
Res Gestae, Ammianus Marcellinus.)
c.200 - 250
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni are an alliance of war bands that forms
up between various smaller
Germanic tribes that have been migrating southwards from the Baltic
Sea. By the start of the third century they are to be found in what is
now central Germany, having emerged there from around the Elbe. They
probably also absorb the
Hermunduri in this
period, and the Sedusii
before the start of the fifth century.
213
The Alemanni are first mentioned by Cassius Dio when they request help from
Rome. Emperor Antoninus
(Septimius Bassianus Caracalla) tries to dominate and colonise them and
fighting breaks out in 213. They apparently live in the basin of the River Main,
to the south of the Chatti.
According to Asinius Quadratus, they have emerged from the Irminone grouping
of Germanic tribes that
was to be found in the Elbe region by the late first century AD. The
Alemanni lose the encounter with Antoninus, and are pacified and partially
colonised, but only temporarily. While they may previously have been friendly
towards the empire, or at least neutral, this encounter turns them into
implacable adversaries of Rome.
The River Main area of Western Germany became the new homeland
of the Alemanni following their migration from the Baltic Sea
region
233
Now largely Romanised through their contact of a generation before, living in
Roman-style houses and using Roman goods, the Alemanni make the first of their
invasions of the Roman
empire. They participate decisively in the plundering raids into the
Limes Germanicus, the provinces beyond, and even into
Italy.
fl c.253 / 260
Chroc / Chrocus / Krokus
In central Germany. Possibly not the same as Crocus of
306?
258 - 260
The Alemanni break the
Romanlimes in strength, causing widespread damage. The archaeological
evidence reveals a lack of continuity in the provincial Roman population.
Roman encampments and settlements, including the villae rusticae
(farms), are abandoned and destroyed. One such settlement is Brigantion,
former fortified town of the
Brigantii tribe of
Celts, whilst
Augusta Raurica of the
Raurici tribe is also
destroyed. With extraordinary effectiveness the Alemanni penetrate as
far as Italy
where they are at last halted (the
Juthungi can be
included in this invasion). Emperor Gallienus defeats them in battle at
Mediolanum (Milan) in 259, but the limes region is not resettled
until the fourth century, and it is the Alemanni who conquer it.
268
The Alemanni incur into
Italy after breaking
through the frontier at Brenner Pass. They are confronted by Emperor Claudius
II who may initially attempt to negotiate a peace. This fails and the
resultant Battle of Benacus (Lake Garda) in November is a crushing victory
for Rome.
More than half the Alemanni are killed or captured and the rest flee
northwards over the Alps and back into their territory.
271
Another Alemanni incursion results in three battles being fought between
them and
Rome,
those of Placentia in which they defeat Emperor Aurelian in
Italy; Fano, in
which Aurelian strikes back to inflict a defeat on the Alemanni, forcing
them to begin a retreat; and Pavia, in which the retreating Alemannic army
is destroyed.
287 - 292
In the late third century,
Heruli raid into Iberia along
with Alemanni and
Saxons, possibly as a result of the Lower Rhine incursions of 287.
Roman Emperor Maximianus is
involved in heavy fighting on the Lower Rhine and also on the Upper Danube.
fl c.300
Crocus
'King'of the Alemanni.
306
King Crocus of the Alemanni is the commander of a cohort serving in
Britain at this time. It is Crocus who encourages Constantine to accept
the army's proclamation of him as Augustus upon the death of his father at
Eboracum (York).
Emperor Constantine the Great is perhaps best known for
confirming Christianity as the official religion of the Roman
empire, but he also did a great deal to stabilise the empire and
ensure that it survived into the next century
Mederich
Father of Chronodemar and Agenarich.
mid-4th century
The Alemanni conquer the regions around the former limes which they
had devastated in their raids of 258-260. It is this region that forms
their permanent home, with them absorbing local tribes such as the
Vangiones while
other Germanic tribes
are starting to found permanent kingdoms elsewhere in Western Europe. It
is also this region, which has long been settled by the neighbouring
Suevi, that later
emerges as the duchy of Swabia.
The Alemanni still do not have one single ruler, but the Bucinobantes are
one of the more dominant tribes, and their rulers are shown below in
green to highlight them. Other rulers are
known, but their tribal affiliation is less certain, so that there often
appears to be several kings ruling simultaneously.
fl c.350 - 357
Chronodemar / Chnodomar
First Alemanni ruler in their new permanent homeland?
? - 361
Vadomar
Died after 371.
fl c.350s
Gundomad
Co-ruler with Vadomar.
fl c.357
Agenarich
Brother of Chronodemar.
356 - 357
Battles take place at Rheims and Argentoratum (modern Strasbourg, tribal
centre of the Triboci
tribe of Germans) respectively in which the Alemanni (and
Juthungi) are defeated by
Rome. Following
the second defeat, the Alemanni are expelled from the Rhineland and their
recognised leader, Chronodemar, is exiled to Rome after having been
captured.
bef 359 - 380
Macrian / Makrian
Alemannic leader
of the Bucinobantes.
359
Roman
historian Ammianus Marcellinus records that Emperor Julian the Apostate
crosses the Rhine near Mainz to conduct negotiations with Macrian, the
chief of the Bucinobantes, along with other Alemannic chiefs.
