Duchy of Swabia

Duchy of Swabia Herzogtum Schwaben (de) Ducatus Allemaniæ (la)
Stem duchy of the Frankish and Holy Roman Empires
← 911–1268 1289–1313 →   →   →   →
Map showing Upper Burgundy (green) and the Duchy of Swabia (orange)
Capital	Uncertain
Government	Principality
Historical era	Early Middle Ages
- Formed from stem     duchy of Alamannia	911
- Duchy discontinued	1268
- Duchy resurrected for     the Habsburgs	1289
- Disestablished	1313
Today part of	Austria  France  Germany  Italy  Liechtenstein  Slovenia  Switzerland

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.

History

The most notable family to hold Swabia were the Hohenstaufen, who held it, with a brief interruption, from 1079 until 1268. For much of this period, the Hohenstaufen were also Holy Roman Emperors. With the death of Conradin, the last Hohenstaufen duke, the duchy itself disintegrated, although King Rudolf I attempted to revive it for his Habsburg family in the late 13th century.

With the decline of East Francia power, House of Zähringen appeared to be ready as the local successor of the power in southwestern Germany and in the northwest in the Kingdom of Arles. With the founding of the city of Bern in 1191, Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen shows one of the House of Zähringen power centers. East of Jura Mountains and west of Reuss was described as Upper Burgundy, and Bern was part of the Landgraviate of Burgundy which was situated on both sides of the Aar, between Thun and Solothurn. However Berthold died without an heir. Bern was declared an Free imperial city by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor in 1218. Berthold's death without heirs meant the complete disintegration of southwest Germany. This decomposition allowed Old Swiss Confederacy and Duchy of Burgundy development. Bern joined Switzerland in the year of 1353.

Swabia takes its name from the tribe of the Suebi, and the name was often used interchangeably with Alemannia during the existence of the stem-duchy in the High Middle Ages.

See also

• Duke of Swabia