Duke of Swabia

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)

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

Conradines

House of Babenberg

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

Miscellaneous houses

  • 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

House of Habsburg (1283–1309)

  • Rudolf (1283–90)
  • John (1290–1309)

Family tree

The Dukes of Swabia stem duchy family diagram

Successor states

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

References