Julian the Apostate abandoned Christianity in favour of a return
to the old Roman ways of worship, and is shown being initiated
into the Eleusian mysteries
360 - 361
At the start of 360,
Roman
Caesar Julian (the Apostate) is wintering in Lutetia Parisiorum (the early
Paris) when reports reach him that the
Scotti
and Picts
have broken a previous agreement (perhaps made in 343) and are plundering
lands close to the frontier in
Britain, presumably those of the
Novantae
and Selgovae.
Given the situation on the Rhine, especially with the Alemanni, he is unable
to leave, so he sends his magister militum, Lupicinus, along with
some of his best units, the Heruli,
the Batavi, and two numeri
Moesiacorum. Lupicinus marshals his forces at London, but is recalled
following Julian being proclaimed Augustus by his troops. Whether the
campaign goes ahead under a less senior commander is unknown.
The forces of the Alemanni chief, Rando, sack the
Roman city of
Moguntiacum (Metz, or Mainz). The city is a frequent target for Alemannic
attacks until it later falls to the
Franks.
Following several rebellions by Macrian, king of the Bucinobantes,
Roman Emperor
Valentinian I appoints Fraomar as his replacement. The appointment is not
accepted by the Alemanni themselves and Valentinian is forced to agree an
alliance with Macrian in 371. In an act of imperial favour, Fraomar is sent to
Britain
as a military tribune to command a unit of Alemannic cavalry which is already
stationed on the island, as recorded by Ammianus (and backed up by
archaeological evidence).
375 -
400
The Quadi are badly disrupted
by the invasion of the Huns
into central Europe as the latter take control of the territory to the north
of the Danube. Their arrival triggers sudden shifts in all the tribes in the
region, and the wave of population movement and change effectively destroys
the Quadi. It is presumed that remnants of the tribe attach themselves to
other, bigger tribes, including the Alemanni,
Rugii,
Suevi, and
Vandali.
? - 378
Priarius
Alemanni leader.
378
Priarius is defeated at Argentorate (Argentovaria, modern Strasbourg) by the
Frankish leader,
Mallobaudes, and the
Roman army of
Gaul under western
emperor Gratianus.
380
The
Frankish
chief, Mallobaudes, is still serving with the
Roman
army, and it is he who kills Macrian, king of the Bucinobantes, in the
region of Mainz on the River Main.
406 - 409
The
bulk of the Suevi cross the
Rhine at Moguntiacum (Mainz) in 406 in association with the
Vandali and
Alani, but their close
associates, the Alemanni, remain behind. They do not take part in any
decisive events regarding the decline of the
Roman empire.
The Roman town of Moguntiacum (Mainz), whose gates are
shown here, was a frequent target of Alemanni attacks,
although it was the Mosan Franks who eventually conquered
it, while above that is a map showing the expansion of the
Frankish kingdom between AD 481-511 (click on map to view
full sized)
429 - 431
Between these two dates, the
Roman general Aëtius
fights against the Juthungi
in Raetia. This appears to be their final mention in history. Presumably
they are submerged within the Alemannic confederation.
fl c.470
Gibuld
/ Gebavult / Gibuldus
Apparently a
single king for the unified Alemannic people.
496
The
Franks conquer
the Alemanni at the Battle of Tolbiac in 496, although the victory is a
narrow one. The Alemanni and their western neighbours, the
Ripaurian Franks
on the east bank of the Rhine have long been engaging in minor skirmishes.
Now the Alemanni appear to instigate a full-blown attack on the Ripaurian
Franks who are led by Sigobert the Lame. He calls on his ally, Clovis, of
the Salian Franks, and a relief army soon arrives. Even Clovis is
hard-pressed to defeat the Alemanni, and Gregory of Tours equates his
victory with his subsequent conversion to Christianity.
The site of the battle, Tolbiac or Tulpiacum, is usually linked to Zülpich
in the modern German
state of North Rhine-Westphalia, not far from the
Belgian border. This is one
of the two main cities of the Ripaurian Franks so its use as a battlefield
supports the claim that the Alemanni had been the aggressors. The Alemanni
are now arranged into a formal duchy which is seemingly governed directly
by Clovis.
Duchy
of Alemannia AD 496 - 911
The duchy of Alemannia had been created by Clovis, king of the
increasingly powerful
Franks,
following Frankish victory at the Battle of Tolbiac in AD 496. An
Alemannic uprising in 505 was defeated, and it is sometimes this defeat
that is referred to as the Battle of Tolbiac, just to confuse matters.
In effect, the former Alemannic kingdom was drawn directly within the
Frankish kingdom, massively increasing its eastward reach to the
detriment of the Ripaurian
Franks on the
east bank of the Rhine. Any independence the Alemanni may have enjoyed
after 496 was certainly lost in 505, although there appears to be no
known duke of Alemannia until the appearance of Leuthari around 536.
It was probably these events that caused some Alemanni to drift
south-eastwards where they formed part of the
Bavarii confederation. Back at home, the hilltop settlements of the
Alemannic nobility were abandoned and their cemeteries fell into disuse.
At the same time, strategically situated settlements of Frankish warriors
and their entourages emerged in the sixth and seventh centuries. This new
wave of settlement progressed from the east bank of the Rhine at the
confluence of the River Main, following the latter river upstream to form
a region that later became known as
Franconia. These Frankish
officials also included warrior groups of
Thuringian origin
that became Frankish subjects after the defeat of Thuringia in 531.
