Duke of Swabia

Rulers of the Duchy of Swabia during the Middle Ages

"Duke of Alemannia" redirects here. For Alamannic rulers prior to 900, see Alamannia § List of rulers of Alamannia.

The Dukes of Swabia were the rulers of the Duchy of Swabia during the Middle Ages. Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family to rule Swabia was the Hohenstaufen family, who held it, with a brief interruption, from 1079 until 1268. For much of that period, the Hohenstaufen were also Holy Roman Emperors. With the death of Conradin, the last Duke of Hohenstaufen, the duchy itself disintegrated although King Rudolf I attempted to revive it for his Habsburg family in the late 13th century.

## Dukes of Swabia (909–1268)

[edit]

Map of the duchy of Swabia in the tenth and eleventh centuries (Swabia is marked in yellow; the kingdom of Upper Burgundy is green).

### Early dukes

[edit]

* Burchard I Hunfriding (d. 911), mentioned as marchio (margrave) in 903 and dux (duke) in 909
* Erchanger Ahalolfing, dominant count in Alemannia after the execution of Burchard I, declared duke in 915, exiled September 916, executed January 917.
* Burchard II (917–926, Hunfriding), recognized Henry the Fowler as king of Germany in 919 and was recognized by Henry as Duke of Swabia in return.
* Hermann I (926–949, Conradine)
* Liudolf (950–954, Ottonian)
* Burchard III (954–973, Hunfriding)
* Otto I (973–982, Ottonian)

### Conradines

[edit]

* Conrad I (982–997)
* Hermann II (997–1003)
* Hermann III (1003–12)

### House of Babenberg

[edit]

* Ernest I (1012–15)
* Ernest II (1015–30)
* Hermann IV (1030–38)

### Miscellaneous houses

[edit]

* Henry I (1038–45, Salian), King of the Romans from 1039 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1046
* Otto II (1045–48, Ezzonen)
* Otto III (1048–57, Schweinfurt)
* Rudolf I (1057–79, Rheinfelden)
* Berthold I (1079–90, Rheinfelden)
* Berthold II (1092–98, Zähringen)

### House of Hohenstaufen, 1079–1268

[edit]

Main article: House of Hohenstaufen

Name | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death

|
|
|
|

Frederick I
1079–1105
|  | 1050
son of Frederick of Büren and Hildegard of Egisheim-Dagsburg | Agnes of Germany
1089
11 children
| 21 July 1105
aged 54 or 55
Frederick II the One-Eyed
1105–1147
|  | 1090
son of Frederick I and Agnes of Germany | Judith of Bavaria
1121
2 children
Agnes of Saarbrücken
c.1132
2 children
| 6 April 1147
aged 56 or 57
Frederick III Barbarossa
1147–1152
|  | 1122
son of Frederick II and Judith of Bavaria | Adelheid of Vohburg
2 March 1147
Eger
no children
Beatrice of Burgundy
9 June 1156
Würzburg
12 children
| 10 June 1190
aged 67 or 68
Frederick IV
1152–1167
|  | 1145
son of Conrad III of Germany and Gertrude von Sulzbach | Gertrude of Bavaria
1166
no children
| 19 August 1167
Rome
aged 21 or 22
Frederick V
1167–1170
|  | 16 July 1164
Pavia
son of Frederick III and Beatrice of Burgundy |
unmarried
| 28 November 1170
aged 6
Frederick VI
1170–1191
|  | February 1167
Modigliana
son of Frederick III and Beatrice of Burgundy |
unmarried
| 20 January 1191
Acre
aged 24
Conrad II
1191–1196
|  | February or March 1173
son of Frederick III and Beatrice of Burgundy |
unmarried
| 15 August 1196
Durlach
aged 23
Philip
1196–1208
|  | August 1177
son of Frederick III and Beatrice of Burgundy | Irene Angelina
25 May 1197
4 children
| 21 June 1208
Bamberg
aged 30
Vacancy: 1208-1212
Frederick VII
1212–1216
|  | 26 December 1194
Jesi
son of Henry I and Constance of Sicily | Constance of Aragon
15 August 1209
1 child

Isabella II of Jerusalem
9 November 1225
2 children

Isabella of England
15 July 1235
4 children | 13 December 1250
Torremaggiore
aged 55
Henry II
1216–1235
|  | 1211
Sicily
son of Frederick I and Constance of Aragon | Margaret
29 November 1225
2 children | 12 February 1242
Martirano
aged 30
Conrad III
1235–1254 |  | 25 April 1228
Andria
son of Frederick I and Isabella II of Jerusalem | Elisabeth of Bavaria
1 September 1246
1 child | 21 May 1254
Lavello
aged 26
Conrad IV the Younger
1254–1268 |  | 25 March 1252
Wolfstein
son of Conrad I and Elisabeth of Bavaria | never married | 29 October 1268
Naples
aged 16
(executed)

### House of Habsburg (1283–1309)

[edit]

* Rudolf (1283–90)
* John (1290–1309)

### Family tree

[edit]

## Successor states

[edit]

In the 13th century, the Duchy of Swabia disintegrated into numerous smaller states. Some of the more important immediate successor states were:

* Bishopric of Augsburg
* Bishopric of Chur
* Bishopric of Constance
* Bishopric of Strasbourg
* Duchy of Teck (to Württemberg)
* Margraviate of Burgau (to Austria)
* Margraviate of Hochberg
* Landgraviate of Klettgau
* Landgraviate of Lower Alsace
* Landgraviate of Sundgau (to Austria)
* Landgraviate of Thurgau (to Austria)
* County Palatine of Tübingen (to Württemberg)
* Abbacy of Disentis
* Abbacy of Murbach
* Abbacy of St. Blaise
* Abbacy of St. Gall

* County of Bregenz (to Austria)
* County of Freiburg (to Austria)
* County of Fürstenberg
* County of Giengen
* County of Heiligenberg
* County of Hohenberg (to Austria)
* County of Kirchberg
* County of Marstetten
* County of Nellenburg
* County of Oettingen
* County of Pfirt (to Austria)
* County of Sulz (to Württemberg)
* County of Werdenberg
* County of Württemberg
* County of Zollern

|

During the following century, several of these states were acquired by the County of Württemberg or the Duchy of Austria, as marked above. In 1803 Bavarian Swabia was annexed by Bavaria and shortly afterwards became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

## See also

[edit]

* Duchess of Swabia

## References

[edit]