(Additional information by Edward Dawson, from Chronicon, Marius,
from the Historia Francorum, Gregory of Tours, from the
Chronicle of Fredegar (author unknown but the work has been attributed
to Fredegar since the sixteenth century), and from the 'Passio' of St
Killian.)
511 - c.536
After 511 the Alemanni territory falls under the command of
Austrasia. Local rulers are
appointed, probably of Alemannic
stock, although not necessarily related to any of the former chiefs, and
Christianity is slowly introduced during the course of the next century or
so. Details about the local rulers are very sketchy, sometimes not even
providing names, and the first of them does not appear until after the
Thuringian defeat
of 531. This could be due to the possibility that Austrasia is able to
govern the region directly until the Thuringian lands are added to their
territory. After that a vassal governor is probably required, with Leuthari
possibly governing both regions simultaneously or he and Butilin dividing
the regions between them.
Defeat by Clovis of the Franks at Tolbiac in 496 signalled the
beginning of the end of Alemannic independence - shown here in
The Battle of Tolbiac by Ary Scheffer, 1836
c.536 - 554
Leuthari
First duke of
Alemannia?
c.536 - 554
Butilin
Apparently co-ruled with Leuthari (one of them to each
region?).
555
The
reason for both Leuthari and Butilin disappearing from office at the same
time is unknown. Could they be killed in battle during one of the
Frankish conquests? The
Bavarians
are conquered in 555, and Chlothar the Old inherits the kingdom of
Austrasia on the death of
his nephew, Theudebald, briefly reunifying it with his own senior kingdom
of Soissons until his death. By this stage, he is clearly the most powerful
of the surviving Frankish kings and the superiority of Soissons is fully
established as the kingdom's core. However, the change of leadership in
Austrasia could be another reason for the change of duke in Alemannia.
? - c.539
Haming
Probably a minor governor.
? - 548
Lantacher
Minor ruler. Governed in the Avenches diocese.
fl c.565
Magnachar
Minor ruler. Governed in the Avenches diocese.
bef 570 - 588
Leutfred I
Removed from office by Childebert II of
Austrasia.
fl c.573
Vaefar
Minor ruler. Governed in the Avenches diocese.
573
Theodefrid (or Theodefridus in Latin) is the
Frankish duke of
Alemannia in the diocese of Avenches until 573, when Marius becomes
bishop and takes over the secular affairs of the diocese. Marius in his
Chronicon mentions five dukes that have ruled Avenches between 548 and
573. Theodefrid is the last and is a successor of Vaefar. Marius calls him a
Frank, but Agathias leads some to believe that he is an Alemanni.
? - 573
Theodefrid
Minor ruler. Governed in the Avenches diocese.
588 - 607
Uncilen / Uncilin / Uncelen
Childebert's appointed replacement for Leutfred. Died
c.613.
605 - 606
Upon the death of Childebert of
Austrasia in 595, the
Thurgau, Kembsgau, and Alsace had all passed to
Burgundy under Theuderich
II. Now in 605 Theuderich goes to war with his brother, Theudebert II of
Austrasia. His army, which does not want to fight its Austrasian countrymen,
he places under the command of Protadius with instructions to induce the
soldiers to fight.
Gunthchramn of Burgundy is shown here seated next to Childebert
II of Austrasia, in a beautifully-coloured plate from the
Grandes Chroniques de France
In 606 at Quierzy-sur-Oise, Theuderich re-assembles the army, but the men
once again refuse to fight their countrymen. The king orders Uncilen, duke
of Alemannia, to coerce them. Uncilen, however, declares that the king has
ordered the death of Protadius. The despised general is promptly killed by
his troops and the king is forced to sign a treaty with Austrasia. Queen
Brunhilda, who had induced Theuderich to war, has Uncilen's foot removed.
According to the Lex Alamannorum, a duke is only eligible for office
if he can mount a horse. Being unable to continue to exercise his office,
Uncilen is removed.
? - 613
Gunzo / Cunzo
Removed from office in 613?
613
Gunzo's residence is at Villa Iburninga (modern Überlingen), at Lake
Constance. He is the father of Fridiburga, who has been engaged to
Sigisbert II, 'false' king of
Burgundy and
Austrasia who is killed in
this year. This appears to end Gunzo's tenure as duke of Alemannia with
Clothar II of the
Franks no doubt
appointing his own favoured successor.
Whether Gunzo has governed all of Alemannia or only the eastern part is
somewhat disputed. If the former is the case, then he could be identified
with Gundoin, duke of Alsace and founder of the Moutier-Grandval monastery.
However, Gunzo must succeed to some other position of influence or wealth
(although it is possible that he returns as a duke of Alemannia). In 635 he
organises a synod in Constance, which results in the election of Deacon John
of Grab as bishop of Constance, succeeding the deceased Bishop Gaudentius.
This event is the earliest certain attestation of Constance as an
independent bishopric (later to be a powerful prince-bishopric).
c.615 - 639
Chrodebert / Chrodobert
Governed mainly in the south?
631
Dagobert I of Austrasia has
gained Neustria (in 629), and
the Frankish kingdom
overall (in 630). Around this year, Duke Chrodebert of Alemannia participates
in Dagobert's assault on the realm of the
Carinthian
Slavs to the east. The Alemannic host (exercitus Alamannorum, in the
words of the Chronicle of Fredegar) is one of three columns formed
by the Austrasian army (exercitus regnum universum Austrasiorum).
While the Alemanni win a battle at an unknown location and their
Lombard allies are
successful against the Slavs in the Julian Alps, the main Austrasian
Frankish army under Dagobert is defeated at the Battle of Wogastisburg.
The modern southern Austrian region of Carinthia marked
the upper edge of the Adriatic hinterland, and the
southern borders of Samo's seventh century Slav kingdom,
one of the earliest Slav states to appear
c.634
Towards the end of the life of Dagobert I of
Austrasia, possibly around
AD 634, he appoints one Hruodi to command the River Main region from its
capital at Würzburg. For almost a century now, Franks have been settling
along the course of the Main, following its eastward course. Early in the
seventh century, Slavs begin settling to the north-east, so Hruodi's
appointment is an attempt to stabilise this eastern area of Austrasia that
is gradually becoming known as
Franconia.
Hruodi may be the same figure as the powerful Duke Radulf of
Thuringia, but is
more likely to be a counterbalance to him, in order to prevent him from
adding to his own territory in a region in which firm borders have yet to
be established. One theory equates Hruodi with Chrodebert of Alemannia.
There is certainly some similarity in the way the names are pronounced,
but there is no evidence to support the theory.
fl c.634?
Gunzo / Cunzo
Returned to some form of office as (junior?) duke?
c.640 - 673/695
Leutfred II
Possibly senior duke over Gunzo.
643
Leutfred is also known by a host of variations, including Leuthari,
Leutharis, Leuthard, or Leutharius II. It is he who now murders Otto,
mayor of the palace of
Austrasia. By doing so
he places Grimoald I in the position for his overlord, Sigisbert III,
strengthening the role of the
Carolingian
mayors of the palace.
c.700 - 709
Godefred / Gotfrid / Gotefrid
Died.
c.700
Married to a daughter of Theodo of
Bavaria,
Godefred (Gotfried of Allemania) is a member of the House of the Agilolfing,
Bavaria's governing family. In a document dated to the year 700 in Cannstatt,
and at the request of a priest named Magulfus, Godefred donates the castle
of Biberburg to the monastery of Saint Gall.
During his short period of office (which may well date from around 695, but
nothing is recorded until 700), Godefred also fights a war against the
Frankish mayor of
the palace, Pepin of Herstal, over the duke's de facto independence.
The situation remains unresolved when Godefred dies in 709. However, his
sons, Lanfred and Theodobald, have the support of Pepin and succeed Godefred
as dukes of Alemannia (perhaps following a short delay).
? - c.712
Huocin
Missing from some lists. Minor ruler?
? - c.712
Willehari
Probably a minor ruler. Governed in Ortenau.
?
Possibly vacant?
c.720 - 730
Lanfred I / Lantfrid I
Son of Godefred. Possibly ruled from 709.
730 - 732
It seems that Lanfred and his brother, Theodobald, have
been governing Alemannia side-by-side, as equals. However, during a military
campaign in 730 Lanfred is killed and Theodobald becomes sole duke. During
his time in this office Theodobald has already expelled Pirmin, founder of
Reichenau Abbey, due to his own intense dislike of Charles Martel,
Frankish mayor of
the palace. In 732 Charles Martel repays the favour and chases Theodobald
out of Alemannia.
Swabia was generally governed from the former Roman city
of Argentoratum (modern Strasbourg), shown here in a map
made by Georg Braun and Franz Hogenberg in Cologne in 1572
which clearly displays it at its medieval best
730 - 745
Theodobald / Theudebald
Brother. Possibly co-ruled with Lanfred. Murdered?
741 - 745
Upon the death of Charles Martel in 741, Theodobald is
able to return and reclaim his ducal seat. The following year he rebels
against the nominal authority of the
Merovingian
monarchy which is currently being exercised by the two mayors of the palace,
Carloman and Pepin the Short. His timing is perfect as
Aquitaine, the
Bavarians,
and the
Saxons all revolt simultaneously. Later in the same year Theudebald
invades the duchy of Alsace under Duke Liutfrid. The latter is probably
killed alongside his son whilst fighting for the mayors.
In 744, Pepin invades the Swabian Alps and chases Theudebald from his
mountain redoubt. He is subsequently defeated in Alsace by Pepin's select
band of warriors. A year later, Carloman has to march against the duke
again, this time defeating him. It is unclear whether Theodobald survives to
play a part in the events of 746, or whether he is replaced or succeeded by
Nebi as duke.
? - 746
Nebi
Last of the Alemannic dukes?
746
The
Carolingian
mayor of the palace, Carloman, ends the Alemannic uprising once and for
all. He invites the nobility to a council at Cannstatt and then arrests
them. Several thousand of them are executed for high treason, wiping out
the Alemannic nobility at what becomes known as the blood court at Cannstatt.
For the next century, Alemannia is ruled by Frankish dukes.
With the blessing of
Pope Zachary, Pepin III,
the Carolingian
mayor of the palace deposes Childeric and the
Merovingian royal
house and takes control of the empire (King Childeric is sent to a monastery
and dies in 755). Pepin is crowned at Soissons in 752 and Saint-Denis in 754,
and thereafter benefits from the legitimacy acquired by the creator of the
Frankish kingdom, Clovis I.
768
The death of the
Frankish king, Pepin
III sees his domains divided between his two sons, with Charlemagne
gaining parts of Aquitaine, plus
Neustria,
Austrasia, and the
Germanic
dependencies which include the Alemanni, and Carloman gaining the remainder:
Soissons, the Massif Central, the Languedoc, the rest of Aquitaine, Provence,
Burgundy, southern
Austrasia, Alsace and Alemannia.
By the Act of Thionville in 806, Charlemagne announces
the division of his vast empire between his three sons. By 814, Pepin in
Italy has already
predeceased his father (810), as has Charles (813), so Louis the Pious is
crowned Frankish
emperor at Aix-la-Chapelle. It is also at this point that the list of vassal
dukes of Alemannia stops. It appears that control of the region is given
to Carolingian nobles from at least 829, with the title 'Duke of Alemannia'
being used as a regional basis of authority over south-western Germany
rather than as the head of the post-tribal duchy that the
Alemanni had become.
Charlemagne unified all the Frankish states under one ruler
and created an empire that stretched deep into modern Germany,
something the Romans had never managed - but this vast domain
was too big to endure long as a single entity after his death,
while above is a map of Frankish-dominated Europe around AD 800
(click on map to view full sized)
Before
his death the
Frankish emperor, Louis, who is also duke of Alemannia, promulgates
the Ordinatio Imperii, proclaiming that his eldest son, Lothar, will
inherit the entire empire. Lothar initially claims overlordship over all
three Frankish regions until he loses a civil war. The Treaty of Verdun in
843 confirms the official division of the empire between Charlemagne's
surviving three grandsons. Louis the German receives
Eastern Francia (Germany),
which includes Alemannia,
Bavaria,
Khorushka, and
Saxony,
plus regions that are already emerging as
Franconia and
Thuringia.
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 (Alemannia, which he has held
in name since 863). As the oldest son, Carloman also retains de facto
dominance over the Eastern Franks
as a whole.
The
rule of East Francia falls to
non-Frankish emperors when the weak Charles the Fat is deposed by the Germans
at the Diet of Tribur (November 887). The Frankish empire is officially
divided between East and West. The western section becomes
France, the
eastern section Germany).
Charles the Fat takes refuge in the monastery of Reichenau in
Swabia where he dies the
following year.
King Louis the Pious of the Frankish empire attempted to
leave the empire intact for his eldest son, Lothar, but
the others rebelled at the idea. The treaty of Verdun in
AD 843 confirmed the official division of the empire between
Charlemagne's three surviving grandsons (click on map to
view full sized)
Already very powerful in Swabia thanks to his role as administrator of the
Abbey of Lorsch in Swabia, Burkhard's power now increases when he accedes
to the margraviate of Rhaetia. While Louis the Child is the titular duke of
Swabia, it is Burkhard who wields power there, although not in the sense of
the later, formally titled dukes.
909 - 911
Burkhard I / Burchard I
Margrave of Rhaetia. Count in the Thurgau & Baar.
911
Burkhard
is arrested and charged with high treason thanks to his conflict against the
Count Palatine Erchanger and Bishop Soloman III of Constance, both of whom
are loyal to the newly-elected king of
Germany, Conrad I. The
titular use of the title 'Duke of the Alemanni' is dropped as the
Frankish
empire disintegrates. A large-scale political reorganisation of south-western
Germany creates the duchy of Swabia.
Duchy of Swabia AD 911 - 1268
Medieval Swabia emerged as a stem duchy from the fragmentation of the
Frankish empire
when the Eastern Frankish
kingdom of Germany was formally secured by German rulers. The Swabian
territory was extremely disorganised at this time, even in comparison to
its neighbours. The German states were drastically reorganised, in this
case disposing of the former
GermanicAlemanni tribal affiliation.
However, although the Alemanni name had been disposed of in political usage,
it persisted in appellations for the German people as a whole, such as
Allemagne.
The new duchy, one of five and therefore extremely powerful in medieval
Germany, included the Alsace region, just as the Alemanni kingdom had
before, and was situated in the south-west of modern
Germany, mostly
within what is now
Baden-Württemberg.
Franconia lay to its
north and
Bavaria
to the east, while Vorarlberg (now the westernmost state of
Austria) and
Liechtenstein were
included within its territory. Its name was taken from that of the original
tribal host, the Suebi, of
which the Alemanni had been part.
911 - 915
Following his part in the downfall of the powerful Burkhard I, last duke of
Alemannia, Count Palatine Erchanger
continues to strive for greater power of his own in Swabia. As the grandson
of Louis (II) the German, king of
East Francia, Erchanger is
already powerful in his role of missus dominicus (envoy in Swabia
for the king of Germany), but in September 915, he gains the duchy when he
is proclaimed duke of Swabia by the nobility. After being defeated at the
Battle of Wahlwies, the proclamation is not supported by King Conrad I of
Germany, despite him being Erchanger's brother-in-law.
The Battle of Wahlwies took place in the Hegau, an extinct
volcanic region in southern Swabia (and modern Germany),
with Wahlwies itself being a small satellite village of
the town of Stockach, now in the modern district of Konstanz,
southern Baden-Württemberg (Photo by External Link:
sued7.de)
915 - 917
Erchanger
/ Erchangar
Count Palatine who helped in the downfall of Burkhard I.
916 - 917
Erchanger is condemned to remain within a monastery by the high court at
Hohenaltheim in September 916, following his offences against the king and
Bishop Soloman III of Constance, whom he had imprisoned briefly in 914.
Erchanger is killed on the order of the king on 21 January 917. His recent
ally, Burkhard II, seizes all of his lands and is universally
recognised as duke.
917 - 926
Burkhard II / Burchard II
Son of Burkhard I. Count of Rhaetia. Killed in battle.
926 - 948
Herman I
Son of Gebhard of
Lotharingia &
Hessi. Married Burkhard's
widow.
948 - 954
Ludolph
/ Liudolf
Son of Otto I of
Saxony. m
Herman's dau, Ida, in 947/8. Died 957.
953 - 954
Feeling that his position is threatened by his father's marriage to
Adelaide, heiress of Italy,
Ludolph joins forces with his brother-in-law, Conrad the Red, duke of
Lorraine, in revolt.
Ludolph is supported by the Swabians, but Conrad fails to gain the same
support from his own subjects. Otto I of
Saxony and
Henry I of
Bavaria defeat the rebellion. The following year, Ludolph is deprived of
his title.
954 - 973
Burkhard
III / Burchard III
Son of Burkhard II. Count of Thurgau & Zürichgau.
962
With the accession of the
Saxon king,
Otto I, the power of the
Germanic Roman empire is
confirmed. Otto is quite vigorous in establishing new counties and border
areas within and without the empire's borders. The county of Ardennes under
Sigfried gains the stronghold of Lucilinburhuc (the later
Luxemburg), Arnulf I the Elder
is restored in
Flanders, and the March of
Austria
is formed from territory already captured from
Hungary
(around 960).
Germany in AD 962 may have had its new emperor to govern the
territories shown within the dark black line, but it was still a
patchwork of competing interests and power bases, most notably
in the five great stem duchies, many of which were attempting to
expand their own territories outside the empire, creating the
various march or border regions to the east and south (click
on map to view full sized)
At the same time,
Saxony gains
Hermann Billung as its duke, charged with maintaining the duchy's eastern
borders and expanding them further to the east, alongside the recently-created
North March.
Perhaps as a reaction to this or as the culmination of a process that is
already heading that way, the duchy of
Poland is formed around
the same time.
Henry the Quarrelsome, duke of
Bavaria, rebels against
Holy Roman Emperor Otto II. As a result, Henry is deprived of his
Bavarian title and possessions. Otto I of Swabia is created duke of Bavaria
in his place, easily done as Swabia and Bavaria neighbour each other.
Carinthia
is formally separated from Bavaria by Otto II and made a duchy in its own
right - one of many large-scale reorganisations of German lands which also
involves the creation of the stem duchies.
982
The
Kalbids, raiding into
south-western Italy from
their emirate on Sicily, are confronted by an army led by Otto II. The
Kalbid forces prove their power at this time by defeating their opponents in
battle near Crotone in Calabria. Swabia's Otto I is amongst the defeated
nobles, and he also escapes a subsequent Arab ambush. The duke is selected
to take the news of the defeat back to Germany but dies en route.
Without an heir, his Swabian duchy passes to Conrad of the House of Wetterau
(otherwise known as the Conradines of Rhenish
Franconia), restoring
their control for the first time since 948.
Duke Otto I, grandson of Otto I the Great of Saxony, and
duke of Bavaria and Carinthia, as well as Swabia, is seen
here on the right with his sister, Abbess Mathilda
Swabia loses Alsace, which is separated from it by the
German emperor, Henry II
the Saint following Herman's opposition to his accession as king and
emperor. Herman had seen himself as a suitable candidate for the title.
1003 - 1012
Herman
III
Son. Died without an heir.
1012
The young Herman III dies childless, ending the Conradine succession to the
duchy. Ernest of Babenburg, the younger son of the first Babenburg margrave
of Austria,
is appointed duke of Swabia by the
German emperor, Henry II.
He further legitimises his hold on the title by marrying Gisela, heiress of
Swabia (and Herman's sister). Herman's other main title, count of Wetterau,
passes to his second cousin, Count Kuno von Wetterau of Rheinfelden.
The Wetterau formed an important part in the creation of early
Hesse, although it lay to the north, immediately beyond
Frankfurt and outside the core Hessian lands
1012 - 1015
Ernest
I of Babenburg
Son of Leopold I
of Austria.
Died after a hunting accident.
1015
Following the untimely death of Duke Ernest I, his son succeeds him as a
minor. At first, the boy's mother is regent, but she is eventually replaced
by Poppo, archbishop of Trier and another son of Leopold I of
Austria,
probably following her second marriage in 1016, to
German Emperor Conrad
II the Salian.
1015 - 1030
Ernest II
of Babenburg
Son. Acceded as a minor. Killed in battle in 1030.
1015 - 1016?
Gisela of Swabia
Mother and regent. Sister of Herman III.
1016? - 1020?
Poppo
Son of Leopold I of
Austria.
Regent, and archbishop of Trier.
1027 - 1030
Ernest II takes part in an unsuccessful rebellion against the
German Emperor
Conrad II the Salian (his own mother's second husband). As a result, he is
captured, but his mother intercedes to prevent his execution and he is
imprisoned instead. It is possible that Gisela governs the duchy during
this period. When he is released he refuses to fight Conrad's enemies and
is stripped of his title in favour of his younger brother. A few months
later he is killed in battle against the men of the bishop of Constance.
1030 - 1038
Herman IV
of Babenburg
Brother of Ernest
II. Killed by an epidemic.
1038
Herman IV, still a minor at the time of his accession, is campaigning in
southern Italy alongside
HRE Conrad II. When
the young duke is struck down by an epidemic, Conrad ignores the rights to
the duchy that are held by Gebhard, son of Herman, and instead transfers it
to his own son, Henry the Black. Gebhard retains the county of Sulzbach,
whilst his younger brother remains Adalbert I, count of Windberg. Henry also
gains
Burgundy.
Otto,
Count Palatine of Lotharingia
(1034-1045), is selected to be Swabia's next duke while Henry is absorbed
with the duties of his own higher office. Otto gives up the Palatine in
favour of his cousin, Henry, but remains count in Deutz and Auelgau
(1025-1047). His territories in Kaiserswerth and Duisburg devolve on the
crown. He is also the protector of Brauweiler, the son of Ezzo (former Count
Palatine) and Matilda (daughter of Emperor Otto II).
1045 - 1047
Otto II
Son-in-law of
HRE Otto II. Count of
Deutz & Auelgau.
1048 - 1057
Otto III
the White
An East
Franconian
prince. Margrave of the Nordgau (1024-1031).
The
margraviate of Baden is
formed in eastern central Swabia during the general political collapse in
Germany which
dominates this century. The rebellion of Rudolf of Rheinfelden becomes known
as the Great Saxon Revolt, with him being succeeded in his opposition
against Emperor Henry IV by Berthold I of Rheinfelden, Hermann of
Luxemburg, and Conrad
of Franconia.
1079 - 1080
With
the removal of Swabia from the control of Rudolph of Rheinfelden, the Swabian
Hohenstaufen family of nobles gains the duchy through Frederick's marriage to
Agnes of Germany, granddaughter of Henry I the Black. It swiftly becomes one
of the most powerful families, holding onto the duchy for most of the remainder
of its existence and supplying several
Holy Roman emperors.
The Hohenstaufen family of Swabia gained a strong foothold on
power in the late eleventh century and went on to supply an
entire dynasty of German emperors which included Frederick
Barbarossa
In 1080, the bid by Rudolf of Rheinfelden to oppose Emperor Henry IV and
secure the throne fails when he is fatally wounded during the Battle on
the Elster on 15 October 1080. Despite his forces beating those of Henry,
his rebellion falls apart without his leadership. In Swabia, Frederick
Hohenstaufen is opposed by Rudolph's son, Berthold, while the latter is in
exile in Saxony.
Son of Berthold II of
Carinthia.
First duke of Zähringen.
1105 - 1147
Frederick
II One-Eyed
Son of Frederick I.
1125 - 1137
Upon
the death of
Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V, Frederick II puts himself forward as a candidate for the imperial
title but he is beaten to it by the successful election of Lothar. Conflict
erupts between the two, and the rivalry has a destabilising effect on Germany
as a whole. Lothar and his Hohenstaufen successors in
Franconia are supported
by Louis I of
Thuringia. In 1137
the county of
Württemberg
is formed in western central Swabia as another step towards the total
disintegration of the duchy during the general political crisis in the
country.
Cousin. Son of Conrad I Hohenstaufen of
Franconia. Died.
1167
Frederick IV, gifted the duchy by his cousin, Frederick Barbarossa (now
Holy Roman Emperor)
dies on campaign in Rome.
Frederick Barbarossa passes the duchy onto his own three year-old son.
Barbarossa effectively controls the duchy directly through his tight control
of the succession, not only through these two Fredericks, but also through
Frederick VI, who only survives him by a year.
1167 - 1170
Frederick V
Infant son of Frederick III. Died.
1170 - 1191
Frederick VI
Elder brother. Died without an heir.
1191 - 1196
Conrad II
Brother. Duke of Rothenburg (1188-1191). Died
unexpectedly.
Philip Hohenstaufen, youngest brother of Emperor Henry VI and a former
bishop of Würzburg, has already been made duke of Tuscany in 1195. In
1196 he had become duke of Swabia on
the death of his brother Conrad, and now appears to be the guardian of
Henry's son, the infant Frederick (II). In 1197, Philip sets out to fetch
Frederick from Sicily
for his coronation as king of the
Germans when he
hears of the emperor's death and returns at once to Germany.
Philip Hohenstaufen climbed through the ranks of the nobility
during his lifetime, from bishop of Würzburg, through duke of
Tuscany and then Swabia, to become emperor of the Germans
Many other members of the German nobility also hurry back to their seats in
order to protect their interests during the coming struggle. They have been
involved in the short-lived German Crusade (otherwise known as the Crusade
of 1197 or the Crusade of Henry VI), including Ulrich II of
Carinthia.
Henry VI had been determined to complete the work of his father in the Holy
Land with a fresh expedition, but he himself had died before even embarking.
Those who remain in the Holy Land capture territory for the kingdom of
Jerusalem between Tyre and Tripoli, restoring the land link to the
county of
Tripoli, but the campaign ends abruptly with the recapture of the
lordships of Beirut and Sidon in 1198 (both lost to Saladin in 1187 -
the brotherhood of the
Teutonic Knights
is also elevated in this year to a spiritual military order, and its
priors become grand masters).
Hostility to the kingship of a child is growing, and after Philip is selected
as defender of the empire during Frederick's minority he consents to his
own election as emperor. He is elected as the German king at Mühlhausen
on 8 March 1198, and is crowned at Mainz on 8 September. A number of
princes who are hostile to Philip, lead by Adolph, archbishop of Cologne,
elect an anti-king in the person of Otto of Brunswick, second son of Henry
the Lion, duke of
Saxony.
The subsequent war is largely a north-south affair as Philip has his power
base in Swabia.
1204 - 1208
The war between rival emperors, Philip Hohenstaufen of
Swabia and Otto of Brunswick, lasts with varying fortunes until Hermann of
Thuringia submits
in 1204. Adolph of Cologne and Henry I, duke of Brabant soon follow suit,
but Philip is murdered before the final peace can be agreed. Otto secures
the throne for himself (and also Swabia) until 1215 when the young
Frederick can finally succeed his father, Henry VI. Otto inherits the seat
of Swabia through his marriage to Beatrice, Philip's daughter. His hold on
it is brief however, and it soon passes back to the Hohenstaufens.
1208 - 1212
Otto
IV Welf of Brunswick
Earl of
York
(1190-1218). HRE
(1198-1215). Died 1218.
1212 - 1216
Frederick
VII
Grandson of
Frederick III.
HRE Frederick II
(1212-1250).
1215 - 1216
The
confirmation of Frederick's election as
Holy Roman Emperor
in 1215 allows him to devolve power in Swabia to his son in 1216, while he
concentrates on the trappings of higher office. Henry also serves as
co-ruler in the kingdom of
Naples & Sicily
between 1212-1217, and co-ruler of Germany itself between 1220-1235, as
Henry (VII).
With
the death of Conrad by malaria, his young son, Conradin, is recognised as the
new duke of Swabia and also as the new
Holy Roman Emperor
by his supporters. He fails to actually succeed his father to the latter
title, however, and no single emperor is recognised. There is an interregnum
and Germany begins a period of collapse.
Part of
the territory of Swabia, an obscure and unimportant part in the mountainous
west, is given over to the newly formed county of
Vaduz.
The Schellenbergs under Marquard now govern this important route into
Italy.
1268
Conradin assembles a multinational army in
Italy, determined
to secure his own claim to
Sicily in opposition to
Charles I of Anjou. He is ably assisted by Frederick I of
Baden, but the pair are
defeated at Tagliacozzo, and both are soon arrested. The execution of
Conradin, last of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, on 29 October 1268 triggers the
gradual break-up of the duchy into a plethora of smaller states including
margraviates, landgraviates, counties, bishoprics, abbacies, and the duchy
of Teck. The kingdom of
Naples & Sicily
passes to the Angevins.
This oil on canvas depicts Conradin awaiting sentence along with
his ally, Frederick of Baden, as depicted by Johann Heinrich
Tischbein, 1785
The
heiress of Swabia is Margaret, Conradin's father's
half-sister. She has been married to Albert, landgrave of
Thuringia, since 1255, and their son, Frederick, now claims Swabia on his
mother's behalf. The claim receives little support as Swabia is already
disintegrating.
1282 - 1283
In December 1282, as
Holy Roman Emperor,
Rudolph gives the duchies of
Austria and
Styria
to his sons, Albert and Rudolf II. On 1 June 1283, the Treaty of Rheinfelden
stipulates that Rudolph II has to relinquish his title in favour of Albert.
In compensation he is appointed titular duke of Swabia,
little more than an honorific title as the duchy no longer exists as a
coherent entity. Various minor territories previously held by the counts of
Habsburg are later classed as Further Austria, but these are never possessed
by Rudolph.
1289 - 1290
Rudolph Habsburg
Duke Rudolph II of
Austria
(1278-1282).
HRE (1273-1291).
1290 - 1313
John
Parricide
Son.
1291
The
Swiss confederation is formed
on Swabia's southern border.
1308
Thanks to the failure of
Holy Roman Emperor
Albert of
Austria to
address the problem of adequate compensation for the loss of
Styria
in 1283 by Rudolph II, the duke is assassinated by Rudolph's son, John. John
is named 'Parricide', and continues to hold his inherited claim on Swabia.
1313
John dies, probably at Pisa, and any claim to the former Swabian duchy dies
with him. Former East Francia, or
Germany as it is now,
is at a point of collapse by this time, and the break-up of Swabia is complete.
Large areas of its territory have already gone to the established county of
Württemberg
and the margraviate of Baden.
Territory formerly belonging to the
Alemanni people later forms
parts of
Austria
(Vorarlberg),
Bavaria (Bavarian Swabia),
France (Alsace) and
Switzerland.
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